As an Asian in the US I really hate this movie. I think it's a very narrow one-sided and stereotypical portray of Asians. All the Asian women have terrible stories of being dominated by jerks (usually the husband). I must say that some of the cultural and historical background is true and I will admit that some of these do reflect reality in China or Asian cultures, but it is overly dramatized and exaggerated. The plot has so much room to play with that I expect to have more breadth and diversity. It just seems unrealistic that all 8 women have such tragic lives. It bothers me so much that this is the way China and Asian cultures are being portrayed in a movie that is popular in the west.
In the scene where Waverly brings her white fiancé Rich home, Rich didn't know some Chinese dining etiquette. When Waverly's mother said her fish is not salty, she was being humble and actually wanted everyone to praise it. Rich actually criticized the dish and just poured soy sauce on the fish. It hardly seems like something anyone with decent manner would do. The character of Harold, who is Lena's husband and splits the cost of everything they share, and Lin-Xiao, who is Yingying's ex-husband and abused her and openly brought his mistress home, both seem overly flat, dramatized and unreal.
There are also many noticeable flaws in the plot. For example, Ted became bored in his marriage with Rose because Rose has lost herself and let Ted makes all the decisions. Ted was going to divorce her for another women. During the divorce, Rose realized her mistakes and yelled at him "Get out of my house" and the next thing we know they are back together. The film never explained how the 4 women came to the US too.
Besides the plot, the acting, filming, editing, etc. are actually good. It's annoying some people in the scenes in China speaks mandarin with an American ascent but I'll give them a break.
In the scene where Waverly brings her white fiancé Rich home, Rich didn't know some Chinese dining etiquette. When Waverly's mother said her fish is not salty, she was being humble and actually wanted everyone to praise it. Rich actually criticized the dish and just poured soy sauce on the fish. It hardly seems like something anyone with decent manner would do. The character of Harold, who is Lena's husband and splits the cost of everything they share, and Lin-Xiao, who is Yingying's ex-husband and abused her and openly brought his mistress home, both seem overly flat, dramatized and unreal.
There are also many noticeable flaws in the plot. For example, Ted became bored in his marriage with Rose because Rose has lost herself and let Ted makes all the decisions. Ted was going to divorce her for another women. During the divorce, Rose realized her mistakes and yelled at him "Get out of my house" and the next thing we know they are back together. The film never explained how the 4 women came to the US too.
Besides the plot, the acting, filming, editing, etc. are actually good. It's annoying some people in the scenes in China speaks mandarin with an American ascent but I'll give them a break.