"Elizabeth here." "God." "Hold on, Jane." "Hello?" "." "Like that." "Got it?" "." "Just relax." "You'll be okay." "Okay?" "." "Your dragon mother." "Hello?" "." "He's such a jerk." "My mother dies, and he doesn't want me leaving for the funeral." "Don't call my brother a jerk." "You do." "Of course." "I'm his sister." "He's not a very good director." "I know." "But he's my younger brother." "What am I gonna do?" "." "Kick his ass?" "." "Okay." "Mom, why are you so sad?" "." "Grandma was a total bitch." "She treated us like shit." "Jason, where are you learning to talk like this?" "." "School." "Well, Grandma wasn't all that bad." "She was just...." "Well, she was Chinese." "Do you have to go out tonight?" "." "I'm introducing the new Miss Taiwan to all of Manhattan." "Our families are in mourning" "Darling, I'm not going tomorrow." "Cindy." "My mother's dead." "And your daughter has a dance recital on Friday." "Priorities?" "." "Look, I thought as a family we could" "We could pretend that we actually liked the Dragon Lady?" "." "Look, we'll come after Emily's recital." "By the way, will your mistress be joining us in Seattle?" "." "Jane, right?" "." "So how did Grandma die?" "." "Oh, Emily...." "I'm glad you all decided to come." "Your mother had one request:" "A traditional Chinese funeral." "It takes seven days." "Seven days?" "." "We never did that for Dad." "Dad didn't request it, Mother did." "Yeah, but seven days?" "." "What, your patients can't put off their Botox injections for a week?" "." "Viola, thank you." "We will do everything we can to give Mother a traditional Chinese funeral." "But how?" "." "We're Americans." "Hey, Alex and I don't even speak Chinese." "Well, Elizabeth, you know something about it, don't you?" "." "You live in Hong Kong." "No, I really don't know anything about it." "Sorry, Viola." "Our mother didn't want us to be raised Chinese, that's why she hired you." "Well, I happen to know a hell of a lot about traditional Chinese funerals." "I was Chinese in a previous life." "Oh, God." "Give me a break." "Alex, I've been in this family since you were in diapers." "So please." "You missed her 70th birthday." "I was gonna come over, really." "I just didn't wanna be the only one." "You didn't call." "None of you did." "I mailed a card." "Got here two days late." "Viola, thank you for taking care of her and us." "But you have no right to say any of this." "Your mother had cancer." "What?" "." "She never told us." "You never asked her how she felt." "She died alone." "And look at you kids." "Do you ever talk to each other?" "." "When was the last time you were together?" "." "Stop that." "Enough already." "Elizabeth, why isn't Michael with you?" "." "We separated almost a year ago." "Just after Sammy died." "I'm sorry." "Look, our mother spent her entire life pitting us against each other and hardly had a kind word for any of us." "Well, her last words were that she loved you and hoped you'd forgive her." "Now, the first thing you have to do is get some monks." "Chanting monks." "And why can't you arrange that?" "." "Okay, fine." "Chanting monks." "How many, and where do I get them?" "." "The temple." "I know the place." "According to tradition, children of the deceased must kneel at the shrine three times a day 1 0 minutes each, and before bedtime." "Has anyone heard from Meimei?" "." "Oh, you really think she's gonna come?" "." "I can't believe she's gone." "The last time we spoke, I hung up on her." "Me too." "I was such a disappointment to her." "Hey, we all were." "I dreamt about this." "It was a nightmare." "Awful." "She had died, and we...." "What?" "." "We what?" "." "We didn't care, Alex." "That was the awful part." "My, my, isn't this a Kodak moment?" "." "Meimei." "Dede." "Hey." "Where's the body?" "." "At the funeral parlor." "What's all this?" "." "A shrine." "Wow, this is so cool." "We don't even have this in China anymore." "A shrine?" "." "Yes." "For dead people." "Ghosts." "You wanna try this?" "." "Meimei." "Mama." "Meimei." "Meimei." "Meimei." "Mommy!" "Oh, Mama." "You left us too soon." "Meimei." "That's really bad acting." "Yeah, Meimei, there are no cameras here." "Get up." "Your mom's dead." "Can't you just try and be nice to each other for once?" "." "You're not family." "And you're not welcome here." "Alex, you asshole." "You didn't eat a thing." "I have to keep my figure." "Ever seen a fat ninja?" "." "Eat." "I subscribed to your magazine." "I read your column every month." "I saw your last film." "It was very good." "No, it wasn't." "Okay." "Liz." "I know you're angry at me." "I'm sorry I didn't come to Sammy's funeral." "I am." "I just...." "I...." "You were on location." "It's fine." "No, it's not." "Damn it, Liz, just say how you feel." "All right." "It was not fine." "So that's why you and Michael broke up?" "." "Do you still see him sometimes?" "." "He flew in from Los Angeles about a month ago and spent the weekend with me." "Do you still love him?" "." "You believe in love?" "." "Oh, Liz." "Absolutely." "You really can't be that naive." "You sound just like Mom." "No, I don't." "Dede and I are planning on having a baby." "You're gonna hate me?" "." "A baby?" "." "How?" "." "Sperm." "We just need some sperm." "Oh, sperm." "Right, of course." "Are you gonna hate me?" "." "No." "Stop asking me that." "Excuse me." "What's with her?" "." "She lost her son." "Yes, I know that." "I want you to unbutton your shirt." "I want you to feel my tongue Iicking across your lips." "My hands slowly sliding up your thigh." "No, not right now." "Not right now." "T en minutes." "Viola." "We should go to the funeral home now to, you know, see her." "Well, you will see her on the day of the funeral when she's all made-up and looking pretty." "Now, those were your mother's wishes and vanity was her middle name." "What do you think?" "." "Him." "Sperm donor." "Dede, please." "Excuse me." "We're trying to make a baby." "That's disgusting." "What did you say?" "." "Look who's talking." "Slut." "Why don't you just shut your nasty" "Stop it, all right?" "." "We're only here seven days." "There is a lot to do in these seven days." "We have to notify friends and relatives." "Cemetery, tombstone." "Things for your mother's afterlife, which we will then burn." "The banquet, the eulogy, some Chinese call it the résumé." "And then on the fifth day, people will come and they'll pay their respects" "Embarrassing that you know all of this and we don't." "Isn't it?" "." "Alex, when is Cindy gonna be here?" "." "Yeah, where is the ice queen?" "." "Don't tell me Miss Taiwan 1 993 is not coming." "Cindy will be here on the weekend." "Emily has a recital." "She didn't wanna come any earlier because she can't stand any of you." "Sometimes I don't blame her." "Whatever." "Just feel the feng shui here." "Look at the sunlight and the view." "It's very nice." "How did Mom find it?" "." "Mom?" "." "I'm the real-estate agent." "You sell homes to dead people?" "." "Shut up." "Real estate is real estate, okay?" "." "When these plots came out on the market I got Mom a really good price." "Plots?" "." "You bought more than one?" "." "It's tradition for a son and his wife to be buried next to his mother and father." "Our father was cremated." "Oh, yeah, his ashes ended up in a vacuum cleaner." "By mistake." "I was young." "Well, wait a second." "What did you say about a son and his wife?" "." "Mrs. lao bought three plots." "One for her, one for you, one for your wife." "It's tradition." "Buy two, get one for free." "I've heard of that tradition." "Would you stop?" "." "My wife and I will not be buried here." "You like this place so much, bury yourself here." "I knew your father." "A powerful man." "That power is yours." "You just don't realize it." "You have a responsibility here." "Funerals are for respect." "You're grieving over your mother now." "That must be why you are not thinking clearly." "Right?" "." "Alex." "No." "It's hard to believe you've devoted your whole life to this family all those years." "Well, I was married young." "Not my doing." "And I was widowed young." "Not my doing." "But here I am." "What about a family of your own?" "." "Well, there are all kinds of families, Dede." "I would have thought you realized that." "Anyway, this is my family." "And I would do anything for them." "Anything." "Well, I wish I had a mother like you." "Meimei talks about you so much." "Hey, did you see that?" "." "What?" "." "Bedroom curtain upstairs." "Mrs. Xiao's room." "It just moved." "No, it's the wind." "Well." "Do you believe in ghosts?" "." "No." "Maybe I don't." "I don't." "Do you?" "." "Definitely." "I need to smoke a joint." "Ten minutes." "So does that mean we can eat?" "." "Yes, and I made your favorite: pizza." "Hi." "Hi." "What's your name?" "." "Bruce Lee." "Bruce Lee?" "." "What can I say?" "." "My parents are big fans." "Let's talk." "Come." "Hello?" "Hello, Michael?" "." "So lesbians, huh?" "." "Yes, we are." "Yes." "And you are a monk." "A Kalupa monk." "We can have sex." "Hey, Bruce, this is not about sex." "No sex?" "." "No sex." "But how?" "." "Right." "Of course." "I'm gonna have to think about this." "Meimei?" "." "Yes." "And you are?" "." "Chow Lin." "Do you have any idea what time it is?" "." "People are still asleep." "In Beijing, they are awake." "I'm a friend of your mother's." "You can get my bag." "Banana." "Potassium." "Good for digestion." "You mother sent me photo of yours and videos of your awful movies." "I know you all your life." "Chow Lin." "Oh, I am so glad that you have come." "Oh, I'm the person who called you." "Viola." "Oh, Viola." "The Jewish lady who can make the best dumplings in the world." "Oh, is it?" "." "Would you like something to eat?" "." "American food." "I want to eat like a pig." "Come then." "Like a pig." "Outdoing yourself." "No good bagels in Beijing." "No good pancakes, no bacon." "I dream about a Burger King." "Burger King." "Meimei dreams about Burger King too." "Oh, here you go." "Drink this." "Just drink and...." "Yeah." "Happy to meet you." "Finally, an honor." "Now I go have a good poo." "Go, go." "Oh, I'll take you to your room." "Who is that?" "." "One of China's most celebrated pianists." "You're kidding." "No." "Mother met him in Rome." "Oh, Rome." "Mom went to Rome?" "." "Yeah, before you were born, I went with her." "School vacation." "Oh, so you know this guy?" "." "I was just a child." "Liz, you were never just a child." "You know, I like Chow Lin." "Anyone who has an appetite like that, it's passionate." "I'll get it." "Today's day two, so we need" "No, I thought it was day three." "Officially, it's day two." "But in truth, it's day three." "It's day two." "Look who's here." "It's Michael." "Hello, Michael." "Hi." "Thanks for coming." "Mother always liked you." "I don't know why." "Me neither." "You know, of all the kids you're the only one who calls her Mother." "What?" "." "Is that a problem?" "." "Liz, she's your mom." "Look, I didn't come here for her." "I came for you." "For us." "Mother's gone." "Sammy's gone." "And he's not coming back." "There's no blame." "There's no blame." "Come on." "Some love." "Hey, baby." "Aren't you done?" "." "It's been a while." "Hello?" "." "Sorry, l" "It's not something I can just, you know, turn on like a faucet." "Isn't it?" "." "No, I need inspiration or activity." "Well, you just have to imagine like this." "I told you." "We're not gonna have sex." "But you'll just have to imagine." "Imagine." "I'm sorry." "I tried." "I did." "I just" "It's okay." "Thanks." "I thought about it a lot last night." "And I figured, I might as well be, you know, useful." "I mean, we're not here to celebrate death." "It's about celebrating life." "Maybe one day, we can all have dim sum together." "Meimei." "Do you know the direct translation of dim sum?" "." "No." "It means ""touch the heart.""" "So cute." "Oh, by the way, Liz, Mom liked the Benz SUV." "Really?" "." "The G500 costs more than a hundred grand." "We're not buying a real car." "Oh, right." "Sorry." "I always thought this was an odd custom." "Buy all this stuff, and then you just burn it." "Yeah, but I love the idea of Mom taking all this stuff with her into the afterlife." "Okay." "Get the G500." "She really liked her Jag." "Why don't we just get that?" "." "What?" "." "An old car?" "." "And have people think we're being disrespectful?" "." "So, what do you think?" "." "Should we get the Jag convertible or the Benz SUV?" "." "Buy both." "For your mother, right?" "." "She'll only die once." "Give her the best." "Give her everything." "Give her $ 1 million." "I'll pay for shipping and handling." "Shipping and handling?" "." "We all are from Taipei." "Oh, we need all the stuff, like soon." "Yeah, so you never heard of FedEx?" "." "We'll take the G500." "And the million dollars." "Oh, and we need a house." "Why don't we just take a picture of Mom's house?" "." "Oh, no, no, bad luck." "Then no one would want to buy her house." "Oh, we're not selling it." "We're not?" "." "Dad's will." "He wanted us to keep it." "Why?" "." "It's not even the house we grew up in." "Now that house had class." "Who wants to live in the McMansion?" "." "I don't." "Dad bought that for Mom out of guilt." "Guilt?" "." "Okay, so, what else?" "." "Maid, butler?" "." "No, I refuse to burn people." "Even if they are made out of cardboard." "No maid, no butler." "Fine, what else?" "." "I got my phoenix and dragon." "They're on sale." "You break, you buy, huh?" "." "Hey, guys, these would hardly fit a child, let alone a grown woman." "Well, they made them fit, didn't they?" "." "Breaking the bones." "Binding the feet so tight that they wouldn't grow." "Disgusting." "I'll stick to high heels." "Look, I have a letter." "Never mailed." "Written in Mother's handwriting to her mother." "She had a mother?" "." "Oh, my God." "What?" "." "Mother's name." "What?" "." "Linda?" "." "Her Chinese name." "It wasn't Linda?" "." "It's Ling Yuen." "That sounds beautiful." "What does it mean?" "." "Highest cloud in the sky." "It means strength." "Well, read the letter." "Okay." "Oh, my." "Look at this." "I gave this to her." "Mother's Day." "I made it in the third grade." "I can't believe she kept it." "Or this." "Oh, God." "Twilly Bear." "Hello." "My name's Twilly Bear." "Twilly Bear?" "." "Alex slept with it till the 1 0th grade." "Shut up." "Hey." "I didn't know this." "What?" "." "We didn't know any of this." "What is it?" "." "During China's famine, Mother was 1 6." "In love." "Her mother wanted her to marry someone in one of those arranged marriages." "So she ran away to Hong Kong." "Her boyfriend was supposed to meet her, but he never made it." "Killed while crossing the Pearl River." "That's so sad." "What else?" "." "In Hong Kong, she met a gentleman much older than her." "Wasn't sure she loved him, but he was kind." "Dad?" "." "She grew to love him, and they moved here to Seattle." "And lived happily ever after." "Not quite." "I remember the arguments right after you were born." "Dad had other women." "He did?" "." "I saw him with a few of them." "A few?" "." "He said he still loved Mom though." "Well, of course he did." "Is that what you tell yourself after you're done with your mistresses?" "." "Meimei." "Oh, come on." "A big, successful doctor like Alex gonna tell us that he doesn't have mistresses?" "." "I'm not gonna tell you anything." "Good for you." "Why break the family tradition of secrets and lies?" "." "Guys, can we cut this out?" "." "I mean, we have to write a eulogy about a woman we clearly didn't know." "What are we gonna say?" "." "Here you go." "I win." "I let you win." "Because you're old." "He's a good boy." "Where's his father?" "." "Ask Mrs. Xiao." "She made me break up with the only man I've ever loved." "Why?" "." "He wasn't Chinese, was he?" "." "We were gonna get married but when Mom made up her mind about something...." "Yes, I know." "What are you doing here, really?" "." "Viola says your mother wanted me to be here so I'm here." "You loved her, didn't you?" "." "Hey." "Can't believe you still jog." "I can't believe you stopped." "We're choosing a tombstone today." "Want me to be there for that?" "." "No." "You really don't have to." "Look, you asked me to come." "I came." "But don't push me away again." "Liz, it's okay to miss Sam." "I miss him every day." "But, Liz, we have to move on with our lives." "Please, let me back in for good." "Please, Liz." "No." "Okay, so if it were my mother nothing would be too big or too expensive." "Look at this lovely marble altar." "You could erect a statue to your mother on that." "Stunning." "I have a friend, he's a sculptor." "I could get you a deal." "If it were my mother I would have a portrait done." "Not as she was when she" " You know." "But how she is in my dreams." "You can mount it on that marble flat there." "Beautiful." "I have a friend." "He's a painter." "I can get you a deal." "I like this one." "Oh, if it were my mother" "She's not your mother." "She's my mother." "She's our mother." "Got that?" "." "Alex, are you all right?" "." "I'm fine." "I like the simple white marble tombstone." "It's tasteful." "Agreed?" "." "Can you get me a deal on that?" "." "Oh, of course, yes." "Great." "Meimei, show him to the door, please." "Alex, what are you doing?" "." "Alex." "I'm sorry." "I used to hate Dad for cheating on Mom, for hurting her." "I used to tell myself I'd never become like him." "Here I am, I'm just like him." "While Mom's looking down, she knows I'm a liar a cheat, and my wife hates me." "Well, there are reasons why we do" "I can't rationalize." "Where do I go from here?" "." "Well, do you love Cindy?" "." "Really love her?" "." "I used to." "Could you love her again?" "." "I want to." "Why?" "." "Why do you want to?" "." "Look, we have to be at Mrs. Sun's in 20 minutes, okay?" "." "We really need to go." "I want to sing it at the funeral." "It was your mother's favorite." "It's very nice." "I had no idea that Mother liked that song." "Mrs. Sun, you are mom's favorite dressmaker, so" "Her only dressmaker, wasn't I?" "." "Of course." "And so we need you to make her last dress." "Back in China, the daughters make the last dress." "Well, this isn't China." "What my sister really means to say is that" "You're the actress." "I think you mean lesbian." "She's the one who slept with a black man." "Elizabeth is the one whose son passed away and Alex here has a mistress." "We know what our mom thought of us so can we just be done with the gossip?" "." "We're giving her exactly what she wanted." "A traditional Chinese funeral and a traditional Chinese dress." "So are you in or are you out?" "." "I like you." "Your mother was proud of you." "All of you." "She wouldn't shut up." """ My son, the doctor." "My daughter, the journalist." "My daughter in real estate and the movie star.""" "I will make the dress, and it will be beautiful." "Just like your mother." "I am so confused." "I thought I knew what to say in this eulogy, but now...." "How could she have been so proud of us to everyone else?" "." "While with us, she was so...." "Bitchy?" "." "Selfish, cruel, rude, manipulative?" "." "Dictatorial?" "." "Saving face." "Do you believe in destiny?" "." "Yes." "You?" "." "Yes." "I believe each of us is connected." "Without even realizing it." "Just like the ingredients in a wonderful meal." "I believe you're strong." "I believe I am in love." "Liz, dinner's ready." "I'll be right down." "Michael." "I don't blame you." "And I'm sorry I can't always express myself." "It's just gonna take a little more time, okay?" "." "Okay." "I'm not going anywhere." "Meimei." "Hey." "I just want you to know that, well, I could always try again." "You know, if you want me to." "Yes." "Okay." "That'd be nice." "Thank you." "Well, great." "See you tomorrow?" "." "See you tomorrow." "Good night." "Good night." "Good night, Bruce." "Good night." "Is it hot?" "." "No, it's great." "Oh, my God." "Good." "Have we just corrupted a monk?" "." "Your mother made me the executrix of her estate." "Why you?" "." "You're not even family." "Alex, Viola is family." "Yeah, but I'm the son." "Isn't that sexist?" "." "Okay, fine." "Forget it." "I'm sorry, Viola." "Please continue." "Okay, I just thought this would be a good time to go over the contents of her will, seeing that you all seem to be in a pretty good place." "Yeah, sure, so, what do we get?" "." "Nothing." "Nothing?" "." "Nothing?" "." "Nothing?" "." "Nothing?" "." "Well, the house is yours." "It's all of yours." "Comes from your father's will." "What about life insurance?" "." "Other investments." "The gold, the jewelry?" "." "She felt thanks to your father's inheritance you were all in pretty good shape." "I don't believe this." "So she gave everything to the Pacific Coast Community Center." "The what?" "." "The Pacific Coast Community Center." "Your mother believed in charity." "She did?" "." "Don't you tell me what my mother believed." "Well, I think it's a pretty good idea." "You know what?" "." "Mom's will doesn't really surprise me." "I mean, when it came to us, she was so cheap." "And she was cheap with you too, Viola." "I don't know why you stuck with her all these years." "Because I loved her." "Because I loved all of you." "I still do." "I have to go to the airport to pick up Cindy and Emily." "You want me to go with you?" "." "No, it's okay." "You took that picture." "Remember?" "." "Near the Vatican." "I hope you didn't come to shame the memory of my mother." "No." "Never." "I never told anyone after all this time." "I think that's why she criticized me the least." "Because she was afraid of me." "No." "Grateful." "You keep the secret." "Cindy." "I'm sorry." "I wanna start over." "We're here." "Cindy." "Emily." "Welcome." "Hello, Victoria." "It's nice to see that some things remain constant." "Bitch." "What did she just say?" "." "She said, ""Bitch.""" "I'm pregnant." "Liz." "Here, Mom." "You take care of Sammy for us." "Go ahead." "Mom meet Dede." "I think you'd really like her." "Dede." "Here you go." "That's a lot." "Well, it's been a while." "Thank you." "I've had an epiphany." "I'm not a monk." "But you are a monk." "Inside, I'm not." "Not anymore." "That's my epiphany." "Shoot." "Am I going to hell for this?" "." "No." "Dede, I wanna thank you." "And Meimei, really." "I became a monk for all the wrong reasons." "To please my parents, to please everyone else but me." "And that's not a good way to live." "The honesty that you and Meimei have and the way you just live your lives openly without apology I find it inspirational." "I wanna get married." "I wanna have lots of children." "And I hope that one of them will be yours and Meimei's." "I'm not gonna be coming back tomorrow." "So please tell Meimei that I said goodbye." "You can tell her yourself." "No." "It's better this way." "I'm pregnant." "When you came to Hong Kong a month or so ago, that one night." "Aren't you gonna say something?" "." "Thank you, God." "Hey, Meimei." "I've been looking all over for you." "Look." "The monk has delivered." "Stop." "Are you okay?" "." "I found this on my pillow." "From whom?" "." "My mother." "What did she say?" "." "Meimei, are you okay?" "." "No." "No, I'm not okay." "Meimei, what is it?" "." "Meimei." "What is going on?" "." "This letter, which says time to tell the truth." "The truth?" "." "I am Meimei's father." "Holy cow." "Meimei." "Meimei." "Your mother and I loved each other." "We keep it a secret for you." "Shut up!" "Shut up!" "Don't you talk to me." "Don't you dare." "My whole life has been a lie." "Meimei!" "Meimei!" "Mom!" "Why didn't you tell me?" "." "Why didn't you say something?" "." "Why?" "." "Why?" "." "Meimei, it's okay." "It's all right." "Why did you never tell me?" "." "Mother made me promise not to." "Everyone else knew?" "." "Even Dad?" "." "Dad suspected." "Everyone suspected." "No one knew for sure." "Things aren't so black and white." "No, they certainly aren't." "Saving face." "Saving face." "I hate that expression." "Yeah." "Me too." "So Chinese." "We are Chinese." "Yes." "We are." "Good morning." "Good morning." "I'm gonna make myself a pot of coffee." "Would you like a cup?" "." "I don't drink coffee, thank you." "Okay." "So today is day five, right?" "." "Where guests come to pay their respects?" "." "Yes." "I'm sure you have everything organized." "Well, I think organization is about respect." "Well, I'm really good at preparing food." "Maybe I can help." "Well, it's already done." "Victoria knows a nice seafood restaurant." "They have a buffet." "Oh, my God." "A buffet?" "." "That's so tacky, but again, it is Victoria." "You know, you're not Miss Taiwan anymore." "I'm sorry, excuse me?" "." "You heard what I said." "I said you're not Miss Taiwan anymore." "I think you have forgotten your place." "My place is with this family." "Where is yours?" "." "Cindy, your mother-in-law wanted one thing." "That this family would come together finally and for real and I'd like to believe that that can happen." "Wouldn't you?" "." "You know, it's difficult to forgive." "I know." "I think forgiveness is just about the hardest thing in the world to do." "And I hope you find a way to do it or you're gonna be one unhappy person." "So?" "." "So?" "." "Starting over?" "." "Clean slate." "Meimei, meeting you completes my life." "And completely changes mine." "I'm not gonna make any more cheap chop-chop movies." "What are you going to do?" "." "I have no idea." "So does that frighten you?" "." "No." "I don't know what to call you." "My name is Chow Lin." "Only one chanting monk?" "." "So cheap." "May I have your autograph?" "." "Do you like kung fu movies?" "." "Yes." "Every Friday, your mother came to me to buy fresh flowers." "One of my best customers." "Cheap but loyal." "These flowers." "Not from my place." "Oh, I'm sorry." "My sister Victoria got them from down the street." "Obviously." "Would you like something to eat?" "." "Please." "Come." "Sit down." "Your mama paid my husband's medical bills for two years." "Well, how did you know her?" "." "Your mother volunteered at the Pacific Coast Community Center." "You didn't know that?" "." "Well, our mama's full of surprises." "You know, over a hundred people have come by since this morning." "See, Grandma wasn't that bad." "No." "I guess not." "Hey, what are they gonna say about us?" "." "When we're dead and gone?" "." "They'll say we tried." "We tried." "So I heard people talking shit." "Talking shit?" "." "You know, about you, Grandma and Meimei." "Kids hear everything." "Because we're shorter, we're under the radar screen." "Oh, of course." "So related, you and me?" "." "In a way." "Is that a problem?" "." "No, no, it's cool." "Want to learn something cool?" "." "What is it?" "." "I teach you tai chi." "Wow, like in the movies?" "." "Alexander." "Thank you, Mrs. Sun." "Victoria." "Thank you." "Meimei." "Elizabeth." "Tradition." "It's important." "Yes, it is." "Thank you." "Goodbye." "Thank you, ladies." "Take care." "Goodbye." "Speaking of tradition I seem to recall a long-standing challenge between Alex and I, and Victoria and Elizabeth." "Shall we?" "." "Oh, no, no, no." "Elizabeth shouldn't play." "Why not?" "." "Ask her." "Why not?" "." "Are you...?" "." "Oh, God." "Oh, my God." "God had something to do with it." "And Michael made a slight contribution." "I've sent the last monk home." "It is now time for serenity and prayer." "According to the old ways at the end of the period of mourning the soul of the departed comes back one more time." "I would like you to kneel at the shrine and close your eyes and see her in your soul." "Now, can you see her?" "." "I'm here with you, my children." "Even when she's dead she freaks me out." "But am I dead?" "." "Alexander." "You look so serious." "Well, I need to sit." "Please have a seat." "Okay." "You are all angry." "But look, I am dying." "Liver cancer." "The doctors gave me six months." "Do you think I wanted to die like Mrs. Chiu?" "." "Never a kind word from her children until she was gone." "Do you think I wanted to die like your father?" "." "Full of regret." "No." "I wanted to bring my family together." "I know." "I haven't been the best of mothers but I hope I can manage to fix it." "I want to tell you how I feel and I want to hear how you really feel." "What you've done here is an example of just how manipulative selfish, arrogant, and controlling you are." "It's a beginning." "I'm not finished." "And I don't believe for one moment that you wanna hear how we feel." "Alex, we were just trying" "Don't." "You cannot rationalize this." "But dying is never rational." "Nor is your monstrous ego." "But I did this for you, Alex." "Mother, you're so full of yourself that you actually believe that." "Anyone else?" "." "Congratulations." "Very dramatic." "Very Chinese." "See?" "." "She understands." "No, I don't." "You've put us through a great deal of pain." "You too, Viola." "Are you angry?" "." "I am exceedingly pissed off." "Well, these are certainly not the reactions I was expecting." "What did you expect?" "." "That we'd all fall at your feet and be grateful you're still alive?" "." "Well, yes." "Don't hold your breath." "Perhaps I should have just remained dead." "That would have been a wise decision." "Do you know how much I love your daughter?" "." "Yes, I think I do, and it warms my heart." "Welcome to our crazy family." "Thank you." "But I want to know how you did it." "Yeah." "Well, it's a big house." "There's a hidden room off my bedroom with its own bathroom." "And Viola kept me informed of all the comings and goings and of course, I did overhear a thing or two myself." "Brilliant." "Yes." "Loose ends, you know." "And here's my favorite loose end." "I should be angry with you." "Maybe a little bit." "What do we do about Alexander?" "." "I will talk to him." "Oh, excuse me." "I hope you're not upset with me." "It's a call from the set." "I have to answer it." "Hello?" "." "Hi, is this Dede Chan?" "Yes, it is." "Who's calling?" "." "I'm your brother's assistant director." "Your brother has just had a heart attack on the set here in Los Angeles." "They've taken him to Peterson Memorial Hospital." "He's stable, and they're keeping him under observation for now." "Alexander." "Leave me alone, Mom." "Alexander...." "You are not your father." "You have made mistakes, and I have too." "But my children are not mistakes." "They are the best thing that ever happened to me." "You have been angry for a long time." "The past few days, I've felt that anger lift." "Wouldn't it be nice if you could always live like that?" "." "Our handsome boy." "I did this hoping for happiness for all of us." "If it is selfish for a mother who wants to love her children one last time then I am that selfish woman." "I love you too, Mom." "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" "." "I'm packed." "I'm ready." "No, Meimei, it's okay." "Dede, I mean it." "Meimei, stay here." "How many times do I have to tell you this?" "." "Baby, your brother had a heart attack." "That's serious." "I wanna be there for you." "I understand, but your family needs you." "You stay here." "I love you, Dede Chan." "I love you too." "Come on, go." "You go on, baby." "Guys, I don't wanna make excuses for what your mother and Viola did." "I mean, look at us." "We're here, we're talking." "And, you know, I think I do recall hearing some laughter." "I mean, isn't it better that all this happened before we die?" "." "Before she dies?" "." "I think that Dede did the right thing going there, don't you?" "." "I mean, you'd do the same thing for your brother." "I know you would." "And he would do the same for you." "No question." "Does he always eat like this?" "." "Always." "Mom?" "." "I don't want you to die." "Neither do I." "Thank you, Victoria." "And Meimei I'm sorry about Dede's brother." "Thank you." "Oh, I almost forgot." "We're gonna have to cancel the banquet tomorrow." "No, we should still do it." "As a celebration of life." "Your life." "Michael, I've always liked you." "I don't know why." "Probably just to make Alex jealous." "You know, Mom, I don't think any of us ever really knew you until this week." "Yeah, you are smarter than you look." "Thank you." "As for you bravo." "Bravo." "Bravo." "I want to say something to Mrs. Xiao." "That dress is worth a lot more than what I charged your kids." "And I think what you did this week for your children was great." "Now, do you think my kids would fall for it?" "." "Oh, no." "Your children are too smart." "That's funny." "Thank you, everyone, for coming." "For those who came to the house and gave money Victoria will make sure that you get it all back." "But I will keep the dress." "This is such a beautiful sendoff." "You have made this old lady very, very happy." "Facing death changes everything." "So dragon lady no more." "Life is so fragile." "We must cherish each day and all those who have a place in our hearts." "Next week, I will leave for China with Mr. Chow Lin." "I will die where I was born." "But before I do I hope to take care of some unfinished business." "If there's any advice I can give, it is:" "Don't leave things till it's too late." "Well, let's dance." "Mr. Wang, can I ask you something?" "." "Of course." "You're licensed by the state so how could you do this with my mom?" "." "Victoria, we're Chinese."