Netflix continues to show that East Asian actors can be fantastic leads. Actors are actors and casts should continue to be more diverse. Ali Wong makes her live action star premier, as Sasha Tran. The most surprising thing I found was that Ali isn't pregnant in this movie, unlike her phenomenal Netflix comedy specials. I am also a Randall Park fan. I felt like Marcus, Park's character in this movie, was a slightly different life that Louis Wang, from Fresh Off the Boat, could have lived. In Fresh Off the Boat we get glimpses that Louis can dance and has some music in his blood. That is fully explored in Always Be My Maybe.
In addition to being an Asian cast, this movie also has a high achieving and successful female lead. A man has to decide if he can be the man behind the woman. This reversal of the common story of a woman helping a man is refreshing.
This movie subverts some common Asian american stereotypes while steering into others. Sasha's parents were absent from her childhood, not helicopters. As a results she is fiercely independent and self-sufficient. Her parents appear later in her life and steer into a stereotype when talking about saving money on cabs. It makes the viewer confront their own biases and hopefully allows them to see a little of themselves in others.
This rom-com lived up to both romance and comedy. Ali and Randall are great comedic actors, but their chemistry was fantastic. It was believable that they were best friends in the past because of how well they can push each other's buttons. There is a wonderful surprise addition to the cast mid-movie that involves a broken vase. The scene following it is wonderful and gets a beautiful bow in the closing credits.
Netflix continues to knock it out of the park with their original movies and diverse casts. Put this movie on if you need to relax and be entertained after a long day, you won't be disappointed.