Name: Combination Platter
Genre: Drama
Released: 1993-01-28
Duration: 1 h 24 min
Rating: 6.3
Cast: Jeffrey Lau, Coleen O'Brien, Chit-Man Chan

Combination Platter tells the story of a Chinese restaurant in the New York City area and its employees.  One of these workers is Robert, an illegal immigrant, who is desperately seeking a green card.  His best route to attain this goal, he admits, is to marry an American woman. When an attempt to offer $25,000 to a Chinese-American woman in exchange for marriage fails, he reluctantly agrees to meet an Anglo-American woman, Claire.  Thus, there are scenes of the dating couple intermingled with real-to-life scenarios from the restaurant.  The viewer glimpses interesting and irate customers, after work gatherings, kitchen mayhem and more.  But, will Robert attain residency in this country before the Immigration service catches up to him?

This is a slow-moving film with scenes of mild humor and genuine drama. Robert's situation is one of quiet unease with ironic overtones; the other employees' lives provide humor and contrast.  One quibble: the character of Claire is totally unattractive in appearance and personality. Part of the film is in Chinese with English subtitles which may put off some viewers.  Nevertheless, for a truthful look at the life of an illegal immigrant, this is a worthy effort.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

The story of one man desperately trying to obtain a green card by marrying an American woman.

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Combination Platter

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