Better Luck Tomorrow
I saw this movie about a month ago and never got around to mentioning it. It certainly is worth mentioning. I recall reading an interview with the director Justin Lin sometime last year and the point that stuck was his comment that Asians in Hollywood have to be Asian™. I’ve always noticed this point as well. You can have Denzel Washington or John Leguizamo in lead roles where you could just as easily have put a caucasian but you rarely, if ever, see an Asian substituted as easily. When an Asian has a major role, it’s because the part calls for The Asian™ (e.g., the gang leader in Fast and Furious). Even when a part could be interchangeable like say, an Assassin, they have to put in the whole Hong Kong backdrop to make it believable. Like the Chinese guy couldn’t be American.
But I digress. BLT is a nice acronym for sandwiches but also for an above average coming of age movie revolving around a handful of high school Asians. I thought Lin did a pretty good job of making the movie about the characters with the typical emphasis on the almighty bling bling and losing your virginity. What’s not to like? For good measure, some of the issues about being an Asian high schooler are thrown in like the geeky math stereotype, token Asian basketball players, etc.
I’m not sure if the movie will be as appealing to non-Asians because well … I AM Asian. I could relate to some things in the movie, not so much to others, but I had a good laugh and the actors were for the most part, really really good. I hope they get more roles in the future.
