Double Happiness

Director: Mina Shum
(1995)

Just try taking your eyes off of the charismatic and dazzling Sandra Oh in this delightful coming-of-age import from Canada. Oh plays Jade, a twenty-two year-old aspiring actress who finds herself pulled into two directions by her own ambitions and her old-fashioned Chinese parents who want to see her married. Added to the equation of ill-fated matchmaking attempts and general meddling is a vulnerable, cute Caucasian man with whom Jade has had an impulsive one night stand and for whom she still feels a strong attraction. Soon she must decide which “happiness” is the right one for her and her choices make this film likable and very easy for audiences to relate to regardless of race. Shum's movie is quiet, pleasing and features a great performance by Oh, who, due to the character’s dramatic aspirations, receives plenty of opportunities to showcase her own talent that continues to dazzle in films such as Sideways and the popular Golden Globe winning series Grey's Anatomy.