Boogie
2021
Cast: Taylor Takahashi, Taylour Paige, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Bashar 'Pop Smoke' Jackson, Pamelyn Chee, Eddie Huang
Genre: Drama
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $4 million
Plot: A basketball prodigy tries to balance his dream of playing in the NBA with his traditional East Asian family's expectations from him to earn a scholarship & join a prestigious college
'Huang B' Ball Flick Got No Game'
I find it hard to believe that no one could find a Chinese American actor to play a character of Chinese descent, because I'm sure there are one or two actors who would have fit the bill: *cough* MC Jin, and whilst he is a rapper, he can also act & whom is also a basketball fan. Taylor Takahashi looks distinctly Chinese, but who is Japanese. Fresh off the Boat producer, Eddie Huang penned the screenplay, as well as directed this indie-based sports film, which sadly tanks. Boogie concerns a young, highly skilful and talented Chinese American high schooler, Alfred 'Boogie' Chin and his attempts to obtain a college scholarship.
Takahashi struggles and he and Paige struggle to emit chemistry, and their romance is not believable, whereas the dialogue is occasionally poorly done (mother: ''what's wrong with this chair? it looks like f***'' - like really?). Whilst I respect that Eddie Huang tries and that Boogie - his directorial feature film debut - is his passion project, issues and themes surrounding Asian American identity, identity politics and defying the model minority stereotype do not get a proper look in. The parents are (stereo)typically Asian with the stern, tiger mum who is verbally and physically abusive and the dad is on parole. Honestly, not one character in this film was likeable and taking away their racial make-up, are one-dimensional in terms of personality. As for the basketball culture and African-Americans relationship with the sport, despite having two Black characters, Boogie says practically nothing from the Black perspective, as well as the interracial relationships involving and between Blacks and Asians, and seeks to reinforce the idea that Blacks are culpable of being racist towards Asians.
''We lost the war, that's why we're here. That's why we're second-rate citizens in a country that resents us... we never expected to have freedom, independence, inequality, or any of these things you ABCs (American Born Chinese) expected to have in this country''.
Also, an extra one mark gets deducted for Boogie complimenting a girl's vagina in a gym & trashing real-life athlete, Jeremy Lin; of whom regardless of your views of him as a player, made history by being the first Asian American player in the NBA.
Additionally, the basketball scenes were, okay at best, but are nothing to write home.
Boogie existed to cater to Pop Smoke fans - yet funnily for a movie aimed at Asian American and Asian audiences by an Asian American writer and director and with an Asian American actor in the lead role, Boogie is effectually aimless, is stylistically void and doesn't and wouldn't resonate well with many Asian, as well as general moviegoers and audiences.
It lacks any meaningful and purposeful discussion with regards to dismantling the model minority myth, as I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters. Being Asian myself, I thought that maybe being the main character, Boogie might be it, but he is underwhelming & as mentioned, like with the rest, he just wasn't likeable enough.
Final Verdict:
Had the film centered on the relationship between Boogie and his parents, it would make it more worthwhile and engaging. But alas, it turns out to be rudimentary. Going into the film, I had high expectations after being wooed by the trailer, which intrigued me. So it is a shame that the actual end product doesn't suffice. Boogie is a film ripe for bold conversation when it comes to talking points surrounding race, race and sport and shattering stereotypes of Asian people, - but the film chickens out by not addressing these points.
The one thing Eddie Huang has managed to land is those Adidas product endorsements.
Overall:
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