Red Doors

Red Doors *

Sadly, "Red Doors" doesn't take a look at a family down on its luck in an original way, and I know that it is possible to find an original approach to this subject. Instead, it takes a leaf out of every single family movie ever made, and jumbles it together into a mess of a movie, which is a shame because this one had the makings of a hidden gem. And also, the timing isn't right, because at the moment any film about a family simply pales in comparison to "Little Miss Sunshine," and I have a feeling that is the way it's going to be for a while.

It is a Chinese tradition that the color of red brings good luck, and the Wong family has taken that to heart by painting their door red. It's done as a way to bring good health and happiness to whoever comes inside. However, the color really isn't doing much to help them. The patriach of the family, Ed, has just retired from his job, and now he doesn't know what to do with himself. So, instead of watching television, he decides that he should just end his life. But, everytime he gets ready to step into the noose, or slit his wrist with a razor, there is a knock on the door. It's someone telling him that it's dinner time. And then there is his wife, who is very proper, and very tight on tradition. However, the three daughters of the family are anything but traditional. There is Samantha, the oldest, and the one who is getting ready to be married. However, she wants a white dress, as opposed to the traditional red dresses, and she is so distant from her husband that she answers the phone for a business call in the middle of their lovemaking. And then there is the middle child, Julie, a nurse who comes out of the closest, and begins a relationship with lesbian movie star Mia Scarlett. However. Mia doesn't really regard Julie in an interview, causing their love to be on the rocks. And then there is the youngest child, Katie, who has a little fued going on with another classmate, and the two play constant pranks on one another. So, the entire ninety minutes, we see the lives of the people in this family, good times and bad, blah blah blah.

It really isn't anything special. I will comment on the performance by Tza Ma as Ed. As proven in "The Ladykillers," he is an actor who can tell so much without really doing anything at all. And his silence offers so much comedy sometimes, that I just wish that Eddie Murphey would shut up for a while. But, the script seems like it was written by a two year old, copying everything that they see from better movies. Hell, even the youngest child in the beginning was wearing a shirt that mentioned God and Neitche. There's always a rebel, there's always an older child who is going through more problems than any of them. There is always the child with a dark secret that she doesn't want anybody in the family to find out. There's always some kind of rocky relationship between the mother and father. The script, written by director Georgia Lee, is nothing special, and focuses too much on the craziness and quirky nation of the characters, instead of finding a unique way of telling the story. Before this writing, I learned that CBS is trying to develop this film into a television series for the 2007 season, and I really hope that isn't done. Although it would be perfect for this. A film with a sitcom like script actually becoming a sitcom. "Red Doors" is a disappointment, and nothing special at all. At times it was dull, and even when it did give me a laugh or two, the laugh was cheap, and I really don't understand why I laughed in the first place. Whats funny about a mother fainting when she sees her daughter kissing another woman? Nothing really. I'm very upset that I didn't like this film, because Lee shows slight potential in the business. Maybe a few films down the road, we'll be able to see something truely original from her. After all, the film wasn't a total loss. It had a nice little ending, which was the only part that I really agreed on.