For some time there has been a longing for films that depicts the real lives and experiences of Chinese growing up in the UK. Brenda Lee’s feature length debut Fortune Cookies is one of the rare moments for British-born Chinese individuals who seek greater representation in cinema. I was aware of the film since it’s pre production from several years ago and I’m glad to be able to catch this on its release.
Fortune Cookies is a light hearted comedy set in the mid 90s, and centers on the Lee family, who own a takeaway business in Northampton. The story follows one of the family daughters, Susan (Carmen Pat) and one of the family’s daughters, and her dream of becoming an actress while her family struggles with unpaid taxes and faces increasing pressure from HMRC, which could cause them to lose their business. Cyril (Siu Hun Li) the father of the family had no choice but to turn to his old rival and friend Tony (Paul Courtenay Hyu) for help under the condition that he will have full ownership of the takeaway. The other daughter; Jenny (Belinda Duong) is obsessed with the TV game show Fame to Fortune, which lead them to appear on the show with the hope to win the prize money and turn their fate around. The conflict comes when Susan is being thrust into a dilemma of choosing between pursuing her acting career or saving the family business.
The film apparently took many inspirations from the director’s childhood. Featuring some scenarios that most of us have experienced growing up in a takeaway business that we can relate to. For example explaining the food on the menu to customers and checking out the rivalry from the new takeaway opening nearby. The whole set design and props gives out a strong throwback feeling of the 1990s. Pat who played Susan, gave an impressive performance as the headstrong family daughter, which I believe to be her debut lead role in a feature film. Although the generational conflict between parents and their children is a cliched theme, the relation dynamics were well portrayed by the characters in the film.
As a comedy the film is never short on jokes and skits, though for some the humour can be a hit or a miss. Sometimes it can feel a bit cartoonish and nonsensical. For example in a scene when the technician is fixing a broken TV the same way as performing surgery on a human patient. Or one of the daughters climbing up the ladder to throw a toy rat into the window of a rival takeaway. Whilst I do get the jokes but they do feel a little out of place and come off as a bit cheesy. But having said that, there are some genuinely amusing moments too.
Another issue with the film is that it plays into some stereotypical tropes, specifically with the use of the fake Chinese accent by the two parents Cyril and Joan (Helena Huang). Although characters with Chinese accent is not an issue, but it sounds like a poor attempt by native level English speakers to try and mimic the accent of immigrants. This reminds me of Constance Wu’s character from the American sitcom Fresh Off The Boat. It felt a bit forced and unnecessary. This took away the emotional impact of some of the more serious scenes. In contrast, dialogue between Susan and her love interest Hugh (Eric Mok) felt more natural. The film also featured veteran British Chinese actress Lucy Sheen who plays the Grandma. I felt that she could’ve had more lines in some scenes.
Despite the flaws the ending wrapped up the whole film very well. In overall Fortune Cookies may not be ground breaking, but it showcased the director’s intention to reflect her childhood life and upbringing in a Chinese takeaway through humour. The story addresses several themes, including immigrant parents, gender, cultural clash and family values much along the line of Bend It Like Beckham, except with a much lower production value. Understandably, making a successful film is no easy feat especially with films in niche genres that lack support from large studios and big names. However, I see this as an another vital step to bring more young British Chinese talents in prominent roles onto the big screen (or in this case streaming platforms) which is a rare opportunity. Fortune Cookies is currently available to watch in Amazon Prime.
