Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity (2002)

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Who says that a Korean actress cannot portray a Chinese character? Granted it's not a perfect movie, I was deeply moved by the human elements so true to the Chinese Community in North America.I do agree with Frank L. though that little of the superstition exists in Chinese culture these days, but i respectfully disagree that this film would create "new stereotypes unheard of before".After all, it's just 90 minutes of good entertainment. As a Chinese American/Canadian living far away from China Town, it opens a window for me to other Chinese's lives, and to better appreciate what i have as well as what I don't have.Didn't know that Sandra O. & Russell Y. are from Canada! Best wishes to them both on their continued success on the big screen or small:)

This is a "slice of life" film about some people in the Chinese community of Vancouver. The leading characters are a single mom and her super-superstitious little girl. Because of the cute little girl's machinations, their lives become intertwined in the stories of several others in the neighborhood. I particularly enjoyed the unforeseen consequences that occur when the girl tries to slip her mother and a male friend a love potion.The film is very atypical compared to a Hollywood style film in that the plot is very slim and the emphasis is on people. Plus, not all the story lines are worked out perfectly--there are plenty of dangling plots that do not get resolved when the film concludes. Both these aspects of the film may put off many viewers, but if you appreciate independent and foreign films, this will not be a problem. As for me, I liked the characters and the way their lives were portrayed in such simple ways.This was a very enjoyable film--one I could have easily scored an 8. However, I also realize that my enjoyment of the film may just be because I am not an Asian and I didn't notice all the flaws in the way they portrayed the Chinese-Canadian community. I did feel rather perplexed that Sandra Oh was cast in the lead because I know she's of Korean decent--and it did seem very odd to have all the adults in the film speaking Chinese (I assume Cantonese) and yet she spoke almost none. She's a good actress but just seemed in the wrong element here. In addition, whether or not these superstitions, good luck charms, potions, etc. are real I have no idea and I could easily see people assuming this is typical for the community. According to Frank L.'s review, he was upset about the misrepresentations of his culture and I just have to assume the film makers took a lot of liberties about this.

Thank the Taoist gods that twelve-year-old Mindy Lum(Valerie Tian) is a sweet, quiet girl who uses her magic powers for winning lottery ticket- numbers and matchmaking. Just look at the damage Mindy inadvertently creates for Shuck(Chang Tseng) with her mirrors and Chinese juju. The bad spirits that ricochet off mom, alights on this twilight security guard, whose sudden termination from his job leads him on a downward spiral that proves to be almost fatal. Mindy and her single mother Kin Ho(Sandra Oh) belong to a different narrative from Shuck's, but they dovetail, as does the other two parallel stories from time-to-time, like how you bump into people who live in your neighborhood. Sometimes you exchange waves, sometimes you stop to chat. In the remaining story that completes the triad of Canadian-Chinese narratives is an upstart monk who Mindy never meets. "Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity" approaches religion from a position of being faith-based(Peter, the son of a cook, feels but never truly experiences...), and a position from which religion has an actual effect on the physical world(...what Mindy experiences, who changes the fortunes of her Canadian neighbors by reading a book on Taoist magic). "Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity" rests on the young shoulders of first-time actress Valerie Tian, who has an ancient Chinese secret to acting, which is helpful to any pre-pubescent actor, regardless of ethnicity, to survive the here today, gone tomorrow world of thespians-too-young-to-drive. Don't smile. In other words, if cute is your aim, your five minutes will be up pretty fast. Tian acts older than she looks. She is from the anti-Cindy Brady school of acting, and the now-eighteen-year-old(old-enough-to-drive) Canadian is, not surprisingly, still working. She's Su-Chin in "Juno". You know, the lone anti-abortionist who chants, "All babies want to get borned!"

This movie is made by a Canadian Chinese director who does not understand Chinese culture. She does not even speak the language. Now, how many chinese people who speak perfect English would work in a chinese restaurant as portrayed in the movie? Many things are exaggerated about the chinese culture and unfortunately, it creates new stereotypes unheard of before. Immigrant families will not make the 2nd generation continue in the same 'profession' - as what the BBQ store guy tried to do in the movie.People may find this movie sweet with the cute little girl running around trying to create a witch's brew with ideas created for this movie only. Non of this exists in chinese cultural supersticion.And what's up with the Sandra Oh girl? She is being used for the 2nd time in Mina shum's movies, they must be best friends... using a Korean to portray a Chinese is nuts.In summary, if you are someone from a chinese culture and understands it clearly, you will be scratching your head after watching this movie. Otherwise, those viewing from the outside will get a chuckle and will wonder more if this is actually what's going on inside a chinese family.