AKA Mr. Chow

Last updated

AKA Mr. Chow
AKA Mr. Chow.jpg
Directed byNick Hooker
Starring Michael Chow
Distributed byHBO
Release date
  • October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

AKA Mr. Chow is a 2023 documentary about the life of restaurateur Michael Chow. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] The film was made available on HBO on October 22, 2023. [7] The film was directed by Nick Hooker and written by Jean Tsien. [8]

Contents

Reception

In her review for The Guardian , Lauren Mechling stated, "the food never shows up in AKA Mr Chow, the director Nick Hooker's feature-length documentary about the restaurateur Michael Chow, but that's sort of the point.(...) Skirting across decades and continents, with the help of evocative street footage and animations by Rohan Patrick McDonald, the movie is concerned with far more than Chow's talent for befriending celebrities and flair for decadence. It touches on pain points of the disarmingly energetic (and disarmingly dark-haired) 84-year-old's life, including his depression, gambling addiction and the tragic story of his wife Tina, who died from complications of AIDS in 1992, at age 41." [9] Decider found the film "fascinating", [10] and Fact magazine call it "captivating". [11] GQ says: "But as the documentary shows, there's a lot about the famous restaurateur that most of us didn't know or consider. It shows Chow the personality as well as Chow the boss, Chow the painter, and Chow the immigrant." [12] MovieWeb says that it is a "remarkable and well-executed documentary about a captivating figure whose attention to detail and unrelenting passion made him famous". [13] The Toronto Star even says that it is "not a food film, but the Gatsby-like measure of a man". [14] Other reviews were also quite positive. [15] [16] [17] [18]

References

  1. ""aka MR. CHOW "Documentary Exposes the Real 'Character' Behind the 'Crazy' Restaurant (Exclusive)". Yahoo Finance. October 5, 2023. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  2. Galuppo, Mia (October 17, 2023). "Michael Chow Shares the Pain Behind the Glamour in New Documentary 'AKA Mr. Chow'". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  3. Davis, Clayton (March 7, 2024). "Final Oscar Predictions: Documentary Feature – '20 Days in Mariupol' is Too Important to Ignore". Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  4. "Getty Images". October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  5. Hennemuth, Britt (October 20, 2023). "For Mr. Chow, Everything's on the Menu". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  6. Gonzalez, Shivani (October 16, 2023). "What's on TV This Week: 'aka Mr. Chow' and Some Spooky Movies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024 via NYTimes.com.
  7. "A mirabolante vida de Mr. Chow: "Enterrei todo o tipo de tragédias dentro de mim"". NiT (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  8. "AKA Mr. Chow". CherryPicks . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  9. Mechling, Lauren (October 30, 2023). "Mr Chow: the story behind the world's most fascinating restaurateur". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  10. "'AKA Mr. Chow' HBO Max Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  11. Writer, Shaheera Anwar-Staff (October 27, 2023). "Culinary maestro Michael Chow's life comes to the screen". Fact Magazines. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  12. Diamond, Jason (October 20, 2023). "Restaurant Legend Mr. Chow Built Temples of Fame Where Art Came First". GQ. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  13. Archer, Greg (October 24, 2023). "aka Mr. Chow Review | A Pure Delight From Beginning to End". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  14. Govani, Shinan (April 18, 2024). "Shinan Govani: "All roads lead to Mr. Chow": HBO doc about Renaissance man restaurateur Michael Chow is perfect holiday viewing". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  15. Anderson, John. "'AKA Mr. Chow' Review: Portrait of the Artist as a Restaurateur". WSJ. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  16. Zhang, Astrid (October 17, 2023). "HBO Documentary "AKA Mr. Chow" Reveals The Fragmented Childhood Of Restauranteur Mr. Chow". The Knockturnal. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  17. Cooper, Leonie (October 25, 2023). "Iconic London restaurateur Mr Chow stars in a new documentary". Time Out London. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  18. Borrows, Bill (February 27, 2024). "From Mick Jagger to Warhol and Madonna – who is Mr Chow, the man who has fed them all?". The Independent. Retrieved June 11, 2024.