Eat With Me (2014)

You won't be disappointed!

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

As gay dramas with characters of Chinese heritage go, there are better structured, better written, and better filmed choices out there (the beautifully shot and sensitively written "Lilting" comes to mind), and although "Eat With Me" does a solid job of engaging with contemporary Asian-American identity - something sorely under-represented in Hollywood - there's little here that doesn't feel touched by stereotype or familiar tropes. However, this is a movie with its heart in the right place, and it's at its best when giving screen time to the wonderful Sharon Omi as Emma, a mother struggling to rebuild her relationship with her son (Teddy Chen Culver).Mostly, this is a fluffy, by-the-numbers piece, good-natured but lacking in any real depth or imagination. It's really memorable only for showing genuine empathy to Emma's character instead of focusing exclusively on her son's point of view, and it's that sensitivity that saves the movie from flopping entirely.Teddy Chen Culver, as Elliot, comes over as stilted and distant - which initially seems to be intentional, to convey the emotional repression shared by mother and son - but he never quite seems to open up, and the rest of the cast seem by turns equally ill at ease. Even a heavy- handed cameo from George Takei (was he promised his weight in dumplings to show up?) does little to lift the pace, though for anyone familiar with the struggle of balancing identity, family, pride, and vulnerability - or anyone who wants a crash course in cookery - this movie does have several moments recognizable enough to make you smile.

I wanted to like this movie, I really did, but there was nothing that grabbed me and made me want to stay. But sadly I did and the more I sat and watched the more I sighed and tried not to cringe at the excruciating dialogue presented. When I saw this movie on Netflix I thought it would be perfect for me since I myself am a gay Asian man and I could relate. Big mistake. While the setting and ambiance was well thought out, the execution and chemistry between the characters are so poor you can't really notice anything else. The writing makes me so angry I find myself dumbfounded how anybody thought it was acceptable. For example the love interest, Ian, was British and you can tell not only by his accent but by his lines. "Wow. Brilliant!" "Cheers" "Bloody hell" and it doesn't help that the actor playing him is bland and unconvincing. The conversations the characters have with each other are so bizarre that the actors themselves do not even know how to react. This happens every time Jenny (Jamila Alina) is on screen. The only saving grace of this film is Nicole Sullivan and George Takei. The whole film is boring and slow and doesn't leave you rooting for anybody. Don't watch this, save your time.

This movie was really bad. Not the worst movie I'd ever seen, but a waste of time nonetheless and infuriating to watch. Here are the reasons I hated it: - Acting. Some of the most inexpressive faces and bodies ever seen on the silver screen. No believability to the characters. You really felt they were "only pretending". The best actor of the group, to me, was the character Maureen. - Dialogue. I think a high school student could have written the dialogue. - Cinematography. Completely uninteresting way to film a movie. The angles and shots felt like they were taken by any random person simply holding up a video camera. - Predictable storyline. Slow pacing of movie. Overall, thoroughly unenjoyable to me - I also find the existing 8.3 rating on IMDb highly, highly suspect.

I saw this film at Frameline 38 in San Francisco on June 26, 2014 at 4 pm at the magnificent Castro Theater. This is the funniest movie I have seen in years. Outstanding performances from Sharon Omi and Teddy Chen Culver as Mom and Son - who have no idea how to communicate with each other. Mom leaves Dad (because they don't know how to communicate with each other) moves in with Son and wackiness happens. Nicole Sullivan is the free spirited next door neighbor who steals every scene she is in. David Au's writing is brilliant and Nicole's comedic delivery and timing is perfect. George Takai makes a wonderful appearance and there are some dumplings thrown in the mix. This is a fabulous, fun, family film with food and everyone should see it. I saw 25 films at Frameline this year and this was my favorite.