Take Out

TAKE OUT is a day-in-the-life of Ming Ding, an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a deliveryman for a Chinese take-out shop in New York City. Ming is behind with payments on his huge debt to the smugglers who brought him to the US. The collectors have given him until the end of the day to deliver the money that is due. After borrowing most of the money from friends and relatives, Ming realizes that the remainder must come from the day's delivery tips. In order to do so, he must make more than double his average daily income. In a social-realist style, the camera follows Ming on his deliveries throughout the city. Employing an ensemble cast of both professional and nonprofessional actors, and filmed in an actual take-out restaurant during operating hours, directors Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou utilize a cinema vérité style to paint a distinctly human face on the lives of illegal immigrants lost in the shadows of an uncaring city.

TAKE OUT is listed as 100% Fresh on RottenTomatoes!

Here are the LINKS to some of the amazing reviews the film has received:

Nathan Lee from THE NEW YORK TIMES says: " “Take Out” is the season’s freshest, most sympathetic movie about making your way in modern-day Manhattan with a little help from your friends."
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/movies/06take.html?ref=arts

Shauna Lyon from The New Yorker says TAKE OUT is "a remarkable film" and "richly authentic".
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/take_out_tsou

Feature story in METRO section of NY TIMES under heading "Film Spotllights City Life Often Overlooked":
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/nyregion/05takeout.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

Feature story on NY TIMES CITY BLOG under heading "This Chinese Deliveryman Works at Google":
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/this-chinese-deliveryman-works-at-google/

Here's the link to the Brian Lehrer show radio interview with filmmakers on WNYC.org:
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2008/06/06

Below are some more critics quotes. For more info please visit the film's official website at: www.TakeOutTheMovie.com

"A remarkable film.... Baker and Tsou's simple narrative feels like a richly authentic documentary."
Shauna Lyon, THE NEW YORKER

"Forget 'Sex and the City'-- 'Take Out' is the season’s freshest, most sympathetic movie about making your way in modern-day Manhattan with a little help from your friends."
Nathan Lee, THE NEW YORK TIMES

"A no-budget delight... realistically raw."
V.A.Musetto, THE NEW YORK POST

"Makes for some of the most authentic neorealism this side of De Sica. This is as exceptional as microbudget cinema gets."
Aaron Hillis, THE VILLAGE VOICE

"Gripping... suspenseful." (Critics' Pick)
NEW YORK MAGAZINE

"Keeps you on the edge of your seat... city guerilla filmmaking at its finest"
Eric Monder, FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

"An emotional work of neo-realism"
S.James Snyder, THE L MAGAZINE

"an exquisitively minimalist low budget gem of a film.... a compelling, richly detailed portrait of life on the other side of the doorway."
Dennis Dermody, PAPERMAG

"Perfectly cast... its cinema verite approach makes its message all the more compelling."
Kerry Trueman, THE HUFFINGTON POST

"Beautiful in unexpected ways"
Robert Koehler, VARIETY

"Deeply moving... A rare kind of film"
Ken Fox, TV GUIDE

"One of the more exciting indie releases of the year"
Chris Barsanti, POPMATTERS.COM

"A quietly remarkable slice of verite drama"
Simon Houpt, GLOBE AND MAIL

"Fascinating, sharp-witted, and moving...wonderfully fresh. It's independent American filmmaking at its most vital."
Josh Ralske, ALL MOVIE GUIDE

"Watch Take Out, and you'll tip big the next time you order in."
Don Willmott, FILMCRITIC.COM

"A sweet-and-sour look at the immigrant experience."
Drew Toal, TIME OUT NEW YORK

"this tragic immigrant tale humanizes those most invisible in our midst, and with a kinship among workers that nourishes their will to endure and overcome. Take Out splendidly delivers."
Prairie Miller, NEWSBLAZE

"A day in the life that speaks to the unnamed and discounted that literally fuel the Western world.... Masterful"
Matthew Nestel, BOX OFFICE MAGAZINE

"A perfect jewel of a movie made by young directors who understand that social conscience is the handmaiden of all great art.... as dramatically effective as Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thief”... "Take Out" (is) the best film I have seen this year so far... It will change your perception of the world around you and the people who live in it forever."
Louis Proyect, The Unrepentant Marxist

"Not only is Take Out a poignant commentary on the life of an immigrant in New York City, it is one of the more honest and accurate depictions of New York CIty that the screen has ever seen."
Michael Tully, HAMMERTONAIL.COM

"An infectious watch"
Eric Campos, FILM THREAT

"a captivating vignette of an all too often forgotten member of society's lower class."
Jacqueline Chancer, THE TICKER

"Captivating"
Emre Emirgil, FILMS IN REVIEW

"Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou have crafted a smart, emotionally affecting film."
Frank Episale, OFFOFFOFF.COM

"Bravo to Take Out for giving a face and voice to some of the hardest-working amongst us and allowing us all to see and hear them through this remarkable, important and passionate film.
Diva Velez, MIGHTYGANESHA.COM

"Smart... effective... expose(s) the harsh underbelly of the American dream."
Charlie Bass, THE INDYPENDENT