Eat a Bowl of Tea

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Eat a Bowl of Tea

PG-13

1989

1h 44m

Romance

Comedy

Drama

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4 Reviews

48%

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1,000+ Ratings

Just prior to the end of World War II, a law responsible for halting Chinese immigration to the United States is lifted. Ben Loy, a Chinese-American who has just returned from his tour of duty with the U.S. Army, is encouraged by his relatives to make the most of this situation by visiting China and returning to the United States with a new bride. He eventually finds a spouse, Mei Oi (Cora Miao), but she has problems adjusting to American life, while Ben contends with his overbearing family.

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Candace Wiggins

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

May 8, 2023

4/4

A wonderful new film by Wayne Wang.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jul 17, 2009

B

Though not as witty as Chan Is Missing and not as touching as Dim Sum, Wayne Wang's Eat Bowl of Tea relates a little known story of the Chinese-American community, putting on screen characters seldom seen in mainstream American movies.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Dec 28, 2008

B-

Pleasant but unexciting ethnic comedy/romance set in NYC's Chinatown in 1949.

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Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Jun 24, 2003

Eat a Bowl of Tea explores the pressures put on two newlyweds in Chinatown to meet the expectations of their community.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 11, 2026

Eat a Bowl of Tea = A 2.5 star Movie

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Aug 21, 2011

the movie was weak like starbucks coffee, and laden with cliches. saving grace was the strong hong kong ensemble cast plus a young russell wong beautifying the screen. the cora miao character was whorish and irritating as hell.

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Apr 8, 2009

Russel Wong gave me goosebumps while watching this movie

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Apr 4, 2009

A bit slow, but was interesting to see a story from the eyes of Asian Americans in the 1940's, my parents' generation. Worth watching, but had expected more from this Wayne Wang movie.

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Nov 14, 2008

In general I wouldn't have called this a comedy. A simple story (and essentially an American one, despite the Chinese theme) with a rough middle and a happy end.

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Nov 4, 2008

seen this movie the other night on tv it wasn't that bad

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Wayne Wang

Director

Cora Miao

Mei Oi

Russell Wong

Ben Loy

Victor Wong

Wah Gay

Sau-Kei Lee

Bok Fat

Eric Tsiang Chi Wai

Ah Song

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Synopsis

Just prior to the end of World War II, a law responsible for halting Chinese immigration to the United States is lifted. Ben Loy, a Chinese-American who has just returned from his tour of duty with the U.S. Army, is encouraged by his relatives to make the most of this situation by visiting China and returning to the United States with a new bride. He eventually finds a spouse, Mei Oi (Cora Miao), but she has problems adjusting to American life, while Ben contends with his overbearing family.

Director: Wayne Wang
Producer: Tom Sternberg
Screenwriter: Judith Rascoe
Production Co: American Playhouse
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $95.2K
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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