Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu)

1994

Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu)

Critics Consensus

A richly layered look at the complex interactions between a widowed chef and his daughters, Ang Lee's generational comedy Eat Drink Man Woman offers filmgoers a tasty cinematic treat.

91%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 46

92%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 14,181
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Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu) Photos

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Movie Info

This Taiwanese drama centers upon the relationships within a Taipei family. The father is a master chef who's lost his sense of taste. His wife died so now he lives amongst his three grown daughters. All three really want to get on with their own lives. The oldest daughter Jen, is a school teacher adept at hiding her feelings after she suffered a bad love affair in college. Kien who works for the national airline as a senior executive has just put all her savings into a new apartment. Young Ning is in school and works at a fast-food joint. She is getting involved with her best friend's boyfriend. Life within the family gets more tangled when Chu marries Madame Liang, the single mother next door.

Cast

Sihung Lung
as Chu
Kuei-Mei Yang
as Jen
Kuei-Mei Yang
Wu Chien-lien
as Kein
Yu-Wen Wang
as Ning
Ah-Leh Gua
as Madame Liang
Sylvia Chang
as Jin-Rong
Winston Chao
as Li Kai
Chin-Cheng Lu
as Lester Chen
Chao-jung Chen
as Guo Lun
Lester Chen
as Raymond
Yu Chen
as Rachel
Chi-Der Hong
as Class Leader
Gin-Ming Hsu
as Coach Chai
Huei-Yi Lin
as Sister Chang
Shih-Jay Lin
as Chief's Son
Cho-Gin Nei
as Airline Secretary
Yu-Chien Tang
as Shan-Shan
Chung Ting
as The Priest
Cheng-Fen Tso
as Fast Food Manager
Man-Sheng Tu
as Restaurant Manager
Chuen Wang
as Chief
Jui Wang
as Old Wen
Hwa Wu
as Old Man
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Critic Reviews for Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu)

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (4)

  • The film is seasoned with humor and has a brisk pace. It's pleasing to the eye and stocked with zesty performances all the way around.

    January 29, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

    Owen McNally

    Hartford Courant
    Top Critic

  • The constant parallels between food and love are too facile to be illuminating.

    December 12, 2017 | Full Review…

    Quentin Curtis

    Independent on Sunday
    Top Critic

  • A richly textured comedy about the tensions across two generations of a Confucian family, Eat Drink Man Woman typifies the filial focus of Lee's early work

    September 1, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Patrick Gamble

    The Skinny
    Top Critic

  • A wise and touching piece that matches movies like Babette's Feast and Like Water for Chocolate in its depiction of food as a source of spiritual nourishment.

    March 4, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Matt Brunson

    Creative Loafing
    Top Critic

  • What makes this a Lee film-and one of his best-is how well he and his co-writers understand all the relationships, and what's going unspoken.

    March 2, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Noel Murray

    The Dissolve
    Top Critic

  • This is a startlingly superior piece of craftsmanship, with the flavour of life and richness of the script conveyed via uniformly wonderful performances.

    February 10, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Angie Errigo

    Empire Magazine
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (46)

Audience Reviews for Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu)

  • Nov 25, 2012
    Three sisters come of age in Taiwan with the help of their father's cooking. Films like this one often fall into the trap of having each character be so unique that she becomes a type rather than a real person. Ang Lee's direction and blithe storytelling allows each character to become dynamic and interesting without falling into the generic trap. Although I enjoyed getting to know these people, I can't say that the plot packed any surprises, and it unfolded slowly. Overall, Eat Drink Man Woman is a nice film about nice people, and it's well-made if not extraordinary.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Feb 18, 2012
    A movie that has its issues, mostly its pacing not being very good and the fact that the characters take a while before they really grow on you, but it's a good movie overall (I'd almost say really good) that won't amaze, but it will keep you reasonably entertained throughout. Oh and its twists are better than any M. Night Shyamalan movie, so there's that.
    Jesse O Super Reviewer
  • Apr 08, 2009
    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.
    Daisy M Super Reviewer
  • Jun 23, 2008
    Very good early Lee. I still like to think of it, as Billy Crystal did, as the first words that Arnold Schwartzenegger said to his future wife when asking her on a date.
    John B Super Reviewer
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