BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Micitype Pretty Good

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

jotix100 An older Chinese man is seen arriving at an airport in an unspecified American city. His daughter, Yilan, is there to meet him. They have not seen each other in years. Their encounter is not exactly a warm one. It is clear the two have grown apart. Yilan has been living in American for some time. She has made a somewhat nice life for herself in her adopted country. Yilan lives in one of those sterile condominium complexes where everything looks cold. Mr. Shi, as the father is known, speaks some English; he jots down new words he sees, but he lapses into his own language, when he cannot find the right words to express himself. He does not appreciate the way his daughter is living. Going through her things, he discovers she has fondness for Russian things, like the Matryoshka dolls she keeps on top of her dresser. Mr. Yi feels his daughter is not eating properly, so he begins to cook meals that are hardly touched by Yilan.The old man goes out to a nearby park just to get out of the apartment. He happens to meet a lovely Iranian lady who is also living a similar experience as Mr. Shi. Even though they cannot speak fluent English, they manage to talk about many things. The lady is of a certain age, she is proud of having come to America, leaving the chaotic world of her native country behind. She is also grateful to be living with her doctor son in a nice environment. One day she stops coming to the park, so one of her friends stop by the bench to inform Mr. Shi the Iranian lady is now living in a Seniors' home, something that surprises the old man.Yilan is not too happy with the new addition in her life. She has been secretly avoiding her father to stay away from the apartment. Coming home late one evening the truth emerges. Yilan has been seeing a Russian colleague who happens to be married. He has a family back home; it is obvious the affair is over. When Mr. Shi questions her about what he learned, she becomes defensive. She goes on to accuse her old man to have lived a lie all his life. What's more, Yilan knows he had cheated her mother with a mistress. Years of bitterness surfaced between father and daughter. Finally, Mr. Shi decides to explore whatever he can from the country he is visiting riding trains to get to his destinations.A lovely story based on stories by Yiyun Li is explored by director Wayne Yang, whose films have delighted movie going audiences for the way this creator views complex situations, mainly involving Chinese characters and culture. The film is basically a study about two generations that have grown apart. The older father, has stayed in his native country, China, where he felt his work was needed, in spite of his troubled past within that society. Yilan, in contrast, adapted well to her new country, viewing the situation with her family with different eyes. She has a new set of values, but keeping some of her native culture alive. The arrival of the father puts a strain in Yilan's life. Suddenly, her world begins to crumble right in front of her eyes; she begins to resent the intrusion in her home of a man she does not even relate to, anymore.Beautifully acted by Henry O as Mr. Shi, and Feihong Yu, who is seen as Yilan. The generation and culture gap are clearly the focal point in their relationship. Vida Ghahremani makes a good contribution as the only friend Mr. Shi finds in his new surroundings.

Claudio Carvalho The retired rocket scientist Mr. Kun Shi (Henry O) arrives in the United States of America to visit his daughter Yilan (Feihong Yu), who moved twelve years ago from China to America with her husband Keming and now is divorced. Mr. Shi tries to approach to his estranged daughter and expect to help her to find another husband. Meanwhile he befriends an Iranian old lady (Vida Ghahremani) in a park, and despite their language barrier and difficulties, they meet each other everyday. When Mr. Shi sees his daughter with the Russian Boris (Pasha D. Lychnikoff) late night, they finally have a honest conversation with each other."A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" is a pointless family drama that goes nowhere. The story has a promising beginning with the encounter of an old Chinese with his estranged daughter and with an Iranian woman, but the plot and subplots are not well resolved and are cold and emotionless. Maybe if I had had a lesser expectation, I could have liked this little film more. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Mil Anos de Orações" ("A Thousand Years of Prayers")

MrVintner It is so refreshing to see a director (Wayne Wang) so courageously has his audience go through watching and listening to conversations in mixed dialogues exploring the "human relationships and communications" that goes beyond common language! There is an understanding that masterfully is being established during the movie with the audience, interestingly enough, the old man (Henry O) fails to establish this with his daughter, but it is being established with the audience, "with subtitles at times." Then the climax, the scenes/conversations in the park between an Iranian old woman (Vida Ghahremani) and the Chinese old man (Henry O) in mixed languages, Mandarin, Farsi, and English, "with No sub titles!" which the audience has no problem understanding it and it is fluent, enticing and absolutely delightful. This is an amazingly smart and fascinating movie with masterful acting, specially the old couple, the Iranian old woman (Vida Ghahremani) and the Chinese old man (Henry O). Warning: if you are looking for an Action or Kong Fu movie, this may not be your top choice.

rrfrank This movie felt like it lasted over 1,000 years. A really bad soap opera masquerading as a meaningful family "drama" exploring generational and cultural barriers. There is not one genuine moment in its bloated running length. An anamorphic screen image can't disguise what an amateurish production this is – the acting is especially laughable. Story in a nutshell: elderly Chinese man comes to The States to visit his daughter. The father is hoping (and pushing) to become a grandfather. Pathos and a lot of moping ensue. Yawn. The void between father & daughter is played out in interminable dinner scenes. The only thing more boring are the excruciating park bench pidgin English dialogue scenes between the father and an Iranian woman he befriends. Daughter's Russian boyfriend is a cardboard cutout of a joke – like everyone in this epic. And oh yeah, the most unintentionally hilarious line of the movie, "You were never a rocket scientist."