4 out of 5

Director: Ang Lee

It’s a surface movie, but a very well done one, honest in its presentation and intentions and even managing to pack some worthwhile and fun surprises into the individual story lines. It is a foodie movie, but director Ang Lee obviously wanted to bring some hometown pride to the dishes on display and it works in the film’s benefit: many food-based movies revel in dazzling displays but it ends up being a hollow vessel to, generally, move along a predictable story about discovery or togetherness. While Eat Drink Man Woman certainly buys into the togetherness – three sisters of different ages live with their now-single father, each relating to each other and their Dad in ways that provide for separate story lines (the speaks her mind youngest, the go-getter middle child, and the always respectful eldest), the movie sits back for preparation, lulling in the quiet moments where the pieces of the dish are blended. It’s an effective story-telling method, allowing the crux of this – the ritual Sunday dinner where we see each girl’s interactions within the family – to be a worthwhile understated release for the characters and viewer. While nothing here is truly electric – you can drop in and out of the movie at any moment and be on the right page – it is a great example of a safe movie that uses a traditional format but still manages to be interesting, to be presented with a seemingly confident eye, and deep enough to reward watching it in full.