USA,
1993, 84 min
Shown in 1993
CREDITS
- dir
-
Tony Chan
- prod
-
Tony Chan, Ulla Zwicker
- scr
-
Edwin Baker, Tony Chan
- cam
-
Yoshifumi Hosoya
- editor
-
Tony Chan, James Y. Kwei
- cast
-
Jeff Lau, Colleen O’Brien, Lester Chan, Colin Mitchell, Kenneth Lu
- source
-
Tony Chan Productions Inc.
-
COMMENTS
Tony Chan in person.
OTHER
Years spent in his father's restaurant have provided Tony Chan with the inspiration and background for his droll and saliently observed Combination Platter. From its clever opening credit roll through its unusual viewpoint—that of a waiter—this debut feature immerses us in a multilayered milieu equally flavored with Mandarin, Cantonese and English. Robert, a recent immigrant from Hong Kong, works in a busy restaurant in Flushing, New York's other Chinatown. Struggling to adapt to a new culture, Robert finds his life further complicated by the expiration of his temporary visa. Desperation compels him to consider a green-card bride. But it is the hustle and bustle of the restaurant that define most of Robert's experience. Chan surrounds his protagonist with a dizzying, totally convincing and frequently amusing array of characters—fellow waiters, the loner dishwasher, the enterprising boss, the Chinese-American hostess who can't write Chinese and the squabbling cooks who can't read her English, the Caucasian busboy and the predominantly non-Chinese customers who patronize the place. The confusion, loneliness and fear conveyed in Jeff Lau's quietly engrossing performance strikingly counterpoint Robert's new life with the much-touted images of immigrants achieving success. Blending veracity with gentle lampooning, Combination Platter puts a bemused spin on realizing the American Dream from the vantage of the outsider looking in.
—Laura Thielen
FACTOID #92
In 1997, the 40 th anniversary of the Festival, four films shared the spotlight for opening night: Bliss, Love Valour! Compassion, Wake Up Love and When the Cat’s Away.
