5/5 "Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, Gone Altogether Beyond" ~ The Quest For Harmony And Happiness While Dealing With Impermanence
  by Brian E. Erland (CA - USA)
Synopsis: Have you ever wondered why the Chinese tend to have red front doors? It's because red is the color that attracts harmony and happiness to the occupants within, that's why. With that bit of information in mind the audience is now armed with a little insight into what lies ahead. The '06 cinematic release `Red Doors' is a gem of a film about a Chinese-American family that has lost their harmony, happiness and family connectedness despite the bright red front door and the porcelain Kwan Yin displayed in the dinning room. This familial unrest and discord is subtly and symbolically presented to the viewer at the beginning of the story as we see a seemingly happy family dinner coming to an end. As Samantha, the oldest of three daughters leaves the table she accidently bumps the Kwan Yin statue off a nearby cabinet. The shattering of the beloved and compassionate Goddess who also bestows "harmony and happiness" to those who honor her immediately informs us that things are not as they should be.

The problems within this quiet home have come to a head with the retirement of Ed (Tzi Ma), husband and father of the household. He has already lost the time and attention of his daughters that he so much enjoyed when they were young. Life doesn't stand still, things change and so has the mode of communication between Samantha (Jacqueline Kim), Julie (Elaine Kao) and Katie (Kathy Shao-Lin Lee). Now busy with their lives outside the house they've lost the close relationship they once had with their aging parents. Sadly, the only time Ed smiles is when he's alone watching old VHS tapes of the children. In his self-imposed silence Ed desperately seeks a way out. Numerous attempts at suicide have failed due to interruptions or ineptness however when he discovers that a large Buddhist monastery is nearby in leaves a cryptic goodbye note on his computer and disappears. As his wife and daughters deal with the situation and try to make sense of what's happened they slowly begin to look within to discern where their happiness lies and discover what they must do to make their hopes and dreams come true.

Critique: I absolutely love this film, it reminds me quite a bit of `The Joy Luck Club' and even more so `Eat Drink Man Woman' (Chinese with English subtitles). Everything is right on the money with this movie; production values, soundtrack, storyline and dialogue. As for the cast, well that's the best part. The chemistry between them makes you believe they're a real family. This is one I could watch over and over again!

Postscript: Have you pondered the reason why the title of the film is `Red Doors', not `Red Door', after all a house has only one front entrance doesn't it? Maybe I just enjoy over analyzing things but I think it's yet another subtle reminder that harmony and happiness comes from within. Each of us has our own metaphorical red door to discover. When we find it and open ourselves to its power all is right in the world.

1/5 An Uncle Tom Asian American Film
  by Beer_Lager (Harvard, USA)
This film calls itself an Asian American film but is really an Uncle Tom work that panders to a mostly non-Asian audience.

To give you an example of how offensive this film is, the Asian father (the only Asian male character in this supposed Asian American movie) at one point stares into his own home from outside while all his Asian daughters are with their White trophies inside.

This film is a poor man's 'Joy Luck Club', which is another pandering self-hating work that celebrates Asian women who love their White Knights. To call this film an Asian American film is an insult.

4/5 Red doors
  by June M. Keys (Sydney, Australia)
This has lots of magic in it! Quite a few laughs during this journey into a time of change in this Asian American family.

5/5 Soo funny, romantic, and just keeps you interested
  by Jessiquilla (San Diego, CA)
i really enjoyed this movie, it has 4 different story lines involving the father of the family and his 3 daughters, each coping with their own issues. Sam struggles with her boring predictable new york life and soon to be husband, julie can't find a good asian boy and ends up falling for the famous actress who is prepping for a film at julie's hospital, and katie keeps getting in trouble for pranking a boy she likes. Their father has just entered retirement and keeps trying to kill himself. Well, it makes for a movie that shows that no family is perfect, not matter how much they seem to be, and it shows that everyone can be their own person and find happiness. It's a very interesting, creative, and funny movie that you shouldn't miss.

3/5 Really should have been a daytime soap episode...
  by avoraciousreader (Somewhere in the Space Time Continuum)
That's what I wrote in some notes I took at the time I saw this in theatre a few months ago, on a double bill with the delightful "Linda Linda Linda". I was obviously not the only one left cold -- even though "Red Doors" was the promoted 'feature' film (by a protege of Martin Scorsese yet) it was sparsely attended compared to the enthusiastic audiences for "Linda". I thought "I must just not get it" so went back for a second viewing .. and still don't get the enthusiasm the other Amazon user reviewers show for this film. (During the local showing, the Boston Globe reviewer was lukewarm to "Red Doors", as is the Amazon editorial reviiewer. So I'm not the only grumpy gus.) It's telling that three months later, I have little visual memory of "Red Doors", while "Linda..." is fresh in my mind. (I'm writing this from those notes.)

Not that "Red Doors" is bad. It has high ambitions, and there is much well done on a scene-by-scene basis, but somehow the various plot threads just do not gel into a coherent whole. And though the crew and cast all seem like nice people, to be honest the acting (or is it the script forcing the performance?) is often strained and awkward.

While not a fully mature Hollywood type film, it also lacks the spark that distinguishes the best freshman efforts and independent films. It's too much as if it was written from a paint-by-numbers box. The plot, the various elements, are cartoonish, in broad exaggerated strokes. Dad isn't merely depressed, but suicidal, and not in a cute fake "Harold and Maude" sort of way -- the only reason his suicide attempts don't work is a combination of bad luck and a seeming lack of energy to carry them out. Med student (intern?) Julie's affair is not just with one of the numerous women in the health care setting, but with a glamorous and famous actress. (Plus, even on two viewings, it's not clear if this is her first experience with another woman -- there's no sense of context.) Sam's blonde bombshell of a trophy fiancee is just too handsome, politically correctly sweet, and lifeless. And so on.

I'd really rate this about 3.5*, but rounded down to counteract the (to me) overenthusiastic 5* reviews. It's not like this is the first or only Asian-American family drama (see the wonderful "Double Happiness" with Sandra Oh, for one of many instances) and deserves bonus points for its uniqueness. It tries very hard, and maybe that's the problem -- it just doesn't flow.