Christian von Delius I don't review a lot of movies, and I have what I consider to be classics from my point of view. We selected Falling for Grace on a whim on Netflix looking for something on the lighter side. And boy oh boy were we pleasantly surprised. It seems our heroine is a run of the mill girl who wants to be SOMEBODY..well, she gets her chance, in a mistaken circumstance, which spirals into a tangled web, becoming more and more intricate, in every new situation, she must exercise her cleverness to prevent the truth from being revealed, drawing in even her new-found prince charming. As we meet characters, we take them at face value, and learn to love them, and relate to their eccentricities. Fay plays her character with excellence, drawing you into her world and desires, but also feeling her dilemma she has dug with her own actions. There are twists, just like in real life, with hidden benefits as a result, especially for her office friend, caused by a simple turn of events. Each character has a depth of caring and friendship which forms a solid foundation in the movie, and the sense of family is reinforced within her family, and contrasted against the purpose of the rich 'families' and their motivations. You REALLY care deeply for each character, and the sense of just watching real life occur, with no pretense, causes you to forget you are watching a movie, but rather your friends. And good triumphs in the end, as it should. FFG is non-violent, family friendly, uplifting, and just great acting and writing. It will surely be vaulted into your top 100 movies. And of interest, do some research on Fay's background, how the movie came to be, and especially the obstacles, that resulted in Fay (lead actress/director) and Michelle (editor) personally standing outside theaters advertising to passersby to gain a following. I doubt you will find any other directors doing that. My hat is off to Fay Ann Lee for her OUTSTANDING production of this film and to her cast and production crew! Do yourself and your friends and family a favor and treat them to see this movie-you won't be disappointed. -Christian

todigy-1 If you had read a synopsis for this film before entering the cinema, you probably would think something which was very much off the mark. Standard descriptions are not quite able to do this small film justice. As I spoke to the lead actress/director (Fay Ann Lee (a sure future up-and-comer)) after the showing in Des Moines, I realized that she had such an intricate feel for how she was able to so deftly use a hard-hitting interracial romance as a means to obtain a much larger end (in this film's case being the elimination of minority sweatshops and their usual non-unionization). You more than likely won't read as much into this film as I did, but you assuredly will want to stand up and clap just like the 250 or so of us did on that glorious August Friday night in Iowa's largest city after the film's reel had been allowed to reach its climax.

bhouse We saw this movie at its premiere in Sausalito, CA this past weekend. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful day by San Francisco Bay. The script is well written, the veteran actors are well directed, and the scenes are well shot. The movie has meaningful thematic elements that are serious in nature...but does not present them in a harsh or preachy manner. The movie is billed as a romantic comedy and that it is. It is a delightful movie that is sure to raise the spirits of everyone who sees it. The writer, director and star of the movie (Fay Ann Lee) was present after the movie and discussed it with the audience. What a treat! I highly recommend it!

Ruby Liang (ruby_fff) Visit the official website "fallingforgrace.com" and check out the trailer to see for yourself - you will want to go see this movie.'Falling for Grace' is very much as New York City as Woody Allen's cinematic world. The sound of the metro and the CANAL Street Pictures - the very first image on screen already gives one the New York and Chinatown feeling. If you've been to New York and its Chinatown, there are plenty of NYC locale hints you may recognize - but not a prerequisite. The film's original title is "East Broadway" for the Tribeca Film Festival 2006 entry, hence it's definitely New York, New York. The opening credit roll simply fascinates me: the thoughts behind it having each actor's name with Chinese character translations briskly displaying (equal opportunity whether Asian or not) and the Chinese film title playfully appearing like 'falling' for grace: "Sub Mein Ling Lone" - meaning "in every way refined." Refined being cultivated, polished, elegant, well-conceived. This film with its story, dialog, production details and effort behind it all, is very much 'every way refined.'You might say the script is ambitious - written by director-producer Fay Ann Lee, who's also in the lead role of Grace Tang - so it is, yet it all comes together unobtrusively as you watch and follow the story unfolds, bringing smiles, chuckles, laughter and tears along the way. The dialog, including the Cantonese portions with easy-read subtitles, are well thought out and timely. Yes, coming out from Margaret Cho (the elegant side we get to see), the word "Jesus" can very well be the most endearingly delivered sound you'd ever heard. So a romantic comedy it is, with hints of political viewpoint on 'sweat shop' vs. big business intertwined, and family values, Chinese traditions rolled into one entertaining movie. A tall order and Fay Ann Lee and team delivered: with Gale Harold as Andrew, and wonderful supporting roles by Clem Cheung as Ba and Elizabeth Sung as Ma - the parents, Ken Leung as Ming the brother, even brief ones like Christine Baranski's 'emotional' line to son Andrew, and Ato Essandoh's Jamal quote so casually uttered at Central Park, "It's better to be disliked for what you are, than to be loved for something that you are not" - it's delightful.Had waited a year for the film to debut in San Francisco. It was exciting when I first saw the theatrical trailer on screen at Sundance Kabuki two weeks before July 20 - I love it. The trailer is available for repeated 'play again' on Myspacetv.com ("www.myspace.com/fallingforgracemovie"). The catchy song "wonderful crazy" from Katelyn Tarver sure captures the spirit of this film, and it can be heard on both the official site of "East Broadway" ("www.eastbroadwaythemovie.com") and "Falling for Grace" ("www.fallingforgrace.com"): "it's so wonderful crazy, it's so beautiful out of control, kinda scary amazing …cos my life's so wonderful, crazy, crazy, crazy." The official site includes info on the team's trip to China, visit to Tsinghua University in Beijing and the original "Shanghai Tang" in Hong Kong.It's been worth the wait. "Falling For Grace" is essentially a heartwarming and satisfying romantic comedy, cliché to some or not, it is a bold debut feature effort which can pass for a polished 'Hollywood' movie, and that's not bad at all. But being an independent film without big budget promotions, it definitely needs steady support and word of mouth to keep it circulating for wide distribution and successful following. May this be so. Kudos to the filmmakers of "Falling for Grace."