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# A little ‘Face’ time proves to be good thing
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/a-little-face-time-proves-to-be-good-thing/
- Published: 2005-05-27T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:12:31.000Z
- Author: Dan Dunn
- Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

“Parents Just Don’t Understand” was a big hit for Will Smith back in the days when he was an up and coming rapper. Now that he’s a major Hollywood playa, the former Fresh Prince revisits that theme as producer of the predictable yet enjoyable comedy, “Saving Face.” Joan Chen and Michelle Krusiec are ideally cast as a mother and daughter both trying to cope with repressive traditional values that stand in the way of true happiness. Wil (Krusiec) is an overworked medical resident in Manhattan who hails from a very traditional Chinese-American family in a tight-knit ethnic community in Flushing. Her widowed mother Ma (Chen) and meddling grandparents are pressuring Wil to marry, but that ain’t going to happen because Wil digs chicks. Carrying on a clandestine affair with a sexy dancer, Vivian (Lynn Chen), is easy enough for Wil, that is, until her mother shows up on her doorstep with suitcase in hand. Turns out the 48-year-old Ma is preggers, and has been turned out of her parents’ home for refusing to reveal the identity of the father. Thrown together by all too conveniently concocted circumstances, the two acknowledge their secrets, butt heads and ultimately come to understand each other. Though the characters are underdeveloped, Chen and Krusiec are charming together, and writer-director Alice Wu manages to mine some fresh humor out of the overworked generation gap theme. (Rated R for some sexuality and language. Running time: 98 minutes)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 27, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052705.pdf?ref=smdp.com)