Asian Persuasion

This is a cute rom com that put a smile on my face! The cast is fresh and dynamic, especially the little girl that played Avery's daughter. She always had the perfect timing and expression. I loved that it was set in New York City and how everything was so recognizable to me. The director, Jhett Tolentino shows how talented he is, in his directorial debut. He certainly creates beautiful scenes. I'm looking forward to seeing more from him. The cast had a nice chemistry with one another. You can tell they worked well together. It's also refreshing to see so many talented Asian people working on the same film. Kudos to the cast and crew!

Romantic comedies have been around forever, so what can any screenwriter or director do that hasn't already been done? Generally, not much is needed because audiences that want to see the "boy meets girl" storyline are already in for a predictable ride. Asian Persuasion does take the genre in some different directions and results in a fairly satisfying experience for fans even though the set up suggests it might be anything but a romantic story.

Dante Basco stars as Mickey who, at the beginning of the film, faces alimony and child support payments to his ex-wife Avery that is more than the small coffee shop owner can handle. Mickey hatches a scheme with his best friend Caspian to set up a dating profile for Avery to get her married off so that he doesn't have to make his payments. This, of course, sounds like a preposterous scheme that could never work until they find an attractive but awkward guy to go along with the plan. It's a big ask but the guy is completely willing AND he quickly falls for Avery. She also falls for him. Improbable right?! Yes, but there is something endearing about some of these characters that keeps the narrative trajectory if not believable than fun to ride along with.

There are a few ridiculous and very silly scenes that attempt to take the comedy in a screwball direction that never really takes flight. One of these includes some silliness with a woman and her seemingly easy to fall off wooden leg. Old time-y physical comedy and somewhat amusing, but the situation feels a bit out of place as the film offers better allusions to earlier works. Examples include homages to Woody Allen's museum scene in Manhattan and the classic romance found in Oscar-winner Casablanca. The soundtrack features a host of independent pop music and a whimsical score reminiscent of that which is used so effectively in Alexander Payne's Election with Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Screenwriter Mike Ang also borrows and updates the Cyrano/Roxanne plot device by having Mickey feed lines to Avery's suitor via earbuds to help win her over. There are also the usual romantic comedy montages appearing more than once.

The diversity of the cast and creative team behind the film is also worthy of note. Mickey is a Filipino American who casually embraces his roots in his coffee shop and Caspian is a Korean American who dates a woman from Eastern Europe. There's not a lot of other specific cultural references throughout the film but it does suggest that romance (and divorce) in film comedies can be relevant to other communities besides those traditionally marketed to white populations.

While the acting is mostly very good there are a few scenes that could have used a few more takes to make them more convincing. Similarly, while the cinematography is quite good, there are a few darker scenes that needed more color correction as there is noticeable over-emphasis on reds and yellows that throw off the overall balance of the film's look.

Narratively, there are a few flashbacks that arrive unannounced which are to provide a sense of Mickey and Avery's early life together. The problem is that not enough time is spent on why the couple divorced so young. Later there is a plot twist or two that change the direction of the plot into something a bit more traditionally rom com-like but these come rapidly and don't always feel earned.

Still, I think there is an audience for this type of light film which doesn't get made often enough today. One can sit back and enjoy the romantic/comic proceedings and feel pretty good at the end.

Highlights true New York lifestyle and empowering for women- Cyranoesque in parts while uplifting in the same breath. Develops a fresh approach towards navigating divorce with many comedic moments. Uniquely canvasses the city experience incorporating some very special foodie spots. No spoilers but not your typical romcom. Well casted and made me laugh out loud more than once. Lighthearted yet dissecting on an emotional topic. The bond between male and female friendship is well established via some interesting selection of supportive situations. Most romcoms have a typical plot - not the case here. Looking forward to more from Jhett and Mike.

Asian Persuasion is a romantic comedy about a recently divorced couple, where the ex-husband sets up his ex-wife to remarry, in an attempt to get out from under an onerous alimony decree.

Will husband's zany plan to love-coach the new man dating his ex-wife work? Or will the exes get back together? How does Kevin Kreider (the hottie from Bling Empire in his scripted acting debut) figure into all of this?

I won't reveal any spoilers here, but I can confirm this is a rom com through and through. There are multiple characters falling in and out of love - and even Prince Charming (actor Paolo Montalban from the Cinderella reboot has a supporting role).

That said, the real love story is with food, NY and childhood dreams. There are delicious shots of ube pancakes sprinkled throughout the film. There are also close-ups of street signs indicating Filipino parts of Queens, NY, as well as other NYC landmarks such as the Museum of the Moving Image or Chinese Tuxedo. Finally, both lead characters are creatives (ex-husband is a chef, ex-wife is a fashion designer), and their childhood aspirations figure prominently in why they fell in and out of love.

Asian Persuasion is a fun, multi-layered film with a tight ensemble cast.

Without giving the movie away, I can only share that the movie is akin to "Friends with Benefits" and those series of teen movies from the early 2000s but without sex scenes though. I'm talking about how you would feel at the end of the movie. After laughing your ass off and enjoying yourself - by yourself or with the company of friends.

It's a feel good movie about Asians Americans but not so heavy on the Asian cultures. Everyone can relate to this honest movie about "making it" career-wise.

On a separate note, I'm so proud of all those involved In making this film happen - in the midst of a pandemic. Major brava/o to all!