Dim Sum Funeral

Synopsis:

An Irish funeral has what’s called a wake.

A Jewish funeral has what’s called sitting shiva.

A traditional Chinese Funeral is something else entirely…

In a stately home, sixty-something Mrs. Xiao (Lisa Lu) lies in her bed, immobile, eyes shut. Her longtime housekeeper and, some might say, her only friend, Viola Gruber (Talia Shire), a force of nature who’s been with the family since the kids were in diapers, must now call each of the four children to inform them their mother has passed away.

Eldest daughter Elizabeth (Julia Nickson) lives in Maui and is stuck in a marriage that is falling apart. Son Alexander (Russell Wong) is in Manhattan. A successful dermatologist, he’s married to a former Miss Taiwan (Kelly Hu) and cheating on her. Middle daughter Victoria (Francoise Yip) lives nearby. Victoria can’t stop nibbling on chips and chocolates … and can’t stop being angry with her mother. Youngest daughter Meimei (Steph Song) is the star of B-grade Hong Kong martial arts films. She’s gorgeous, funny, and a bit of a princess. She’s also in a lesbian relationship (Bai Ling) and looking to.have a baby.

All the Xiao children had issues with their mother. She was domineering, manipulative, controlling, imperious, meddlesome, selfish, secretive, rigid, and a bitch. The kids have issues with each other as well. Mrs. Xiao had made them compete for her affections, pitting one against the other, and, so, they came to view one another as opponents. And they still do.

Now, here they are, gathered in the mansion built by their late father … to bid farewell to their mother. Mrs. Xiao’s dying wish, Viola says, was to have a traditional Chinese funeral.

Coming together, albeit reluctantly, to carry out this traditional funeral, the four Xiao children discover each other all over again … and come to know their mother in ways they never fathomed, in this touching and funny look at family life.

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All I can say is that the Mother is a bitch, and not one mother is perfect and make all the best or right decisions in life.

The mother pitting the children against each other, then faking her own death, is unnescessary and childish. This is her only way to seek pity from her children for all her wrong doings. Becuase she knows that she had been a bitch to all of them. So death might be the only way to bring all her children together.

She might have a good cause for faking her own death. But wtf man, in real life, I hardly doubt that that shit will happen.

This part tugged at the soft string in my heart, "she made me leave the only man I ever loved". I mean, how can a mother possibly do that ? I bet its for her own selfish ways and for SAVING FACE. The whole movie was banging on how the mother wanted to SAVE HER OWN FACE at the expense of her children's happiness and treating them like shit.

Man that was a good movie. Totally described a real life family situation.

Thumbs up for this movie!

And the actors and actresses are all great. Especially Bai Ling. She cracks me up!

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