2000

July 2, 2004
TMC
UK / USA
English / Spanish / Vietnamese

A Delicious Comedy Of Table Manners -- WHAT'S COOKING?

In Los Angeles, the Thanksgiving celebrations overlap of four differing American families: African American, Jewish, Latino, and Vietnamese.

Basically a checklist of racial stereotypes all connected by food preparation.

The Black family is the most prosperous, with mother-in-law expressing her opinion on every possible food topic. An estranged son also is added to the mix. I'm always happy to see Alfre Woodard. As the family with the most money, they of course pick up the organic turkey.

The Vietnamese family makes a turkey half coated in pepper sauce. Noodles are included in the meal. The daughter has to hide her boyfriend so as not to "dishonor the family". The son claims to be studying too hard at college to be able to make it home. Mother says "studies come first". One casting issue is that Joan Chen plays the mother. Of a Vietnamese family. Her name is Chen. Of course grandma lives with them and offers snippets of advice, and teenage son wears sports jerseys and acts like a gangsta.

The Jewish family has a lesbian daughter who has brought her longtime girlfriend back home. However, they must keep their secret from the rest of the family during the meal. They have marshmallows and other "wacky Jewish food". George Costanza's mother makes an appearance in all her red-haired glory.

The Latin family seems to have the most fun. They buy and cook the most food, tamales, tortillas, and a huge turkey. Extra deserts. Their angst is in the estranged father of the family being invited without the mother's knowledge.

Each meal needs to have a blow-up eventually. It wouldn't be a Thanksgiving film without one.

The big ending involving the Vietnamese family was almost laughable in its afterschool special mentality. It seemed to be a plot device simply to connect the families.

The music tells us which house we're about to enter. There is mariachi, then klezmer, then that borderline racists chingy music when we find ourselves in the Vietnamese kitchen. One truthful part is the way that several members of the Latin family insist on discussing both Bruce Lee and "Jackie Chang" with the Asian boy their sister has brought home.

A noble failure about the great melting pot of America. I must say that I was hungry after watching.

6.4 Critical Consensus
***^ Ebert
** Berardinelli
* Halliwells