Delta-HT As the title says, Big Shot's Funeral is not a contemporary movie. I second the reviewer who mention that this is akin to an independent film. It may not seem like there's a proper storyline nor a proper ending, but it's entertaining enough during the whole movie, and I can very easily forgive its shortcomings.What I loved about this movie was its east-meets-west kind of interaction between Tyler (Donald Sutherland) who speaks very little Chinese, and YoYo (You Ge) who speaks very little English. Language is no barrier for these two, and they get along with each other very well. I'm also glad that Sutherland didn't act as a grumpy director, as he could've very easily been one. He's quite lovable, and so is You Ge. The only friction that exists in the movie is between YoYo and Lucy (Rosamund Kwan), and even that's resolved at the end of the movie. By the way, I never knew Rosamund Kwan could speak good American English before watching this movie!Apart from the east-meets-west theme, the other major theme of the movie is the increasing capitalism, consumerism and westernisation of China, even though it's a communist country!As usual, don't expect big slapstick laughs, just expect witty dialogue (if you understand enough Chinese) and quite a few weird scenes that'll make you raise your eyebrows. Keep that expectation a bit low, and have some patience with it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. :)

john_s_tsien I feel that this movie was successful on many levels, not least of which being the natural movement in and out of Chinese and English - a tribute to the bi-lingual and bi-cultural understanding of the writers and actors. As a native speaker of both English and Mandarin, I never felt the dialogue to be stilted and, I felt it was well written in both languages. In fact, the writers and crew really brought to life the cultural clashes of when East meets West in more obvious and subtle ways to count. It would take a careful viewing with some very culturally fluent Chinese viewers to pick out many of the inside jokes. Da Wan also succeeds in weaving together many different comedic forms. Not only is there clever use of slapstick and physical comedy, the film wittily integrates satire, irony, farce and a very Chinese brand of buddy comedy. Here, You Ge shines as straight man to Da Ying. Likewise Rosamund Kwan brings a real subtlety to her role as a Chinese American falling slowly for You Ge's Chinese, Chinese character. Though the movie doesn't hit you over the head with this, it is yet another way in which the movie subtly brings in an East meets West conflict.The only part I find overtly questionable is the ending - at points, it feels contrived, though I still feel that it is competently executed. Perhaps just a bit too conventional for a movie that I feel otherwise seems fresh and uncliched. The film is not without its flaws. The aforementioned ending is an example.Also, Donald Sutherland's role near the end leaves something to be desired.The character doesn't quite behave believably. However, overall, I would highly recommend this film. Clever, witty and culturally intelligent, it's surprisingly good.

maros612 I read here how hillarious was this movie, but I don't share this opinion at all. It had some nice scenes, but that was it. Maybe people who say if you're not Chinese you won't understand this are right. Well for me, this movie didn't have any plot, any content and any sense. It was contentless. It looked to me like some low budged european movie. I'm talking for myself here, and I need to tell I was fairly disappointed, because this comedy wasn't funny to me even for a single moment.

peanut_gallery "Da Wan" is an absolutely brilliant satire. It portrays the onslaught of Western and capitalist culture in China, movie studios' obsession with the bottom-line as opposed to artistic merit, the fun and foibles of cross-cultural exchange, and the often rough intersections of business and identity. Car chases, explosions, and slick martial arts fight scenes are not to be found in this gem of a film.I highly recommend it!