As far as a dark comedy goes, Lucky Grandma doesn’t necessarily stray too far from the tropes and plot beats that you would normally see in similar movies. You got the protagonist who finds themselves in a situation that they are not remotely prepared for, you got a bag of cash, you got gangsters, you got violence, you got the contrast between the extreme circumstances and the otherwise mundane environment, all the classics are here. However, what ultimately sets a film like Lucky Grandma apart from, if not transcends, other examples of the genre, it is largely due to the central performance of the titular Lucky Grandma.
Though, perhaps “lucky” isn’t the best way to describe how things go for Grandma Wong (Tsai Chin). She’s an elderly widow, living by herself in an apartment in the heart of New York City’s China. After a local fortune teller informs her that an auspicious day is coming, she uses that day to go to a casino, which goes fantastic, winning game after game until she amasses the kind of money she can use to live independently, and not rely on her family, who would prefer she move in with them.
Unfortunately, her luck suddenly runs out when she loses all her money on the last game of the night. However, on the bus ride home, things take a seemingly positive turn for her when the man sitting next to her dies of a heart attack, and his bag falls into her lap, which contains a whole lot of cold, hard cash. She keeps the money, but things don’t end up as easy as she might have hoped. Two gangsters break into her apartment, revealing that the money belonged to a local gangster, and they want the money back. She insists she has no idea, but it doesn’t seem to convince them, so she hires a bodyguard from a rival gang, Big Pong (Hsiao-Yuan Ha), to keep her safe as tensions rise.
While much of the plotting is certainly familiar, what fascinated me the most about this film was how it took advantage of its setting. I don’t even mean this just as a way to explore representation in film, but there is something inherently compelling about seeing a story unfold in an America that doesn’t often have the spotlight this intense. The film is a mix of English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, and there is only one non-Asian character, a little white girl who is the friend of one of Grandma Wong’s grandsons, and she only appears a couple times as comic relief. I like seeing this kind of portrait of immigrant life that grounds it in the grime of the streets, the cluttered shops, and tiny apartments, which is far cry from the escapism of something like Crazy Rich Asians.
But what ultimately pulls it all together is Tsai Chin’s performance. Chin has been a presence since the late 60s, more often than not playing supporting roles. You might be more familiar with her turn in films like You Only Live Twice, The Joy Luck Club, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Casino Royale. SHe’s wonderful here, bringing a soft, vulnerable, yet confident swagger as she chain smokes through the film, facing off against gangsters, and bonding with her gentle giant of a bodyguard – Ha is also terrific here, by the way.
What occasionally brings the movie down is the notable lack of urgency, given the circumstances. The sense of peril takes a while to really take effect, and some of the relationships, especially ones between Grandma Wong and her family could have used more screen time. However, these flaws ultimately feel minor when looking at the whole, not only because it has a lot of charm going for it, but it also doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at just under 90 minutes.
I hesitate to call Lucky Grandma a great film, but I do think it’s a good one. A relatively standard formula is used to add details in character and environment that ring true of underrepresented experiences, and it does so with a sly sense of humor. It also proves to be a rather promising feature debut from director and co-writer, Sasie Sealy (Angela Cheng is the other credited writer). Sealy makes a strong impression without being too showy, and I look forward to see how she grows as a filmmaker. It’s a light, but incredibly fun and engaging watch that gives Tsai Chin an opportunity to really shine.