Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu) (1994)

94% of critics liked it
(31 reviews)
90% of users liked it
(13,230 ratings)

Director Ang Lee's follow-up to his surprise box-office hit The Wedding Banquet is another look at ethnic and sexual conflicts in a Chinese family, with meals as a centerpiece of the film. Master chef Chu (Sihung Lung) is a long-time widower who lovingly cooks large Sunday dinners for his three… More Director Ang Lee's follow-up to his surprise box-office hit The Wedding Banquet is another look at ethnic and sexual conflicts in a Chinese family, with meals as a centerpiece of the film. Master chef Chu (Sihung Lung) is a long-time widower who lovingly cooks large Sunday dinners for his three daughters, who view the meals as too traditional. Secretly, however, successful airline executive Jia-Chien (Chien-Lien Wu) loves traditional cooking and would like to be a chef like her father, if women were permitted to do so. Her older sister Jia-Jen (Kuei-Mei Yang) is unmarried and cynical about men, but she becomes attracted to a volleyball coach and eventually pursues him vigorously. The youngest daughter, Jia-Ning (Yu-Wen Wang), is a college student who becomes pregnant from her frequent sexual escapades. As the film progresses, the personal relationships between the daughters and their significant others change unexpectedly. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: Ang Lee
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 3, 1994 Wide
On DVD: Mar 5, 2002
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Mildly charming.
Leonard Klady, Variety
Ambitious and entertaining.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Wonderfully seductive, and nicely knowing about all of its characters' appetites.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Eat Drink Man Woman is a delicacy but also something more -- something like food for the heart.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Who said foreign films can't be fun?
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
The movie's main appeal -- beyond stomach yearnings caused by its cuisine -- comes from the actors, who infuse their archetypal roles with comedic appeal.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A remarkably assured comedy-drama of domestic life in Taiwan.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
The study of social manners and suppressed feelings became Lee's specialty.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Ang Lee's two-generational soap opera displays the most elaborate food preparation and the most delectable meals since Like Water for Chocolate.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The creatively decorative food presentations upstage the soap opera story.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
The food metaphor never carries weight, and the characterisations are too shallow to lend the film emotional punch.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Solid but sometimes slow drama. I prefer the update "Tortilla Soup."

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Candy R

Interesting movie about a family and food.
Jennifer X

i think this is one of the first movies i've seen in my life, and to think that i still remembered it from that long ago to shake the dust off it and rewatch it really says something about this film. puts a spin on the dysfunctional family by uniting them with FOOOD. and omg this… More
i think this is one of the first movies i've seen in my life, and to think that i still remembered it from that long ago to shake the dust off it and rewatch it really says something about this film. puts a spin on the dysfunctional family by uniting them with FOOOD. and omg this movie made me hungry.
Lanning :

(YIN SHI NAN NU) Definitely a fascinating study of family relationships intertwined with glorious food.
Daisy M

Yin Si Nan Nu, (Eat drink Man Woman)was an Ang Lee's movie made in Taiwan, and it was a very typical Ang Lee movie, heartwarming, with deep human relationships. The plot unfolded with great skill, but the director's interest was surely focused on the relations between each… More
Yin Si Nan Nu, (Eat drink Man Woman)was an Ang Lee's movie made in Taiwan, and it was a very typical Ang Lee movie, heartwarming, with deep human relationships. The plot unfolded with great skill, but the director's interest was surely focused on the relations between each of the main characters. From the beginning the movie was like a Magic Box, filled with humor, family drama, and even some narrative surprises. The 2-hour running time passed quickly and the story was bittersweet, sometimes very funny and very affecting and entertaining.The movie's theme, having to do with the interaction of delicious Chinese cooking and with the unexpected flow of life and relationships, made this surely one more of my favorites movies.
Anthony V

A film that put Ang Lee on the map. Well constructed and well acted.
Leo L

Hmmm.....I've already rated this, but oh well! Absolutely tops! Fantastic movie by Ang Lee. Great cast. Amazing story plot. Definitely worthy.
FanGirl B

I love this movie.