January 9, 2024 — Classic Saigon Restaurant: 1272 Town Centre Dr, Eagan, MN 55123 — The Iron Claw, Sean Durkin, 2023
“Flamboyant costumes…oiled-up, testosterone-filled…slightly obtuse Zac Efron”
Jack
When I walked into Classic Saigon feeling a bit under the weather, I couldn’t wait to dig into a scrumptious bowl of pho. Healing, warming, delicious pho. During the first few sips, I thought “ahhh… classic.” But then as I continued to dive for more and more spoonfuls, it grew a bit… stale. No fragrances of cardamom or coriander (pho can always use more cardamom or coriander!); instead, I tasted mostly salt and pepper. The noodles were solid, but nothing fantastic. Likewise with the meat. While I was happy to be given the healing powers of pho, I couldn’t help but feel like I was served a standard pho, rather than a Classic Pho.
Iron Claw, on the other hand, was an emotional heart tug. Lost amongst all of the oiled-up, testosterone-filled muscles of Zac Efron is the story of a man whose two dreams in life ultimately fell short — to win the championship belt, and to live a full life with his brothers. The final scene where this realization hits home was one of the most emotional movie scenes I can remember, and it really landed well. The movie did a great job of telling a full story and letting the audience into the curse of the Iron Claw family.
Pho: 2.5/5 — Movie: 4.5/5 — Phomovie: 3.5/5
Ege
Classic Saigon Restaurant delivered us a classic pho with an alright broth and adequately cooked vegetables and noodles, though the meat was overcooked and too chewy for my taste. While I did enjoy my pho, I did not find anything extraordinary about it. I will be giving a 3 out of 5.
The Iron Claw was a love letter to American wrestling in the 1980s with its colorful and somewhat bizarre culture: the larger-than-life mullets and shoulder pads, the flamboyant costumes, and the performative banter between sportsmen… I really enjoyed the movie (if “enjoy” is the right word for a tragic story) and its decisions to mimic the aesthetics of the time in some scenes, and got hooked on the Von Erich family, as Kevin loses his brothers one-by-one to his dad’s ambitions that have no limits. The Iron Claw is not a life-changing movie but a good reminder that sometimes we gotta chillax and just be grateful for having family and friends 😢. On a second thought, I think I was too hard on Classic Saigon’s pho and will be increasing it’s score to 3.5. The Iron Claw gets a 3.5 from me too.
Pho: 3.5/5 — Movie: 3.5/5 — Phomovie: 3.5/5
Jon
Classic Saigon is a good baseline pho for people who are new to the pho-rating industry. It is a benchmark for middle-of-the-road, an exact 2.5/5. The broth was humble, lacking any signature flavors and extravagance, but still maintained the salty and savory taste one expects when ordering a bowl.
As much as I love Zac Efron playing a slightly obtuse WWE wrestler, The Iron Claw as a whole just didn’t sing to me. The story itself was very interesting and quite depressing, but the production didn’t deliver an emotionally satisfying response. The film felt empty and hollow even amongst the heightened moments of tragedy. Perhaps the director wanted me to feel apathetic, just like the emotionless and projecting father Von Erich who used his children like tools to get what he wanted. But if the goal was to make me feel emotionless, then I don’t like the goal.
Pho: 2.5 — Movie: 2.5 — Phomovie: 2.5/5
Aaron
Book Reviewer