Eat Drink Man Woman
Retired and widowed Chinese master chef Chu lives in modern day Taipei, with his three attractive daughters, all of whom are unattached. Soon, each daughter encounters a new man in their lives. When these new relationships blossom, stereotypes are broken and the living situation within the family changes.
The film earned $24.2M at the global box office.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 6 wins & 15 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) reveals carefully calibrated dramatic framework, characteristic of Ang Lee's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 3 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Chu
Jia-Jen
Jia-Chien
Jia-Ning
Jin-Rong
Li Kai
Raymond
Main Cast & Characters
Chu
Played by Sihung Lung
Master chef who has lost his sense of taste, struggles to maintain connection with his three grown daughters through elaborate Sunday dinners.
Jia-Jen
Played by Kuei-Mei Yang
Eldest daughter, a high school chemistry teacher who is devoutly Christian, repressed, and bitter about her single status.
Jia-Chien
Played by Chien-lien Wu
Middle daughter, an ambitious airline executive who masks her vulnerability with corporate success and control.
Jia-Ning
Played by Yu-Wen Wang
Youngest daughter, a college student working at Wendy's who is playful and romantic, secretly dating her friend's boyfriend.
Jin-Rong
Played by Chao-jung Chen
Chu's best friend and neighbor, a widowed man who becomes romantically interested in Jia-Jen.
Li Kai
Played by Winston Chao
Young sports coach who boards with the Chu family and becomes involved with Jia-Chien.
Raymond
Played by Sylvia Chang
Jia-Chien's colleague and romantic interest who announces his engagement to someone else.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Master chef Chu prepares an elaborate Sunday dinner in his Taipei kitchen, establishing his identity through his meticulous culinary artistry. His three adult daughters arrive for the weekly family ritual, a tradition that masks the emotional distance between them.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Jia-Jen announces at Sunday dinner that she has found Christianity and will move out to live near her church. This breaks the established family pattern and signals the beginning of the household's dissolution.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Jia-Chien makes the active choice to pursue a deeper relationship with Li Kai, inviting him to share more of her life. Each daughter commits to her new path: Jia-Jen to faith, Jia-Chien to romance, Jia-Ning to her forbidden love., moving from reaction to action.
At 62 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat False defeat: Jia-Chien discovers Li Kai is moving to Amsterdam and wants her to come with him. Simultaneously, Jia-Jen's complicated feelings for her former student are exposed, causing humiliation. The paths everyone thought they were on begin to crumble., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 93 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, At a Sunday dinner, the family structure completely collapses. Jia-Ning announces she is pregnant and will marry her boyfriend. The "death" is of the family as it was - the last daughter leaving, the dinners ending, Chu's purpose dissolved., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 97 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. The final Sunday dinner arrives with a shocking revelation: Chu announces he has sold the house and is marrying Old Wen. The daughters realize they've been so focused on their own changes they missed their father's transformation. The revelation reframes everything., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Eat Drink Man Woman's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Eat Drink Man Woman against these established plot points, we can identify how Ang Lee utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Eat Drink Man Woman within the comedy genre.
Ang Lee's Structural Approach
Among the 12 Ang Lee films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Eat Drink Man Woman represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ang Lee filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Ang Lee analyses, see Taking Woodstock, Life of Pi and The Wedding Banquet.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Master chef Chu prepares an elaborate Sunday dinner in his Taipei kitchen, establishing his identity through his meticulous culinary artistry. His three adult daughters arrive for the weekly family ritual, a tradition that masks the emotional distance between them.
Theme
Daughter Jia-Chien tells her father "You can't taste, so you over-season everything." This speaks to the film's central theme: the inability to truly perceive and communicate what matters most, especially regarding love, desire, and family connection.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the Chu household dynamics: eldest daughter Jia-Jen is a repressed chemistry teacher, middle daughter Jia-Chien is a career-focused airline executive, youngest Jia-Ning works at a Wendy's. Their mother died years ago. Chu has lost his sense of taste but continues cooking elaborate meals to maintain connection with his daughters.
Disruption
Jia-Jen announces at Sunday dinner that she has found Christianity and will move out to live near her church. This breaks the established family pattern and signals the beginning of the household's dissolution.
Resistance
The family struggles to understand the changes happening. Jia-Chien explores a relationship with Li Kai, her old friend. Jia-Ning begins a secret romance with her friend's boyfriend. Chu resists the reality that his daughters are leaving, preparing increasingly elaborate meals to hold them together.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jia-Chien makes the active choice to pursue a deeper relationship with Li Kai, inviting him to share more of her life. Each daughter commits to her new path: Jia-Jen to faith, Jia-Chien to romance, Jia-Ning to her forbidden love.
Mirror World
Old Wen, a widow and Chu's longtime friend, becomes a regular presence. Her relationship with Chu introduces the possibility of late-life romance and represents the film's exploration of desire and companionship beyond family duty.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" unfolds as each character pursues their desires: Jia-Jen deepens her religious devotion while dealing with attraction to a former student; Jia-Chien's romance with Li Kai flourishes; Jia-Ning continues her affair; Chu maintains the Sunday dinners as things slowly shift.
Midpoint
False defeat: Jia-Chien discovers Li Kai is moving to Amsterdam and wants her to come with him. Simultaneously, Jia-Jen's complicated feelings for her former student are exposed, causing humiliation. The paths everyone thought they were on begin to crumble.
Opposition
Relationships intensify and complicate: Jia-Chien struggles with the Amsterdam decision; Jia-Ning's affair is discovered leading to confrontation; Jia-Jen retreats further from connection; Chu becomes increasingly aware he's losing his grip on the family. The Sunday dinners become more strained.
Collapse
At a Sunday dinner, the family structure completely collapses. Jia-Ning announces she is pregnant and will marry her boyfriend. The "death" is of the family as it was - the last daughter leaving, the dinners ending, Chu's purpose dissolved.
Crisis
Chu sits alone in his kitchen, facing the reality that his daughters no longer need him the way he needs them. Each daughter processes what the family's dissolution means for her own identity and future. A period of reflection and emotional reckoning.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The final Sunday dinner arrives with a shocking revelation: Chu announces he has sold the house and is marrying Old Wen. The daughters realize they've been so focused on their own changes they missed their father's transformation. The revelation reframes everything.
Synthesis
The finale shows the family reconfiguring around new truths: Jia-Chien realizes she must stay and take over her father's role; she cannot follow Li Kai. Each family member accepts their new reality. The house is prepared for sale, relationships are redefined, and everyone finds unexpected paths.
Transformation
Jia-Chien cooks in her father's kitchen, having taken his place. The image mirrors the opening but with transformation: the daughter now creates the meals, the father has found new love, the family dispersed but connected differently. What seemed like loss becomes liberation for all.