“Why Am I Doing This?” trailer from Tom Huang on Vimeo.
bigWOWO rating: Asian American Silver
Thanks to Alpha Asian, who sent me the DVD for Why Am I Doing This? by Tom Huang. I was interested in the movie after reading Alpha’s review, and I’m glad he sent it. Even though it was a bit hard to get through at times, I was happy to have seen it.
The story is about two best friends–a black guy and an Asian guy–who are trying to make it in the entertainment business. The black guy, Lester, is a parking meter cop who does stand-up comedy at night. The Asian guy, Tony, is a party entertainer/actor who is trying to land roles other than the stereotypical Asian roles. In this movie, Lynn Chen plays the love interest of the Asian actor, while Sheetal Sheth plays the interracial love interest of the African American stand up comedian. Clyde Kusatsu, Tamlyn Tomita, and James Kyson Lee (who really should just go by the name “Kyson”) also make brief appearances. Dion Basco plays the actor’s younger brother.
I’ve seen a number of reviews for this movie, and I agree with most of them, although I did enjoy the movie altogether. Most normal film critics will think that the movie is too long, the quality of shot placement and storyline editing is spotty, and the jokes are often laborious. The dialogue, even the dialogue around race, is stilted and feels forced. I winced at some of the really horrible karaoke–which, even if it happens a lot in real life, is not fun to hear unless you’re drunk. In the end, there was one quality above others that saved this movie–ambitious goals in creating racial dialogue. It’s for this reason that I gave it a Silver. There simply aren’t enough Asian American filmmakers directly addressing race, and for that reason, this gets a WOWO silver.
As Alpha said, the one stand out actor in this movie was Lynn Chen.
Tom Huang and Lynn Chen, in the scene where they deliver "the line"
Lynn Chen is the best actress I’ve seen in the Asian American romantic comedy genre. Of course, I’ve only seen two AA romantic comedies and she happened to star in both, but even with that fact, she’s very good. Her acting skills are awesome. I really do think she has star power. As I said in my post about “White on Rice,” she and Kyson created the most believable AA couple in film to date. (Tom and Lynn, pictured above, had a lot less chemistry, partly because of the stilted storyline.) Not only can Lynn Chen act, but she can sing too, as shown in the following deleted scene from White on Rice (I read another interview, and it seems that it’s her real voice):
Anyway, in the ferris wheel scene (two pics above), the couple discusses IR. The character Tony mentions that he has only dated non-Asian women, while Lynn’s character says that she’s only dated Asian men. Tony asks why she has only dated Asian, and she says because it “just felt right.” It was a really bizarre dialogue/line. I don’t know many Asian women who date mostly Asian (or Asian at all), but the ones who do usually don’t talk like that. The line seemed very very very strange. Even more than that, it was a strange line for a screenwriter (Tom Huang in this case) to include since it really added nothing to the movie and didn’t seem real. I wondered if maybe Lynn suggested it based on personal experience, so I google searched to see if she was in the Asian Female Celebrity Club. I got my answer. Bottom line is that she’s a great actress who does a lot for the community. I will check out all the films she makes. I still have no idea where the screenwriter got that line or why he included it, which again dovetails with other bloggers’ criticism of the way this movie was written and planned.
One real criticism that I really have about this movie is distribution. You generally can’t see it unless you buy the physical DVD. I think it would’ve been good if Tom Huang could’ve done the YouTube rental thing, the same way I saw Children of Invention. (I don’t know how easy that is to set up, but it was convenient for me.) So I recommend this film, but I don’t know how you all are going to be able to see it unless you’re rich and can lay down the money for a purchase.
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Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it more than me. I respectfully disagree with you on one point: Lynn’s character says that she’s only dated Asian men and says because it “just felt right.”
Even though it was a pat answer, I think there are plenty of Asian women who have that mentality. Although I think such women tend to be Chinese women born overseas living in an area like San Francisco or Vancouver.
I’m going to have to disagree with you as well regarding that line not ringing true. It *does* feel right. I do think that a lot of Asian Americans, lacking more visible Asian role models or representation, don’t feel *right* in their skin – so, for them, they don’t quite “feel right” dating other Asians… but I’ll have to say that, for many of my Asian friends from… say, CA or other heavily Asian populated areas, it is quite a normal thing for Asians (male or female) to say that it feels just right to be dating other Asians.
I’ve met an Asian (Vietnamese) college student (male) who has told me that he doesn’t feel right about being Asian, having grown up in north Minnesota where he was often the only non-white. He had been taught to hide his “Asian-ness” and knew that he wouldn’t feel “right” about dating other Asians. He couldn’t bring himself to hang out with other Vietnamese-Americans, a large population in the Twin Cities.
But, back to the point, yes, I’d say that I know more Asian women who feel that way than not.
Nice version of the song “You Don’t Know Me.” Thanks for including it. I don’t suppose anyone knows where a complete recording can be found (assuming one exists)?
The best version of ‘You Don’t Know Me’ that I know of is a duet by Eva Cassidy and DC musician Chuck Brown, staying true to the jazz standard interpretation. Eva is/was the best all around female vocalist I have ever heard.
To me, her voice and timbre is hauntingly beautiful, that the bar is set really high. In fact, it’s unfair to compare almost any female vocalist to her.
Alpha and MN:
Okay, I stand corrected! My excuse is that I live in Portland.
Lightnin’ and Mojo,
I really like that song, although I’d actually never heard it before the above rendition. Maybe we should write to Lynn and ask her whether she has a copy of the demo tape.
In case you guys don’t know already, Lynn Chen is married to a white dude.
Yes, but wouldn’t you agree that she’s a great actress?
I’ve only seen her in one film. Hard to judge.
Lynn Chen is an AA actress (past interview with her can be read at http://us_asians.tripod.com/articles-lynn-chen.html ). who has been doing a number of indie films, like Karen (from the film Better Luck Tomorrow, who is in a film “The Men I’ve Slept With” – think that is title!?!).
I agree that it would be “strange” for an AA women who is not an immigrant and in an multiethnic environment to feel more comfortable to date only Asians. Having not seen the film, first generation people of Asian descent have problems dating people outside of their own Asian ethnic groups because of their respective Asian communities’ histories back in Asia.
Regarding “big” stars like Tamlyn and Clyde, et. al being involved being “surprising” – it should be pointed out that they (though talented) are not big stars.
One hopes for the best for people such as Tom and Lynn. Even when an indie film is “successful” (Better Luck Tomorrow), it doesn’t always translate to success from a wide variety of reasons from talent, being prepared for success and/or luck. In the case of BLT, Justin has had success but the others involved have not.
Enjoyed the comments on this thread on a film that I was not aware of – even though I am based in Southern California, which might be one of the reasons it hasn’t achieve a greater profile.
Hi US Asians,
Thanks for coming here! Glad you liked the write up! Tom really should improve the distribution. I wonder why more people aren’t doing the YouTube rental thing. Is it hard to set up? I’d think that lots of people would be using it.
Haha…the PEOPLE I’ve Slept With! As an interesting aside, our culture must be sexist because the Men I’ve Slept With sounds a lot worse than People I’ve Slept With. Although I guess Women I’ve Slept With doesn’t sound so good either…
YouTube is not hard to set up.
Many people have been using the numerous online options for many years.
It is odd that someone from the Asian communities (often described as the most online savvy group of people) has not tapped into these opportunities.
Just some additional thoughts
+
@Alpha Asian says:
I agree with your comment that the “just felt right” line “tend to be Chinese women born overseas living in an area like San Francisco or Vancouver.”
@mama nabi
“Asian friends from… say, CA or other heavily Asian populated areas, it is quite a normal thing for Asians (male or female) to say that it feels just right to be dating other Asians” often has to include people from their own specific Asian ethnic group – if they are a member of the first generation in the U.S.
One trend to be noted is “Among Asians, it’s an opposite pattern. Some 40 percent of Asian female newlyweds in 2008 married outside their race, compared with just 20 percent of Asian male newlyweds” . . . “A lot of this has to do with cultural definitions of beauty and stereotypes of gender roles … the exotic Asian woman and the patriarchal man” (visit http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0604/Interracial-marriage-more-than-double-the-rate-in-the-1980s for more info)
@Mojo Rider:
The late Eva Cassidy is/WAS a **GREAT** singer!!
@MaSir Jones says:
“Lynn Chen is married to a white dude”
She has been married for a number of years, as noted at her interview found at http://us_asians.tripod.com/articles-lynn-chen.html
@jaehwan says:
“agree that she’s a great actress?”
One has to give her props for consistently being involved with various AA indie film. Her Wiki site (visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Chen for more info) states that her participation in “Saving Face” (guys will like watching her – particularly one specific scene, at least for the hormone-driven males) in the Teddy Zee-produced film.
If one seeks filmmakers such as Eric Byler (visit http://us_asians.tripod.com/articles-eric-byler.html for more info), Greg Pak and others, films regarding race (with an Asian perspective) will be found. Though the quality (production, writing and casting) might be lacking while these aspiring filmmakers gain more expertise and maturity, they do exist.
Hopefully these people will tap into the openings created by trailblazers such as David Henry Hwang (visit http://usasians-articles.tripod.com/davidhenryhwang.html for more info).
If one want to support AA actors who has been a long-standing and articulate advocate for AA inclusion in Hollywood, one should support Tamilyn Tomita. Gorgeous, smart, strong, passionate and talented – if Lynn and other AA actors had half of her abilities, things would be much better.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
@us asians,
indeed, Eva Cassidy is the best all around female vocalist I’ve ever heard. I haven’t heard anyone with the range, the kind of timbre and who can interpret a song to make it something new.
us_Asians,
I had a few words to say about David Henry Hwang in the comment section of this post:
http://www.bigwowo.com/2010/01/bigwowos-rating-system/
Yes, I’m a HUGE believer in masculinity as a real concept.
That being said, I agree with everything else you say. Diversity is empowerment, and the more actors we support, and the more actors become empowered, the more powerful society becomes.