---
title: "Eat Drink Man Woman: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/eat-drink-man-woman/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/eat-drink-man-woman"
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Eat Drink Man Woman (1994): what the critics said

Critics' score 77 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews lean clearly warm. Most critics take to Ang Lee’s film as a confident, funny and compassionate family comedy, and the praise clusters in two places: the food, which several reviewers call the most memorable thing on screen, and the ensemble, whose performances are described as light, believable and textured. Lee’s touch is repeatedly noted as deft rather than heavy, and the dialogue as witty and warm. Radio Times goes further, rating it above Lee’s other films and tracing its stately style to Yasujiro Ozu and Woody Allen.

The spread is narrow. No critic turns against the film, and the two notices that pull the average down are ones whose full text is not available, so their verdicts cannot be read in detail. Among the readable reviews the reservations are faint: the structure is complex and the pace unhurried, which not every viewer will take to. The Skinny, writing two decades on, finds the family portrait as emotionally authentic as the first critics did.

## Empire — Angie Errigo

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Errigo gives the film a strongly positive verdict, praising its craftsmanship and rich script. She especially singles out Ang Lee’s food-centered scenes and the performances for making it memorable.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/eat-drink-man-woman-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 1994. 

Turan recommends the film as a confident, funny, and compassionate romantic comedy. He especially praises its spectacular food and its warm, clear-eyed portrayal of family life.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-03-ca-22892-story.html)

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 4/5. 

The critic considers the film superior to Ang Lee’s other named films, praising its light, believable performances and witty, warm dialogue. They also single out its complex ensemble structure and stately style, influenced by Yasujiro Ozu and Woody Allen.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ya3fgy/eat-drink-man-woman/)

## Variety — Leonard Klady

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 1994. Festival review. 

Klady finds the film an entertaining, ultimately winning family drama. He praises Lee’s light touch and the textured performances.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/eat-drink-man-woman-2-1200437180/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 1994. 

The article body is inaccessible, so its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be established. The available page text contains no review details.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/03/movies/film-review-avoiding-basic-human-desires-or-trying-to.html)

## Time Out — GA

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

Time Out labels this as a review, but the review text is unavailable, so its verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be identified from the accessible page information.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/eat-drink-man-woman)

## The Skinny — Patrick Gamble

Rating ★★★★. 1 September 2015. 

The review finds the film a tenderly ironic, emotionally authentic portrait of shifting family values. It praises the warmth and sensuality that the father’s cooking brings to the family story.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/eat-drink-man-woman)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/eat-drink-man-woman.md