Lucky Grandma Review (6/9/2020)

Lucky Grandma is a film that exists. I would call it a purely passable film, but it actually does have a significant amount of craft and thought put into it, and it definitely shows with quality camerawork and composition and a story that does tie into some interesting themes about the struggles of first generation immigrants in our country. It also is a film that fails to significantly engage in any way.

The film's main plot involves an elderly Chinese immigrant in New York City's Chinatown getting into trouble with a local gang after stealing a bag of their money. Rather than return the money, she hires a bodyguard from a rival gang in an attempt to keep herself safe. This is an intriguing set up, to be sure, but it doesn't ever really land. Aside from the protagonist, none of the characters are particularly interesting or memorable. From the bodyguard she hires to her extended family to the villains trying to take her down, nobody is very striking.

The protagonist, refered to most commonly as "Grandma" is definitely the most interesting thing about this movie. She's a first generation Chinese immigrant who often seems estranged from her family and other members of her community as they have become more indoctrinated into the American system. She was promised rewards for a life of hard work in the land of the free, but when her husband died he had nothing to leave to her. Her struggle is compelling, most likely even more so for people who are actually a part of this demographic.

Overall, though, I just don't really have anything to say about this movie. It's competently made, well acted and well thought out, but never really raises above a passing grade. Even what I already said was a result of analytical analysis and not actually a way that the movie emotionally connected with me. I'm more than willing to concede that as a white person born in America, this film just wasn't made for me, and it would likely struck a much stronger cord for those it is geared towards. Still, I can't really imagine this becoming anything particularly revolutionary.