By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Michael Kang
Starring: Jade Wu | Jeffery Chyau | Sung Kang
Country: united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 75
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436607/
Michael says: “Michael Kang’s first feature film is a traditional coming-of-age tale about a chubby, 13-year-old, Asian-American boy who lives with his mother, grandfather, and younger sister in the seedy, roadside motel that they operate. This compact film starts off fairly awkwardly, with a stiff script, and some dubious acting choices, but about midway through I found myself becoming more engaged until I found myself pretty well-involved by the conclusion. Kang sticks to his straight-forward, coming-of-age tale fairly religiously, with light touches bringing in culture and heritage, class issues, and a difficult mother/son relationship. I really appreciated the slightly surprising and extremely effective closing scene. 3 ½ cats.”