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Lucky Grandma

Play trailer 1:41 Poster for Lucky Grandma Released May 22, 2020 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 70 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
In New York City's Chinatown, a Chinese grandma goes all in at the casino, landing herself on the wrong side of luck.
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Lucky Grandma

Lucky Grandma

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Critics Consensus

Lucky Grandma gives Tsai Chin a long-overdue opportunity to shine in a leading role -- but it's audiences who are the truly fortunate ones.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow AWFJ.org The exhuberant vitality of Lucky Grandma is a delight, with a wonderfully droll performance by Tsai Chin. Nov 3, 2021 Full Review Anne Cohen Chicago Reader In this incandescent and utterly delightful debut, director Sasie Sealy delivers a sparkling movie that centers the story of an elderly woman of color with the agency, care, and attention it deserves. Feb 15, 2021 Full Review Ty Burr Boston Globe She and she alone makes the movie worth your time. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 15, 2021 Full Review Calum Cooper Source (Scotland) This is a comic misadventure if ever there was one, and the filmmakers are fully aware of it. The plot is a hugely absurd one, and the film is joyfully proud of it. Rated: 3/5 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review Jamie Healy Radio Times A cock-eyed caper in the Coen brothers' mould, this feature debut from writer/director Sasie Sealy is a slight but mischievous delight. Rated: 3/5 May 9, 2024 Full Review Zoë Rose Bryant Loud and Clear Reviews Lucky Grandma serves as a showcase for the side-splitting acting skills of star Tsai Chin first and foremost, amusing audiences around the world. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 1, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ken R They don't come that much more un-Hollywood (quirky) than Lucky Grandma...when was the last time you watched a movie with a droll 80yr old chain-smoking woman as the main star? Is Grandma lucky? well, challenged would be a better fit. Poor Grandma, 40 odd years working hard beside her husband only to find she's been left with virtually nothing. The best thing we can take away from this story is; Luck is an illusion you can't bank on...no matter what the fortune readers may tell you. While there are good helpings of ironic humor and comical situations ‘Grandma' at times presents with some slightly unsettling violence, occasioning death, courtesy of rivalry between a couple of local Chinese crime gangs. To find out how Grandma is drawn into these situations you'll just have to watch. Thankfully, the links with family offer an all-important and warming strength to Grandma's very edgy entrapments. There are plenty of odd, well-played Characters injecting fun throughout, along with some rather sinister types you'd be happy not to meet. An imaginative music score from Andrew Orkin adds nice touches - while the visuals provided by El Salvadorian Cinematographer, Eduardo Enrique Mayen supply professional contrasts between New York Chinatown's side streets, back alleys, and grannies' meager apartment...where it seems there's always someone knocking on her door! The first theatrical feature from director/writer Sasie Sealy gives us good cause to want to see her next effort. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/25/22 Full Review Audience Member Not what I thought it would be about. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member this was really great. the concept that an old lady could swindle the mob might be far fetched, but unlike a lot of comedy movies, everything that happened was potentially realistic in the context. there were plenty of laughs and cute moments. big pong was my favorite character by far. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I'm not sure why critics are lowballing this movie so much. Tsai Chin does amazing work with a role that could have gone horribly wrong with the wrong actor, and she makes even the wackiest parts seem somehow grounded. The writing and direction are taut and entertaining, and a meaningful theme about loneliness, grief, anger, and vulnerability is just below the surface. All of this without being heavy-handed about it. And as if that's not enough, it takes a well-worn sub-genre (found money) and, without too many spoilers, does something new with it. It's the best movie no one is watching. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member So many unexpectedly funny scenes. And the characters were a delight -- so different than what we normally see in film, especially ones that involve Chinese gangsters. Anyone who appreciates a good indie film with a lot of humanity would enjoy this, but for Chinese Americans this will really hit home. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review marek s Funny gangster comedy. Well made and very funny Korean movie similar to a Guy Richie / Tarantino with a bit of Wes Anderson / Luc Besson flare to it. Fresh and well worth a watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Lucky Grandma

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In New York City's Chinatown, a Chinese grandma goes all in at the casino, landing herself on the wrong side of luck.
Director
Sasie Sealy
Producer
Cara Marcous, Krista Parris
Screenwriter
Banban Cheng, Sasie Sealy
Distributor
Good Deed Entertainment
Production Co
Parris Pictures, Treehead Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 22, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 2, 2020
Runtime
1h 40m
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