Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Catfish in Black Bean Sauce

EMAILPRINTIron Hill Pictures

Catfish in Black Bean Sauce reviews
46
10.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 14 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 2 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Chi Muoi Lo

Directed by: Chi Muoi Lo

Release Date:
Theatrical: July 28, 2000
DVD: September 18, 2001

Running Time: 119 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for brief strong language and sexual content

Starring Chi Moui Lo, Sanaa Lathan, and Paul Winfield

An African American couple (Winfield and Alice) adopt two orphans from a Vietnamese refugee camp. After twenty-two years, the children are reunited with their birth mother, bringing deeply submerged resentments and misconceptions to the surface and forcing the characters to reexamine their identity and relationships in both comical and poignant situations. (Iron Hill Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

A comedy of interracial wariness and misunderstanding marked by a refreshing lack of sappiness.

Read Full Review >
75

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Serves up a dramatic comedy piquant as its title.

63

Chicago Tribune Monica Eng

Lo's writing is generally solid, and he creates some genuinely funny and touching moments with his use of dream sequences and flashbacks. He may not have gotten his proportions perfect in this first try, but Catfish in Black Bean Sauce shows that Lo has sharp cinematic instincts.

Read Full Review >
63

Boston Globe Jay Carr

As engaging as it is ungainly and scattered.

60

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

There are enough plot points to fill an entire soap-opera season, but writer-director Chi Muoi Lo, who also plays the son, somehow manages to juggle them all, turning seemingly superfluous elements into workable drama and metaphor.

Read Full Review >
60

TV Guide Ken Fox

Chock full of personality and irreverent detail.

Read Full Review >
50

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Ranges from exquisitely sensitive to crass, but overall, it's an interesting effort.

50

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Isn't quite as much fun as it could be.

Read Full Review >
50

Variety Joe Leydon

Too mild-mannered and fuzzily focused for its own good.

Read Full Review >
50

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

Determined to try your patience, asking you to fall in love with it.

Read Full Review >
40

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

There's a nice little story here about the intermingling of cultures, but it rarely gets beyond the obvious clichés.

Read Full Review >
40

Dallas Observer Andy Klein

It's sweet and well intentioned, with occasional amusing moments.

Read Full Review >
38

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A first draft for a movie that could have been extraordinary.

Read Full Review >
30

Village Voice Amy Taubin

A progressive but not very funny comedy of manners.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Annette W. gave it a 10:
A refreshing movie about two cultures rarely portrayed together in films.

LaTanya F. gave it a 10:
Incredible! Supurb writing. Subtle and sarcastic humor. Heartwarming.

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | Olympics | Lost | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use