Synopsis
Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Basco) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.
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Cast
- Dante BascoBen Mercado
- Jayson SchaalDoug
- Brian CardDave
- Mindy SpenceJennifer
- Nicole HawkyardSusie
- Brandon MartinezRick
- Ernie ZarateTito Lenny
- Gina AlajarGina Mercado
- Bernadette BalagtasRose Mercado
- Derek BascoEdwin Mercado
Recommendations
- 90
New Times (L.A.)
The cast is uniformly excellent; all involved seem keyed into the subtextual subtleties of a story that, while simple on the surface, is exceedingly rich underneath. - 80
Los Angeles Times
Illuminating as it is entertaining. - 75
Chicago Tribune
Delightful coming-of-age film that becomes universal by way of its subject matter. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Familiar in its story arc, but fresh in its energy and lucky in its choice of actors. - 70
The New York Times
Sometimes amateurishly acted by the appealing younger cast but is nonetheless a neat blend of well-drawn major characters and drama, music, dance, romance and humor that generates considerable charm and achieves a heartwarming resolution of its generational conflict. - 63
New York Daily News
A likable, if somewhat earnest, exploration of cultural identity. - 60
Village Voice
Has a sweet low-budget quality that sometimes slips into TV-movie schmaltz. - 50
San Francisco Chronicle
A melodramatic yarn that transcends some of its technical and storytelling flaws through the cheery energy and sincerity of its cast.
