Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (PG-13) No Rating

Take some "Soul Food," add a pinch of "The Joy Luck Club" and stir

vigorously for a nutritious and satisfying melting pot drama.

Story

Vietnamese siblings Dwayne (Chi Muoi Lo) and Mai (Lauren Tom) were

raised in L.A. by loving adopted parents who happen to be black (Paul

Winfield and Mary Alice), but the makeshift family’s happiness is

threatened when an adult Mai arranges to bring the kids’ birth mother

(Kieu Chinh) to the States. This complex new arrangement aggravates

every relationship within shouting range, especially Dwayne’s with his

black fiancee (Sanaa Lathan) and Mai’s with her adopted mother.

Acting

It’s a treat to see gifted players such as Winfield ("Presumed

Innocent"), Alice ("Down in the Delta") and Tom ("The Joy Luck Club") --

so often underused in thankless supporting parts -- go to town with

these meaty roles. Ironically, the weak link in the ensemble is

writer-director-producer Chi, whose performance as a fully assimilated

Asian American trying desperately to be a black man often seems forced.

In what may have been a throwaway girlfriend part, "Love and

Basketball’s" Lathan is simply magnetic --this natural charmer seems

destined to be a star.

Directing

First-time filmmaker Chi fares much better as a storyteller than as an

actor, successfully negotiating some tricky personal subject matter on

what was obviously a minimal budget. His unobtrusive style keeps the

focus exactly where it should be: on the terrific cast. Except for a

pointlessly distracting subplot about Dwayne’s straight male roommate

getting involved with a transvestite -- huh? -- virtually every scene

contains a memorable moment or two.

Bottom Line

Refreshingly involving, but it will be hard to sell to mass audiences.