This movie is the first breakout movie for Asian Americans. With that comes a lot of expectations and responsibility. Being the first major breakout movie, (I know there were other Asian American movies before but none of them had the press this movie had and Mtv backing them) I was expecting something along the lines of "Boyz n the Hood' or "Do The Right Thing."
I'm not saying it should mimic the gangster life, but sort of acknowledge their race, culture, and position and how that is different from the rest of the world. That's a breakout movie, its supposed to break down walls.
This movie didn't acknowledge all the lead characters being Asian, it didn't even really deal with that. Its more a movie about kids growing up in Orange Country than it is about being Asian. Those actors could have just as easily been replaced with white actors and this could have been the same movie.
That's what I don't like, the interchangeability of the actors race. The female lead being adopted wasn't even a real issue in the movie. It feels like this movie needed more...BALLS. To go all the way and say, "Hey we're Asian, here we are, like it or not, this is what we are!" Like black filmmakers have done in the past for their race.
I don't know if Mtv made them change the movie, or the filmmakers were scared the movie wouldn't do well commercially if it dealt with race too much. Even the trailers made no mention of them being Asian, instead they were categorized as being overachievers not Asian. C'mon, the audience isn't blind, obviously they recognize the actors are Asian so don't show them oranges and try to sell them apples.
This movie could have just as easily worked if the cast was all Jewish dealing with life as an overachiever.
That's what I don't like, its a watered down Asian movie that tries to become acceptable for the mainstream and the MTV crowd. C'mon if you going to be groundbreaking and disturbing, then do it. Don't fake the funk!
I'm not saying it should mimic the gangster life, but sort of acknowledge their race, culture, and position and how that is different from the rest of the world. That's a breakout movie, its supposed to break down walls.
This movie didn't acknowledge all the lead characters being Asian, it didn't even really deal with that. Its more a movie about kids growing up in Orange Country than it is about being Asian. Those actors could have just as easily been replaced with white actors and this could have been the same movie.
That's what I don't like, the interchangeability of the actors race. The female lead being adopted wasn't even a real issue in the movie. It feels like this movie needed more...BALLS. To go all the way and say, "Hey we're Asian, here we are, like it or not, this is what we are!" Like black filmmakers have done in the past for their race.
I don't know if Mtv made them change the movie, or the filmmakers were scared the movie wouldn't do well commercially if it dealt with race too much. Even the trailers made no mention of them being Asian, instead they were categorized as being overachievers not Asian. C'mon, the audience isn't blind, obviously they recognize the actors are Asian so don't show them oranges and try to sell them apples.
This movie could have just as easily worked if the cast was all Jewish dealing with life as an overachiever.
That's what I don't like, its a watered down Asian movie that tries to become acceptable for the mainstream and the MTV crowd. C'mon if you going to be groundbreaking and disturbing, then do it. Don't fake the funk!