posted by Scene -- @ 3:02 PM

Better Roles Tomorrow -- Exploring "Better Luck Tomorrow" and "The Last Samurai"
originally published in "The Excalibur"

Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow was a huge breakthrough for Asian Americans everywhere. Here was a film written, directed, and entirely starring a cast of talented Asian Americans in a film that ostensibly had nothing to do with Joy Luck Club-ish existential musings of "oh-what-it-means-to-be-Asian-in-America".

Regardless of what Asians felt about the movie's worth as a film (though it did open with positive-to-rave reviews), or even whether or not they paid the thirteen bucks to watch it, the general consensus declared that the very fact Better Luck Tomorrow existed was itself a turning point. Maybe the sight of Asians on the big screen wouldn't look so weird after all. Maybe we didn't all have to perform Kung-Fu. Maybe we didn't have to bow and scrape, play dumb and talk in exaggereated accents for the sake of comedic relief (see: the horribly offensive housekeeper, Ms. Kwan, in the new film, The Cat in the Hat). Maybe our stories of romance didn't always have to involve white people. Maybe the overly-sexualized roles of the Lucy Liu female (bless her heart and good intentions), and the de-sexualized American roles of the male Chow Yun-Fat (who *was* a sex symbol before he came to America) didn't have to be the standard.

And yet here I am, a whole year later once again dreading another version of Hollywood's Dances-With-Asians number. I can't help but stare at the poster of Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai -- riding on his trusty steed, mouth open wide in a Braveheart-ish bellow of bravery and nationalistic pride, samurai sword swinging, armor scuffed and shiny while ghosts of Japanese calligraphy dance around his head -- and feel my heart sink a little deeper into my chest. "Don't worry Asians. Jerry Maguire is here to save us!" Well, just call me Cuba Gooding. *Does a little shuck and jive* "Show me the (blockbuster) money!"

And while I pull the race card a little harder than necessary for the purpose of being funny, this film smacks of offensive images. Already critics are coming to its defense, noting the film's "historical correctness". But what these critics don't realize, is that the offensive nature of movies such as The Last Samurai doesn't stem from a nonchalant approach to historical facts. It is, and fundamentally so, a result of the representations on screen. It's about faces. Better Luck Tomorrow's screen was full of Asian faces, none of them twisted into exaggerated demure sex-kitten smirks, buck-toothed and fresh-of-the-boat ineptitude, or even calm yet-deadly Buddhist monk-ishness. And yet, the audience was fully able to relate to the Asian characters. There was no need for a white-surrogate in order for the story to be understood or enjoyed.

There was no need for a Tom Cruise.

And to be fair, I have not yet seen the film. Rest assured, I will be there on opening weekend, and I'm sure it will be a great movie; full of wonderfull cinematography, touching drama, and no doubt a wonderful performance on the behalf of Tom Cruise. I'm even almost sure that the film will treat its Asian characters with respect. And yet, I am nonetheless certain I will walk out of The Last Samurai upset for the very same reason I walked out of Better Luck Tomorrow with a smile across my gums -- for the simple fact that the film exists.

And what of Parry Shen (second from left), the wonderful lead actor in Better Luck Tomorrow? Well, for those with sharp eyes, yes, that is him that you spotted for a painfully brief second in the new Dell Computers Ad--typing away at his computer station. Is this the next role for a wonderful actor who just led the cast of a Hollywood movie distributed by MTV?

His duration of screen time during the Dell ad -- a brief, brief second --much shorter than that trailer for The Last Samurai that is reaching ubiquity on my television screen. Given the juxtaposition, you don't have a Chinaman's chance of convincing me that we are not, once again, moving backwards.

-Jeff Catapang