Lucky Grandma

Date Shown

4th Jan 2023

Lucky Grandma poster01200 ‘Lucky Grandma’ is a Coen Brother-esque black comedy, following an elderly Chinese widow in New York’s Chinatown eager to live her life as an independent woman, despite her worried family interfering along the way. When a local fortune teller predicts an upcoming lucky day, Grandma Wong decides- but of course! -to head straight for the casino, and manages to gamble away her entire life savings. However, on the bus home, a chance encounter leaves her with a holdall stuffed with US dollars! This money just happens to belong to New York’s Chinese mob, who understandably want it back, but fail to appreciate one should never underestimate an unflappable pensioner.
First-time writer-director Sasie Sealy’s spiky comedy stars veteran Chinese actress Tsai Chin, who appears to be having a hoot playing a wily, chain-smoking, Mandarin-speaking heroine. When she employs a bodyguard from a different gang, they form a terrific odd-couple partnership, finding themselves in the middle of a Chinese gang war. This uproariously funny, well received film is just the sort of escapist fun needed for a dark, post-Christmas winter night.

Audience Reactions

A: 17, B: 13, C: 05, D: 5, E: 1.

A: A nice gentle comedy I thought, but then we got the body count! Good though! Up the oldies! (A) Hilarious! Marvellous range of facial expressions. Great music (A)
G.M. great (lovely hair) but Big Pong beautiful (A) Great fun! (A) A jolly black comedy romp! (A)

B: I loved Big Pong (B) Not unlike James Bond. Like the female lead. (B) Very good acting. (B) Lots of laughs (B)
Fun with a touch of pathos. Gambling never pays. Acting brilliant. (B) Great fun and a good start to the year! (B) Rather odd, highly original, entertaining & amusing (B)

C: Quite entertaining. Not very exciting. (C) Quirky! (C) Weird but enjoyable. I laughed a lot until last hour where it lost its way a bit! Not exactly art! (C)

D: I didn’t really care for the characters. (D) Underwhelming, contrived. (D)

E: Lightweight + inferior farce! Not for me! (E)