review for Double Happiness on AllMovie

This alternately sweet and sour look at the first-generation immigrant experience manages the difficult task of balancing cultural specificity with universal humor and filmmaking chops. In one early scene, first time feature writer/director Mina Shum and her talented cinematographer, Peter Wunstorf, frame a bilingual family dinner as one long take by placing their camera on a lazy susan and rotating from one character to the next; this gimmick was later copied on countless amusing episodes of That '70s Show, but here it's used to convey both the conflicts and the camaraderie of an immigrant family as it tries to balance tradition with opportunity. The script's procession of meddling aunties, ceremonial peace offerings, and secret identities will be instantly familiar to many children of immigrants regardless of their countries of origin or residence. But both Shum and her smart protagonist, Jade -- played with luminous grace and sly humor by Sandra Oh -- are smart enough to speak to multiple audiences without making anyone feel excluded. Generational conflict is fairly universal, so the overall story translates smoothly for audiences who might not have first-hand knowledge of Chinese culture. That's not to say that Double Happiness is perfect; some of Shum's formal strategies aren't as successful as others. For every scene as powerful as the long tracking shot where Jade runs furiously into the darkness, fed up with her cultural juggling act, there's another where a character awkwardly addresses the camera directly. Still, the generally fine performances -- especially Stephen Chang and Alannah Ong as Jade's parents and Callum Keith Rennie as her quirky Anglo boyfriend -- help smooth over any such rough edges. The easygoing comic tone helps keep the heavier aspects of the subject matter from weighing the picture down, while the coming-of-age plot arc provides a familiar framework for Shum's refreshingly unfamiliar story.