i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

Amateur movie with Big budget

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I should know - I'm a firm non-believer in anything even remotely associated with astrology, but I still enjoyed "When Were You Born" - to a degree. Besides, if I were to take it too seriously, I should be offended: my zodiac sign - Libra - is represented by the most negative character in the film! But at least the skeptics in the audience are fairly represented too. The problem with the film is that it's too static - about 75% of the "action" happens inside one police station. But it makes clever use of flashbacks, and Anna May Wong, playing an astrology specialist who ends up offering valuable assistance to the police, gives more conviction to her lines than most other actresses would - and make no mistake, she is the star of this film; top-billed Margaret Lindsay's part is relatively small, third-billed Lola Lane's even smaller. **1/2 out of 4.

Love this time period especially the murder mysteries. Caught this movie recently and watch it over and over. It's addicting!! It's fascinating. I really love it!! Mei Ling is a wonderful character & so interesting. I don't believe in Astology but this is just a fun and intriguing movie! It has a good cast of characters and keeps you guessing until the very end about who committed the crime. The pieces of evidence as presented keep you fascinated as the police attempt to solve the crime. I loved the Mei Ling character and wish there were many more movies made like this. A series like they did with Charlie Chan would have been nice!! I highly recommend it for a good flick.

...because of ANNA MAE WONG!!!Typically tight (65") WARNER BROTHERS' mystery 'B' programmer that was churned out from the 1930s' till the mid 1950s', when T.V. took over. This story is wrapped up in the 'pseudo science' of Astrology. Which each character is given a sign and a sub-plot of the Zodiac. It starts off with the 'horoscope' of Nita Kenton (Lola Lane/Cancer) whose character disappears after the proclamation of doom for Philip Corey (James Stephenson/Libra). The rest of the story weaves around his murder and how it is deciphered by Mei Lei Ming (Anna Mae Wong/Aquarius) and her astrological expertise.Though billed second after Margaret Lindsay (Doris Kane/Leo) it is ANNA MAE WONG that drives this story. Ms. Wong gives her usual professional performance dominating every scene she is in. Unfortunately like most of her Hollywood productions of this time it is in a 'B' effort. Most of her more accomplished efforts having been done earlier or in England/Europe. This was because of the racial discrimination of the time. Today her career would have had a entirely different course.Due to how Chinese or Oriental characters where portrayed at that time Ms. Wong appeared in what was considered traditional dress. While all other characters appeared in period apparel. It would have been better if she had been shown off in some of the 'chic' fashions she normally wore. There is no doubt of her physical appeal, Ms. Wong being strikingly attractive.For those who have not seen Ms. Wong this is a good start, but do not stop here. See her early work like THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1924), PICADILLY (1929) or the SHANGHEI EXPRESS (1933). She is a wonder to behold.

I agree with the first reviewer that it's a bit much to believe the astrologer can be so accurate with every utterance, but the movie is light fun, and Anna May Wong gets a lot of good screen time. She doesn't just recite star charts; she also helps the police ferret out legitimate clues and solve puzzle or two. Don't take it too seriously.