The Joy Luck Club was formed by four women in San Francisco: Lindo Jong (Tsai Chin), Ying-Ying St. Clair (France Nuyen), An-Mei Hsu (Lisa Lu), and Suyuan Woo (Kieu Chinh). The members have mainly played mahjong and told each other’s stories over the years. They emigrated from their native country, China, remarried, and gave birth to children in America.
Suyuan’s daughter June (Ming-Na Wen) replaced her when Suyuan died four months before the time the film is set. The mothers have high hopes for their daughters’ success, but the daughters struggle through “anxieties, feelings of inadequacy, and failures.” Throughout the film, the mothers and daughters bond by learning to understand each other and by overcoming their conflicts.
The film begins with June’s prologue tale. In the prologue, a woman (presumably Suyuan) bought a swan in China from a market vendor who was selling it as “a duck that stretched its neck [to become] a goose.” She kept it as her pet and brought it to the United States. When the immigration officials took it away from her, she plucked out only a swan feather instead while she struggled to grab the swan away. For a long time, the woman had kept the feather, planning to someday give the feather to her daughter.
Then the film transits to June’s farewell surprise party in San Francisco for her upcoming reunion with her long-lost twin sisters in China. Among the guests are members of The Joy Luck Club, their daughters, other relatives, and friends. The following characters below narrate their journeys to the audience while they reflect upon their pasts.
The Joy Luck Club is a 1993 American film about the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers. It was directed by Wayne Wang and stars Ming-Na Wen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, France Nguyen, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, and Tsai Chin. The film is based on the eponymous 1989 novel by Amy Tan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bass. The film was produced by Bass, Tan, Wang and Patrick Markey while Oliver Stone served as an executive producer.
Four older women, all Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco, meet regularly to play mahjong, eat, and tell stories. Each of these women has an adult Chinese-American daughter. The film reveals the hidden pasts of the older women and their daughters and how their lives are shaped by the clash of Chinese and American cultures as they strive to understand their family bonds and one another.
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Directed by: Wayne Wang
Starring: Ming-Na Wen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, France Nguyen, Tamlyn Tomita, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, Tsai Chin, Melanie Chang, Lisa Connolly, Meijuan Xi
Screenplay by: Amy Tan, & Ronald Bass
Production Design by: Donald Graham Burt
Cinematography by: Amir Mokri
Film Editing by: Maysie Hoy
Costume Design by: Lydia Tanji
Set Decoration by: Jim Poynter
Art Direction by: Diana Kunce
Music by: Rachel Portman
MPAA Rating: R for strong depiction of thematic material.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: September 8, 1993
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