‘Farewell,’ ‘Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood’: standout summer movies
Sentinel Columnist (“Justified”) and Luke Perry (“Riverdale”) as actors James Stacy and Wayne Maunder, respectively.
Tarantino enjoys spoofing “Bounty Law,” a cheesy western series that star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is trying to overcome to break into the movies. He goes off to Europe to star in spaghetti westerns, a career move that worked out wonderfully well for Clint Eastwood.
Dalton’s stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), plays chauffeur and emotional support to the shaky actor. Cliff gets his share of memorable scenes, such as battling martial-arts star Bruce Lee (Mike Moh). Cliff senses something isn’t right when he visits an old rancher (veteran actor Bruce Dern) who’s playing host to the Manson family. And it falls mainly to Cliff to supply a cathartic ending that reminds us the movies can be more satisfying than reality.
“The Farewell” tells us that reality can be more amazing than the movies, even the best ones. If you haven’t seen the film, here’s my spoiler warning: I’ll discuss the ending.
Director-writer Wang based the film on her own family, and the movie is promoted with the line “based on an actual lie.” A family keeps a terminal diagnosis from a beloved grandmother, Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen), in China. The family stages a wedding so the far-flung relatives can gather and spend time with Nai Nai.
The relatives from the United States include granddaughter Billi (Awkwafina), who dislikes the ruse, but Billi’s mother, Jian (Diana Lin), cites a belief in China that fear kills people when they learn they have cancer.
On “CBS This Morning,” Wang said Billi, as an American, believes in truth and freedom. “Her Chinese family says, ‘Are those really good values if it doesn’t really serve the person that you’re telling the truth to, if it doesn’t serve the family?’” Wang said.
Spoiler alert: As the film ends, the movie reveals that Wang’s grandmother is still living six years after her diagnosis.
“CBS This Morning” shared more: Wang’s grandmother still doesn’t know her diagnosis. Wang agreed that it was a tough secret to keep with the movie coming out.
“The Farewell” tells us something crucial: In life, you use what works. And it can work out better than you ever imagined.