Dealing with Dad movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Dealing with Dad

This comedic drama is now available to stream online.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 46 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about Margaret, who reluctantly goes back to her hometown with her brothers to deal with the sudden depression of her father.

The film premiered at an Asian-American Film Festival and will definitely find its audience among Asian immigrants. It has already won an impressive number of awards!

The film was both written and directed by Tom Huang, based loosely on his personal experience and that of his Asian-immigrant friends.

One of my sons married a lovely girl from Hong Kong. Their little son is surrounded by Asian families in America where they live. I’m so grateful I’ve been able to go to China many times so that I can help instill a love for that rich culture in his heart.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast includes Ally Maki, Hayden Szeto, Peter S. Kim, Dana Lee, Karan Soni, Jeff Atlas, and Page Leong.
I’ve been trying to learn Mandarin, so it was fun to hear some of the characters in the story speak Mandarin.
Those in the Asian community will probably see a lot of familiar territory in the story. Non-Asians will get a glimpse into Asian families and their unique traditions and perspective.
The film could easily be turned into a sitcom and already feels a little like one.
The story seems very realistic.
There is a lot of humor, although not all of it landed for me.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

So much yelling and fighting among the characters got on my nerves. I don’t find that entertaining or funny.
I’ve never understood parents who complain when their adult kids don’t call them. The phone works both ways.
I didn’t really like any of the self-absorbed characters. They’re constantly angry, snarky, and criticize each other. I’m so grateful I didn’t grow up in a family like that. Neither did my husband, so we’ve been able to raise 4 respectful, kind sons.
I love alliteration in titles, but the name of the movie instantly reveals the attitudes of the children: they have to DEAL with their dad rather than CARE for him.
Unfortunately, the movie is forgettable.