National dish of Vietnam, Pho, takes centre stage in this occasionally disjointed, but always charming dramedy.
“Just because you do pho when you’re young doesn’t mean you’ll do it forever.”
When the owner of the rival pho shop across the street, collapses and passes away, Mui looks inwardly at his own life. He needs an heir to take over his shop, but his own son is more focused on his atrocious paintings than running a noodle shop. Mui’s son-in-law Giang (Cuong Ca) is keen, but Mui still considers him an outsider, leaving only Mui’s grandson (Tran Bao Nam), who has a passion for cooking but whose mother Trinh (Thu Trang) is keen to leave for the South with her family.
This results in Mui remarrying in an attempt to get another heir who will see his legacy honoured. His wife, Kieu (Ha Huong), however, is a little rough around the edges, causing more friction among the already tense family.
The Scent of Pho is a film with many different modes. The first and arguably most important mode might be its dedication to its title soup. Pho is a massive part of the film, not only as the catalyst for the events, but ingrained within the film’s entire identity. Shots of the cooking, preparation and serving of pho are lovingly filmed and represent, I would argue, the bulk of the film’s artistic merit. As a Lunar New Year release, The Scent of Pho has to not only tell its story, with all the themes and interesting characters required, but has to also be about Vietnamese identity. And it carries that part off quite well, bringing us a story that’s about family, legacy and the food that brings us all together. Or, sometimes, tears us apart.
It’s largely sold as a wacky slapstick comedy with lots of shouting and back and forth insults. And for the most part it is. Xuan Hinh is an actor whose recent comedic music video made him a huge star, raking in 300 million views, and so a large part of the film is centred on his antics. Hinh is a talented performer, and manages to hold the film together, infusing his character with a surprising amount of depth as the old man who loves his stall to the point of tunnel vision, but is willing to give it all up to help his family.
Is it funny? I honestly can’t tell. It has a very broad, Vietnamese sense of humour, loaded with broad jokes and appealing to a wide audience, but a lot of the verbal back and forth doesn’t necessarily translate. What does translate are the situations, and the humour that comes from global experiences. Like the generation gap. Its strengths lie in the times when it plays up the family dynamic. Each character brings a unique angle to the ensemble, allowing for plenty of strong interactions, points of view, and comedic arguments. The Scene of Pho is a film about legacy, freedom of individuality, and controlling parents, and when it focuses on those themes it does a lot of good.
Mui is a character who loves his family a lot, but also refuses to accept that everything he worked for will just go away the moment he passes away. Trinh, meanwhile, mirrors this by controlling what her son can and can’t do with his life. So much so they all come up with a scheme to get Giang to learn the secrets of great Pho so he can take over.
The film is weaker whenever it chooses to delve into drama. It’s not very well equipped to deal with heavy topics, even though the entire story is predicated on the idea that death is imminent. Once the kidnapping substory comes around, you wonder why everything has just gotten so aggressively unfunny. The tonal whiplash between the goofy acting from the first half to the crying and arguments of the final act is a lot. But it’s a soup, after all, and what good would a soup be without a lot of different flavours?
Verdict: The Scent of Pho is sometimes funny, occasionally heartfelt but always swimming with gorgeous colours and lovingly-made soup.
Overall entertainment: 6.5/10
Violence: 3/10
Sex: 0/10
Laughs: 4/10
Wise people: Only speak halfway, so …
How to judge a man: By his tongue, then his beard
The Scent of Pho (2026)
Also known as: Mui Pho
Vietnamese
Director: Minh Beta
CAST
Xuan Hinh – Mui
Thu Trang – Trinh
Cuong Ca – Giang
Thanh Thanh Hien – Mrs Tuat
Ha Huong – Kieu
Tran Bao Nam – Sa Sung
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