In New York City's Chinatown, a Chinese grandma goes all in at the casino, landing herself on the wrong side of luck.
One thing that is quite apparent, is that the Asian community has been underrepresented in Western film media for quite some time. There has been somewhat of a turning of the tide with films like Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell, but they have been strictly sticking to that vapid, drama-based, rom-com style of film.
Lucky Grandma is somewhat of a different style entirely. Paying homage to Guy Ritchie's high-energy blue-collar crime stories of The Gentlemen, Snatch, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Lucky Grandma manages to set itself up lickety-split and boosts its way through to the inciting incident, creating a barrage of questions about our main character along the way.
For the majority of the film, the story is held up entirely by the exceptional acting talents of Grandma Wong, played by Tsai Chin. Breaking the cycle of stereotypical Asian personalities, Grandma Wong is neither the kindly matriarch of the family, nor the over-critical parent, Wong is bullheaded, stubborn, and incredibly sly; all characteristics that amp up the curiosity of the audience when it comes to figuring out what events in Wong's past have made her this way. It's a personality style that feels incredibly unique and is only held back by an inadequate script.
In fact, the script--written by Sasie Sealy and Angela Cheng--is what lets down the whole film. The first act of the film is superbly done, managing to introduce our protagonist with minimal dialogue and using the visuals to pass on more information. Combined with how Grandma Wong skips through the initial act of the film, the fast pace brings about plenty of comedic gold and character development. After 15 minutes, however, the film peaks, and carries on with an ever-decreasing decline until the film practically stalls; running out of story elements and pace.
A frustrating takeaway from what was ultimately an intriguing premise that included near enough of an entirely Asian cast. A beautifully crafted personality to Wong that feels well-worn, the depth of her character wasn't backed up by the script, and in the end, wasn't utilized satisfyingly. Apart from the initial introduction, there was little to no development of the characters, and that leaves Lucky Grandma feeling flat.
Where films in this gang culture genre often trip up, is balancing comedy and violence. The film needs to keep some humour to keep things energetic and fast-paced but, more importantly, the film needs to ensure that the stakes are firmly set and understood. If our protagonist never really feels like they are in danger, we lose interest in their journey, as the outcome is then already clear.
Nobody is excited to watch a sports game if they already know the score. Similarly, when someone's life is constantly in danger (despite the constant slapstick physical humour thrown in), and there is no time given to process that danger, then it suffers from diminishing returns.
Unlike Chin's Grandma Wong, the supporting characters--otherwise known as the carousel of average villains and gangsters--do fall into stereotypical roles. Nearly everyone is some form of Triad or a member of another gang and receives no development at all in motivations or personality traits. The only exception comes in the form of Big Pong, played by Hsiao-Yuan Ha, who brings innocence and a sense of earnestness that makes his interactions with Grandma Wong work oh so well.
The music is polarizing and jaunty to a level that one could see standing out, but the cinematography from Eduardo Enrique Mayén makes use of the eclectic mix to complement the combination of extreme close-ups conveying strong human emotions and the wide shots to showcase the vibrant environments. As a short, Lucky Grandma would excel, and for the first act it does, but the script is too sparse for a feature film, and even Tsai Chin's sympathetic performance cannot save it from mediocrity.
Lucky Grandma is in cinemas from October 8, 2020