X
  • 1993
  • R
  • Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
  • 2 h 19 m
  • 1993
  • R
  • Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
  • 2 h 19 m
The Joy Luck Club

Summary The story of four remarkable friends whose extraordinary lives are filled with joy and heartbreak. Their lifelong friendship reveals a mosaic of the startling events and conditions that have shaped their lives -- and how these experiences have affected the hopes and dreams they hold for each of their children. (Hollywood Pictures)

Directed By: Wayne Wang

Written By: Amy Tan, Ron Bass

  • 1993
  • R
  • Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
  • 2 h 19 m
  • 1993
  • R
  • Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
  • 2 h 19 m

The Joy Luck Club

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 20 Critic Reviews
must-see
84
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 23 User Ratings
7.4
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary The story of four remarkable friends whose extraordinary lives are filled with joy and heartbreak. Their lifelong friendship reveals a mosaic of the startling events and conditions that have shaped their lives -- and how these experiences have affected the hopes and dreams they hold for each of their children. (Hollywood Pictures)

Directed By: Wayne Wang

Written By: Amy Tan, Ron Bass

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 20 Critic Reviews
84
85% Positive
17 Reviews
15% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 20 Critic Reviews
84
85% Positive
17 Reviews
15% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
The best thing about The Joy Luck Club is that it is not too cerebral, calculated or self-consciously arty. It is also an intensely emotional movie that celebrates the mystical undercurrent of life, that accepts the healing miracle of love, and - in the tradition of the great Hollywood "women's pictures" of the '30s and '40s - simply does not leave a dry eye in the house. [24 Sept 1993]
By William Arnold FULL REVIEW
100
Every once in a while a movie comes along that is so stirring and so moving that it stays with you long after it's over. Like a wonderful memory, it washes over your psyche for days and bathes it in some indescribable richness. The Joy Luck Club is just such a movie. This is filmmaking at its best: a wonderful story that transcends cultures. It is beautifully set and filmed, superbly acted and masterfully directed. [7 Sept 1993]
FULL REVIEW
90
If The Joy Luck Club doesn’t make you cry, nothing will. In an age of contrived and mechanical sentimentality, its deeply felt, straight-from-the-heart emotions and the unadorned way it presents them make quite an impact. No matter how many hankies you bring with you, it won’t be enough.
By Kenneth Turan FULL REVIEW
88
Hits hardest when it bypasses sentiment to ponder the inextricable mix of love and pain that comes with the ties that bind.
By Peter Travers FULL REVIEW
75
Mostly engrossing and always worthy of respect, it still hasn't quite the big-movie sweep to make it a tell-the-world experience. [8 Sept 1993, p.1D]
By Mike Clark FULL REVIEW
63
The Joy Luck Club may be stylistically rickety, but Wang does a good job with the logistics of the movie, integrating multiple time periods, dialogue in two languages (English and Mandarin), two locations (San Francisco and China) and overlapping casts - several characters require two and even three actors to play them at different ages - to make a watchable whole. This is not a movie to be watched lackadaisically. Blink twice and you could lose the train of narration. [17 Sept 1993, p.C]
By Johanna Steinmetz FULL REVIEW
50
Director Wayne Wang and his dreadful cast – the performances are almost across-the-board atrocious – had no chance.
By Josh Larsen FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 23 User Ratings
7.4
78% Positive
18 Ratings
9% Mixed
2 Ratings
13% Negative
3 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 23 User Ratings
7.4
78% Positive
18 Ratings
9% Mixed
2 Ratings
13% Negative
3 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Hollywood Pictures
Release Date Sep 8, 1993
Duration 2 h 19 m
Rating R
Genres
View All Details

Awards

Young Artist Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Casting Society of America, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Dekalog (1988)

100
Universal Acclaim

The Godfather

100
Universal Acclaim

Tokyo Story

100
Universal Acclaim

Citizen Kane

100
Universal Acclaim

Three Colors: Red

100
Universal Acclaim

Boyhood

100
Universal Acclaim

The Conformist

100
Universal Acclaim

The Leopard (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Lawrence of Arabia (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Casablanca

100
Universal Acclaim

Notorious

100
Universal Acclaim

Fanny and Alexander (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Touch of Evil

99
Universal Acclaim

Army of Shadows

99
Universal Acclaim

City Lights

99
Universal Acclaim

Moonlight

99
Universal Acclaim

Intolerance

99
Universal Acclaim

The Rules of the Game

99
Universal Acclaim

Seven Samurai

98
Universal Acclaim

The Wild Bunch

98
Universal Acclaim

Au hasard Balthazar

98
Universal Acclaim

Pépé le Moko (re-release)

98
Universal Acclaim

Related News

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie