The Joy Luck Club
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    Like a flowering of talent that has been waiting so long to be celebrated. It is also one of the most touching and moving of the year's films.
  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    100
    A highly emotional epic about what it means to be both Chinese and American.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    90
    Those unfamiliar with the book will simply appreciate a stirring, many-sided fable, one that is exceptionally well told.
  4. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    90
    Wang has made a dramatically confident move into the mainstream on his own terms with highly congenial material.
  5. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hal Hinson
    90
    Never has political correctness looked so sumptuously handsome as it does here, and in its perfect-pitch instinct for the cultural vibe, this sweeping movie is so immaculately dead-on that it nearly transcends criticism.
  6. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    Hits hardest when it bypasses sentiment to ponder the inextricable mix of love and pain that comes with the ties that bind.
  7. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    80
    Gives refreshing -- and bittersweet -- dimension to the age-old clash between generations.
  8. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    Fascinating and satisfying the way the diverse threads are knitted together into a single tapestry.
  9. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    67
    Pierces through your tear ducts in its ultimate path toward your heart.
  10. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    60
    Pure melodrama, but stylishly done, with finely tuned performances played out against meticulously realized settings.
  11. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    58
    A sumptuous two-and-a-quarter-hour emotional epic built on one lachrymose climax after another. What little plot there is exists only to set up the next Big Cry.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. TerryG.
    10
    Confusing, but good. 10 for the heck of it.
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