Based on Amy Tan’s award-winning novel, The Joy Luck Club was released in theaters in 1993 to just as much critical acclaim. You’ll have a chance to watch the film, which stars Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, and Rosalind Chao, during the next screening from our IPL Movie Club on Thursday, May 23, at 6:00 PM.
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Director Wayne Wang and screenwriter Ronald Bass effectively interweave sixteen mother-daughter tales in their silken film version of Amy Tan’s best-selling novel about the clash between generations. The film takes place in present-day San Francisco, concentrating on a group of late-middle-aged Chinese women. Ever since arriving in the United States after World War II, the women have gathered weekly to play mah-jongg and to tell stories, regaling each other with tales of their children and grandchildren, giving each other a sense of hope and renewal in the midst of poverty and hardship.
The Joy Luck Club is made up of four women — Suyuan, Lindo, Ying Ying, and An Mei. But when Suyuan dies, the three surviving members invite Suyuan’s daughter June to take her place. Along with the daughters of the other members — Waverly, Lena, and Rose — June is a Chinese-American with only a passing interest in her rich cultural heritage. But through vignettes that switch back and forth in time, the daughters begin to appreciate the struggles of their mothers to start their families in the optimistic promise of the United States.
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No registration is necessary and neither are tickets! So please join us for a free film in our meeting rooms every month! We’ll also have candy, soda, and prizes to raffle off!
The Joy Luck Club will be shown on Thursday, May 23, at 6:00 PM. It’s rated R and has a runtime of 139 minutes.
Published on May 17, 2024.
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