Note: Transcript fully created by automated AI
[00:00:00] Jesse: Hi everyone. I’m Jesse Lin
[00:00:01] Angela: And I’m Angela Lin. And welcome back to another episode of, but where are you really from today? We’re really excited. We’re talking to you about a brand new movie that is out today, April 8th, um, everything everywhere all at once, which is. Honestly, I think one of the best movies I’ve seen maybe ever is that like too hive praised
[00:00:25] Jesse: David?
[00:00:26] Jesse: I don’t think so. I can’t imagine. I don’t recall anything that I’ve seen recently where I’m like, oh my God, I’m just so blown away. Yeah. Like I would say like, at least in the past five years, like hands down, best movie I’ve seen.
[00:00:38] Angela: agreed. Yeah. So we are super excited and we’ll talk about all of our thoughts on like what stood out to us and all that stuff.
[00:00:45] Angela: Um, but did want to give a little bit more context as to why we’re covering this movie? Number one, we, I think we were both already like, definitely gonna watch this movie when it came out 100%. Um, yeah. For those who have not seen any commercials yet, it’s the one starring Michelle, yo, the legendary Michelle, yo um, in this like multi.
[00:01:07] Angela: Type movie. And I think that’s as much as I wanna like give on the plot mm-hmm um, but it’s from a 24, if you know that production house, they only make like really edgy, cool movies. So I like when I first saw a trailer, I was. This is gonna be interesting, no matter whatever the plot is. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.
[00:01:23] Angela: So we both were already gonna watch it, but, um, I think a few weeks ago we received an email from the PR agency that’s helping to market this movie and they were like, Hey, we’ve been like following your stuff. And we feel like you guys would be a good fit to like invite to an advanced screening and hopefully cover the movie on your show.
[00:01:45] Angela: And I was like a very flatter that we got this email. I was like, you’ve been following us. Okay. Like, get it. So we were very excited and Jessie and I happened to both because we’re on opposite coast obviously. So we’re kind of like coordinating how we’re gonna watch it. But. we both happened to watch it the same night, um, in our respective locations.
[00:02:08] Angela: And we both absolutely loved it. Yes. So we’re really excited to talk about it today because it literally just came out. We don’t wanna give away spoilers because honestly, like we said, it’s like, Probably one of the best movies you’ve seen in a long time. So we really don’t wanna like ruin that for you.
[00:02:26] Jesse: I will say it’s a little hard to spoil. There’s so many distinct parts that I feel like if you were trying to explain it, Somebody would be like, what is happening now? But together it makes a lot of sense.
[00:02:38] Angela: Yes. Yeah. You’re right. But I will say because before you watched it, I know that you read at least like one article about it and you sent it to me.
[00:02:47] Angela: And I started reading it. I was like, wait, I don’t want any of this. I don’t wanna know anything. I just wanna like go in and watch it 100%. So. I think what we’re gonna try to do with this episode is kind of like respect wherever you lie on that spectrum of like how much you do. And don’t wanna know before watching a movie and more talk about like major themes that stood out to us from it.
[00:03:08] Angela: And won’t go into like specific, you know, scene by scene or anything like that, so that you don’t feel like anything was spoiled. Um, okay. So for me, one of the like major things that stood out to me, which was like, kind of obvious from even the trailer, but it like really fulfilled on the promise was like what this movie means for real representation and what that could mean moving forward.
[00:03:33] Angela: And obviously like for Asian, the Asian community, it was huge because. Almost a completely Asian cast, barring like Jamie Lee, Curtis, and Jenny slate with their like more supporting roles. Yeah. But I think it’s a really good blueprint for kind of like any diverse, uh, representation type, like footprint moving forward for movies at large.
[00:03:57] Angela: And what I mean by that is. Yes. Almost everyone was Asian, but they didn’t force like unnecessary Asian things into the movie. Like there was this really nice balance of like finally we get to see people who look like the us as like the dominant cast on screen and not just like random side character.
[00:04:20] Angela: That’s freaking huge to show like you don’t have to be a white male actor to like carry a movie, essentially. Um, but what I really enjoyed was that it, again, like, yes, there were martial arts, but I think honestly, that would’ve been in any multiverse type movie. There would’ve been action inside. There would’ve been action.
[00:04:41] Angela: Yeah. And mul martial arts as part of like most action movies at this point. Um, but it wasn’t like centered on that and where they wove in the Asian stuff is kind, it was very natural. It was basically like how you and I have talked about, like, in our two year anniversary episode, we even talked about this of like, what does representation really mean?
[00:04:59] Angela: And like, For us. I think, you know, with this podcast, sometimes we talk about like specifically Asian identity things like having tiger moms and like model minority myth and whatever. But a lot of times we just talk about random things that interest us that have nothing to do with being Asian. But because we are Asian, our like upbringing and the experiences we have had often make their way into like our perspectives on things.
[00:05:24] Angela: So what I really liked about this movie was that. Where the Asian parts came in were just like, because they are Asian. So it just like played into how their characters would actually act as like multidimensional, complex characters, as opposed to like this forced plot line about being Asian.
[00:05:45] Jesse: Yeah. I really agree with you there.
[00:05:47] Jesse: I think, I think the pieces. Of cinema that have resonated the most with people and especially Asian, Asian Americans are those that are thoughtfully using the Asian American background to fuel the plot where you’re exploring. Some of the intergenerational trauma or some of the cross-cultural kind of conflicts that you get when you move from one culture to another, without offering it up as kind of like a tokenized kind of thing.
[00:06:21] Jesse: Right. And it sounds really easy to explain, but I feel like there’s always a little bit. Like it’s really hard to get. Right. Basically. So like, there are some movies where I think there’s a lot of fan service to it. Like crazy rich Asians, lots of fan service, like loved it, but it was definitely fan service.
[00:06:41] Jesse: And then on the other side you have like, I think it’s called blue Bayou. I read some reviews of it, but basically it was like a movie centered around an Asian American man who grew up in Louisiana. And he was like, kind of like white trash. Background, but that kind of story is like complete erasure of the ethnic background.
[00:07:02] Jesse: And so it’s really refreshing to see a story that kind of balances the two where. You might not necessarily understand fully like culturally the background, but you can understand humanistically like the traumas, the tensions, the relationships that are being brought into the movie to power that. And so I agree with you.
[00:07:22] Jesse: I think it was done really wonderfully, um, to support this like weird, weird amalgamation of themes. Right? Like I thought it was. It’s like action. It’s like comedy, it’s like relationship. Like there’s so many things. It’s everything within it. Yeah. Everywhere. everything everywhere. Exactly. And, um, and yeah, the background just really gives it kind of like a really nice tension and really allows the audience to like, be empathetic with the characters and understand kind of where, uh, where to relate with.
[00:08:03] Angela: Yeah, I kind of see it like an onion with so many layers, right? Because like, As you mentioned, it is largely centered on like the humanistic elements of all the characters. So like regardless of your own background, everyone can relate to these characters to many degrees. Yeah. But if you happen to also be Asian American and specifically a Chinese speaking American.
[00:08:31] Angela: I think there is just like these extra layers that you would get more than other people, but it does not exclude everyone else just because they did not grow up with that experience. So I just found that like really enriching, because to your point, we loved crazy ations because, Hey, I mean, it in recent cinema, that is, that was like the most groundbreaking one in terms of like all Asian cast, straight up all Asian cast.
[00:08:57] Angela: Right. And like, as, as. Kind of like generally a romcom. So not trying to be like an Asian thing necessarily. Exactly. But it was less deep of a movie obviously than this. And like, again, legendary Michelle, yo, she was in that too, but she did play a more kind of like stereotypical, you know, extremely Asian mom.
[00:09:20] Angela: Yeah. Disapproving, matriarch, mom kind of situation. Whereas this was like, so unexpected. Well, yeah, I don’t wanna give away, but she, she plays like a more realistic what an Asian American immigrant might be like, what they might do for a living mm-hmm having moved uprooted their lives in the move to a new country.
[00:09:43] Angela: And like the struggles that go along with that and kind of how all of that has shaped who she is, what she feels, what she does, all that. You
[00:09:52] Jesse: know, there’s something that I wanted to say about what you commented, which is that like, for those of us who grew up as Asian Americans, you get kind of this, like there’s a little bit more there, right?
[00:10:02] Jesse: Mm-hmm , it’s like an inside joke kind of mm-hmm . But I think that, you know, in, in cinema, there’s always things like that, right? Like, I didn’t realize. Because I didn’t watch rat tooi. I was like, I don’t wanna watch the three . I didn’t realize that there was a whole part of the movie that is like homage to rat TUI.
[00:10:19] Jesse: And I was super confused. I was like, what is happening? Like why, why? And then I Googled that fat and I was like, oh, okay. I understand. So. You know, to your point, there’s always little bits of cinema where like some people are in on it and some people are not, but it doesn’t require you to be involved.
[00:10:39] Jesse: Like it doesn’t require you to be in on the joke for you to understand the situation. Like, I didn’t understand the RA tree reference. I was like, this is still like, I don’t know why this is here, but it’s still like, amazing. Like I still love the whole part of it. Um, so yeah, I, uh, I think that everyone can get something out of it, regardless of whether you are in on the, you know, the.
[00:10:59] Jesse: Pop culture reference or not.
[00:11:01] Angela: Yeah. Yeah. I also wanted to comment in terms of the representation piece on two of the main stars and just like what a lovely kind of moment it was for them. So obviously Michelle, yo, I think this has just been like, I was a Hollywood reporter or one of those outlets did an interview with her, um, about this movie where they also talked about this, but basically this is like her first.
[00:11:28] Angela: Major like leading role in a, especially like a Western movie, right? Yeah. Like made for Western audiences movie, even though she’s had a decades long career acting career. Yeah. Yeah. And she’s like a fucking badass and has deserved to be in a lead role forever, but just never got the chance. And it was just such a like gratifying thing to see her before I knew anything about the movie.
[00:11:55] Angela: Right. To see her as a lead it. Unexpected. It is like a sad way to explain it, but like, it was really unexpected for me to see that she was a lead because I guess I just never expected this moment that like, not only would it be an Asian lead. That’s like the most important actor of the movie, but also the female one.
[00:12:19] Angela: Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Um, and I don’t know if you read this, but, um, in one of the interviews I read the Daniels, which are the directors of the movie. They mentioned that the original screenplay that they wrote for this had someone more like Jackie Chan in mind for the protagonist, it was supposed to, it was originally written for a male lead.
[00:12:41] Angela: And I just I’m sure it still would’ve been good, but like, I just don’t think it would’ve been like as groundbreaking of a thing to see. Like, I wouldn’t have been that shocked to see like Jackie Chan in something as like a lead sports related thing.
[00:12:57] Jesse: I ki, I, I agree with you. Like the here’s the thing, first of all, Michelle, yo is a legend and I feel like most people, I will say myself included like your most salient.
[00:13:08] Jesse: Let’s say experience with her is like, I think she’s in, um, I’m trying to think of like big Western movie. She was in, she is in crouching tiger. It was not Western movie, but it was big and blast. Yeah. Yeah. Um, crazy rich, Asian. She is a mom. Yeah.
[00:13:21] Angela: Shahi recently
[00:13:22] Jesse: SNG Chi. Yes. Yeah. Um, she was also in one of the mummy movies as like a witch.
[00:13:27] Jesse: Oh, probably. Yeah. Like a, uh, like a good witch, but she, yeah, yeah, sure. But like she, like, if you are doubting her creds, she has a range. She a hundred percent has a range mm-hmm and, um, Oh my God. What was I saying?
[00:13:40] Angela: that it wouldn’t have been as like, it wouldn’t have,
[00:13:44] Jesse: because, because you’ve seen that before, like the plot, there’s a point in the plot where the relationship in the relationship between the characters really helps transform a moment.
[00:13:56] Jesse: Right. And. The hardness and softness of the characters are preserved your typical, like masculine, feminine energy. And I really love that it was switched. Yeah. That you had a male presenting person giving the fem energy and a female presenting person being like, oh yes, like this is what I needed to understand.
[00:14:18] Jesse: And I think that that. Added just a little, it’s a little more like a twist, a little flavor to it, which is really nice. And I also agree with you, like, um, super kudos to her because she’s got it stacked against her, right. She’s Asian, she’s a woman and she’s a woman of a certain age, you know, that’s like Hollywood is all about not any of those things.
[00:14:42] Jesse: Mm-hmm so it was really, really great to see her as, um, the main character protagonist. Yes. All of the Casper great show.
[00:14:50] Angela: So phenomenal. Yes. Okay. Um, which leads me to the other person I wanna give kudos to, which is the other half of what you’re just saying. So the male, the main male lead, which was ki Kuwan, I think is how you pronounce his name, at least in English speaking, uh, pronunciation, but he plays the.
[00:15:11] Angela: The husband essentially. Um, and like you said, he is like the softer of the two and that’s surprising in and of itself. But I watched a clip of an interview with him too, where he was discussing how this was like a huge return for him to acting as well, because I didn’t know this, but I guess he was like most famous for being in the Goonies, like way back in the day.
[00:15:35] Angela: Um, but he mention, he said, as a male Asian actor. And like you said, of a certain age, especially, right? Like he just hasn’t been given many opportunities in anything Western, since the Goonies, I guess, like anything big I’m sure. Maybe he’s been in like smaller things, but. He was kind of just expressing, like, it’s not even, like I got to audition and got rejected.
[00:16:03] Angela: He’s like, I just, I didn’t even get auditions. Like he just never got those opportunities. So
[00:16:08] Jesse: do I feel that mm-hmm ,
[00:16:12] Angela: not in acting, but just in life
[00:16:15] Jesse: oh yeah. There’s tons of places in, I, you know, what I really liked about him is that he has such a distinctive voice. Mm-hmm . He plays. He like with all the characters, they all play like multiple different kinds of characters.
[00:16:27] Jesse: Right. And I love that when he’s like in his irregular, let’s say his prime character, his voice is very comical, but then there’s like an alternative version of him where he’s just speaking, um, Mandarin or Canto. And I was like, this is sexy. I liked it. I was like, this is strange. Like, it’s the same voice, like different language.
[00:16:47] Jesse: I was like, oh, this, I mean, I was, it was. The, the scene, the mood and everything was like, yeah, different as well. But I was like
[00:16:54] Angela: work, uh, well, let’s get into language, cuz that is a different theme that I wanted to delve into. I loved. The way that they weaved this into the script, because basically, like, I kind of feel like, you know, multilanguage has been introduced in some movies, like crazy rich Asians.
[00:17:13] Angela: They had a little bit of Mandarin and like farewell. They had a little bit of Mandarin, but it was very compartmentalized. Right. It was kind of like, we are speaking Mandarin now, or we are speaking Canto now. And so they like throw in a few lines where it’s like, you know, like, um, in crazy rich Asians when it’s like RA the character, Rachel’s trying to like impress the grandma.
[00:17:33] Angela: She’s like, now I’m talking to grandma nine, nine, blah, blah, blah. Right. As opposed to like this movie in the first scene had like multiple languages going on. Mm-hmm in the same sentence. You know what I mean? Which is way more realistic in terms of like how you switch. Yes. Like you don’t have to be Asian American.
[00:17:55] Angela: If you are of any family that speaks more than one language, you know, that this is normal, that like you’re trying to express something and like, maybe you have like a base language that you’re speaking in. Like for example, it would be Mandarin for us, with our parents, but you just like. Either, you don’t know the words or it like makes more sense to say it in English.
[00:18:14] Angela: So you’re like halfway through you say a few words in the, the flipped language, but carry on back in like the original language, right? It, it doesn’t like phase anyone, but. I okay. So number one, I loved that, but number two, I was genuinely confused because , as someone who can speak Mandarin, I was very confused because they had subtitles on screen, um, in English.
[00:18:38] Angela: Right. So it was just like a lot of language switching for my brain as someone who actually understands it. Because, um, like for example, Roman was like, oh, that wasn’t confusing for me because he was just reading the English because he was. What am I otherwise supposed to be doing? Versus I was like listening to the Mandarin while reading the English.
[00:18:56] Angela: And then sometimes they switched to Canto and I was like, well, I don’t honor take Canto. So then I was like, oh, gotta read the English. And then I was like, oh, the scene’s over oh
[00:19:04] Jesse: yeah. Same. I was like, oh, like the Mandarin was fine. The, the accent were a little bit different from what I’m used to, but I was like, it’s fine.
[00:19:10] Jesse: And then the Canto came up and I was like, wait, I have to, uh, subtitles please. and then sometimes I was just reading. All just all subtitles, because it was going so fast between the things that it was easier to do it that way. It’s kind of the same thing. Like the language is used authentically. As it feels authentic as like part of the character’s lives, as opposed to kind of what you were saying with crazy rich Asians, where I would say the character of Rachel is solidly like second generation Asian American, even though she like was born in the us, but like, she has no real.
[00:19:43] Jesse: Kind of ties back to Homeland. We vibed more with it because I feel like this is more emblematic of our experience as opposed to that, where it’s like very, pretty much distinct.
[00:19:52] Angela: Totally. There was also like a really subtle thing, which I don’t know if they like purposely worked in there, but if they did, I love it, which is, um, So, if you notice when Michelle Yo’s character and Kiwi’s character were speaking to each other, they were largely speaking in a mix of like Mandarin and English, because they’re kind of like the, I got, I don’t know, I guess the like relatively younger generation, as opposed to like when she was speaking to her dad.
[00:20:19] Angela: So the grandpa character, they switched to Cantonese and he like only spoke Cantonese. And that just like really reminded me of the way that my family is structured. Our families are from Taiwan. like my grandma only spoke Taiwanese, Taiwanese baby. Like, yeah, she could understand Mandarin, but she only spoke Taiwanese.
[00:20:40] Angela: So like, we always had this little bit of language barrier because I don’t really understand Taiwanese. So I did like be speaking Mandarin to her and she’d be speaking Taiwanese back to me. Mm-hmm so I don’t know if they like purposely did that, but if they did, I love it.
[00:20:54] Jesse: I’m sure it is. And maybe I’m like, maybe I’m overreaching here, but I also felt like kind of when the characters were really stressed or really mad and they used Mandarin or Canto, it would be Canto.
[00:21:05] Jesse: It’s kind of like when my parents get really excited, they just use Taiwanese. Yeah. Like they’re like, like it’s just suddenly because it’s their first, first kind of language, right. Mandarin is like a secondary thing that they learned and it. It’s nice to see that kind of detail captured because it, it adds to the, again, adds to the realism of the situation.
[00:21:26] Jesse: And like, you feel like these are real people where they revert to specific kinds of language when they’re very excited or emotional or whatever.
[00:21:34] Angela: Yes. Yeah. And shout out to Michelle. Yo, because I didn’t know this, so I looked it up later, but I, I always thought. From Hong Kong, because she’s so famous from like so many Hong Kong movies, but she’s actually Malaysia.
[00:21:48] Angela: And she learned Cantonese because she was in so many Hong Kongese movies. And I was like, damn girl, because when she did switch into Canto in the movie, I was like, oh, that makes sense. Cuz she’s from Hong Kong. When then I looked at her later, I was like, she not from Hong Kong culture is not,
[00:22:03] Jesse: I’m sure she speaks in them.
[00:22:04] Jesse: Oh, oh, sorry. I just remember she was also in a James Bond movie as the primary bond. Yeah, I’m sure she speaks more than three languages.
[00:22:13] Angela: Oh, so talented. Hey listeners, wondering how you can support us. The biggest way is by increasing our visibility by following us on Instagram at where are you from pod on TikTok at, but where are you really from subscribing to our YouTube channel under, but where are you really from podcast?
[00:22:29] Angela: Rating and reviewing us on apple podcasts and telling your friends the more people we can get to listen to the show, the more we can continue spotlighting different perspectives and stories. And if you feel so inclined, we’re also accepting donations@buymeiacoffee.com slash where are you from? Thanks.
[00:22:45] Angela: Y’all
[00:22:47] Jesse: so here’s, here’s one thing that I’ll say the movie is very crazy. It’s like, there’s a lot of things happening. You have to be committed for this two hour and 30. Journey. Yes, because it goes to so many different places and so many different themes. But I think, I know, as in the title, everything.
[00:23:09] Jesse: Everything everywhere all at once. , it’s really, it’s just like a really lovely thing. Cuz you go from different places to different places and somehow it’s still all the same story and it comes back together like beautifully. So I think that’s one of the things that I really liked about, about this is that it, it goes through kind of different little vignettes.
[00:23:33] Jesse: Of the character’s alternate lives, but still everything is pieced together. Like makes sense. At the end, there’s like a core to the movie that, um, you are invested in.
[00:23:44] Angela: I think we’ve all wondered at some point, like, what if I had made a different decision with like anything in life, right? Like you’re constantly making decisions.
[00:23:51] Angela: Like, am I gonna have coffee or tea right now or nothing? Mm-hmm and then like, maybe that tiny decision led to something different. And so it. It’s really, like you said, it was really cool to see all the like different scenarios that could play out based on the decisions that you make in life, but know that you, as a person at your core are like still the same person.
[00:24:16] Angela: And like, what is important to you is still the same, you know, across all time continuum, all that.
[00:24:23] Jesse: It’s very, so these vignettes for me were, and the whole movie for me actually was very existential. I came out of it and I was like, oh my God. Like, oh yeah, totally. It’s exactly what you said. It is just like, if you, if you have ever questioned a decision in your life which everybody has, you should watch this because it’s just like, you get to kind of experience that.
[00:24:45] Jesse: And then at the end of it, get this reassurance from the movie that you’re like, you’re doing. What you should be doing, or like you’re living the life that you should be living and you have the values that you should have. Um, but I do. Yeah. I, I feel like that’s actually a really big theme is kind of like, for me, it picked up the question of like, why are we here?
[00:25:03] Jesse: And like what keeps us constant? And like, is there a constant and is there a meaning and all that, um, those like heady questions about like existence, maybe that maybe for me. The ending was a little too sweet. Like it very, you know, it kind of wrapped up in a happy place, which is fine. Um, but aside from that, it was just, um, yeah, like you said, it was a really lovely exploration of like, what happens if you make these like different decisions and at the core, like, are you still you across all of these possible existences of you?
[00:25:37] Jesse: Mm-hmm yeah. Mm-hmm
[00:25:39] Angela: yeah. I don’t think that ending was too sweet. And then we’re not gonna give that away anything. I feel like the trend in most like modern movies is that endings are not, unless it’s like a, a romcom, you know, like ones that have like a very specific recipe that they follow. Like the, the new trend is that endings are a little bit more open ended because that’s how life.
[00:26:02] Angela: Usually is, is like a little open ended. Um, so that’s, you know, I felt good, but it wasn’t like, oh, it’s like, there’s no, you know, everything was completely wrapped up and nothing is questionable. I did, I think there were still room for like, yeah, what happens now? Um, Anyways. So speaking of, you know, like who are we in the end?
[00:26:24] Angela: And like, what values do we carry? And blah, blah, blah. Um, something that I really enjoyed was exploring the mother daughter relationship throughout the movie. And again, I’m trying really hard not to like give away any spoilers with the way we discussed this. But I mean, this was one of those things where it was like, again, I think you could.
[00:26:45] Angela: Stand what the complexities were largely whether or not you were Asian American, but if you were Asian American, there was just like extra layers of like, oh, I get why this is so important or so difficult for them to overcome. I think the parts that were understandable for everyone, which is like, There’s a generational difference between, you know, parents and children and therefore kind of like what is acceptable or not within each generation, you know, older generations generally were more conservative with a lot of things.
[00:27:19] Angela: How you dress, how, you know, what. Male versus female role should be like who you should be dating all those things and expressing emotions, expressing emotions. Yes. But then there was an added layer of like, if you’re Asian, you like, get it a little bit more. So like little things, like they make little comments about your weight, which is like a very Asian thing.
[00:27:42] Angela: Right? Like Western families don’t deal with that shit. It’s like, and I don’t mean like, because you have like an actual issue, it’s just like you, you gained five pounds and they’re like, Fat, you know what I mean? Like that was like a recurring thing that kind of happened. And I was like hurt. I think it was very real for most of the movie in terms of like, there was this very complicated relationship between mother and daughter, which we can definitely relate to.
[00:28:07] Angela: Right. Which is like, we talked about this last time. Like we now, as adults, especially are trying to figure. How to be friends with our parents, because it’s something that is like important to us now that we are not moody teenagers, that we like understand a little bit more about the traumas that they’ve gone through themselves and what they must be going through and how much they mean to us.
[00:28:30] Angela: But it’s still complicated because of the way we were raised, the way they were raised, how we were taught or not taught to express emotion mm-hmm and like connect with each other. and I think that really played out throughout like the majority of this movie, right. Where it was almost like. Do I hate you or do I love you?
[00:28:50] Angela: Or is it a mix of both? Or like, how do I define this? And it, the, this is like a subplot throughout the entire movie was kind of like their ride that they were on with their relationship. Yeah.
[00:29:01] Jesse: Daughter played beautifully by, I think Stephanie Sue. Yeah. So yes, the relationships are at the core of. The whole thing is why you care about the movie.
[00:29:12] Jesse: And they, they do a really great job bringing to life. Those tensions that you mentioned. And I also like one of the things maybe I’ll like abstract a little bit more for mother daughter, but I feel like each character was also developing a relationship with themselves. Yeah. Their own doubts, their own fears, whatever they brought with them and trying to like tease that out into how that’s affected.
[00:29:36] Jesse: Their relationships with the other characters. And so I think at the end, you see transformation with all of the characters, admitting something that is like a big thing for them. It’s a big thing for the movie, right? You’re like, oh my God, they’ve admitted this thing, but it’s a big thing for themselves, for them to come out and say a certain thing or do a certain action.
[00:29:57] Jesse: Um, it shows that their own relationship with themselves has kind of changed over the movie. And it’s, it’s actually, I mean, it’s visualized very nicely because you literally have this person having a relationship with themselves across like the multiverse. Yeah. Like different versions of themselves. . Um, but yeah, I feel like that’s a big thing too.
[00:30:15] Jesse: Like each of the characters is transforming internally, like how they see themselves and honestly, like how kind they’re being to themselves, how mean they’re being to themselves, what kind of things that they’re bringing along with them to their current, you know, where they are currently.
[00:30:29] Angela: I mean, those are such meaty topics to explore in any type of movie and with any type of cast.
[00:30:37] Angela: But I wonder if part of the reason why this movie was so impactful for us is. It is strange in a good way, but it is strange to see Asian characters explore self growth, self awareness journeys, as deeply as in this movie, because I’m not trying to say that Asian. So there’s a big difference between like Asian films and Asian American films.
[00:31:04] Angela: Right. And. There are enough Asian films out there that explore deep topics. I’m not trying to say Asian films are all surface level. What I’m saying is that because traditionally Asian culture does not emphasize emotion and like. Self growth in all and like self love in all those aspects. I think usually if they go in depth, it’s like one specific thing that they’re going in depth about.
[00:31:33] Angela: Like, whether it’s like going really deep into overcoming obstacles to like, become a better version of themselves in terms of like career or like immigration story or. Uh, martial arts, like whatever it is, or it’s like specifically a disapproving parent child relationship that they’re going through, or like a dating relationship.
[00:31:56] Angela: But this is like we, as humans are so complex that we have like everything going on all at the same time. Right? Like we have many issues that we’re trying to deal with, including the ones that we cause for ourselves. And to see each of these characters that happen to be Asian going through. Who am I, what are my own flaws?
[00:32:17] Angela: How do I contribute to other people’s challenges and negativities? And how do I kind of overcome all of that is rare. I think, especially in Western media with Asian people playing it, but like in general, I think I I’ve never, I can’t recall a movie at least in recent. Within Asian cast, whether from Asia or in Western media, where they kind of try to tackle all the flaws that a human has and like and how they try to better themselves across all
[00:32:52] Jesse: of that.
[00:32:53] Jesse: Yeah. Yeah. There’s a lot of different, the different aspects to it. And I agree with you. I don’t think I’ve seen. They don’t think I’ve seen anything like that. So speaking of, um, kind of internal relationships, I also liked that how the movie presented queerness, like the whole thing is fucking weird, which is , which is like, as a, like, as a queer person that loves weird shit.
[00:33:19] Jesse: I’m like, yeah. So weird. But also like, I love. It’s so metaphorical for me, because like the character that is the queerest presents outwardly as the most extravagant mm-hmm, like the most outrageous, the craziest, like just loudest. Kind of visual thing on the screen, but internally is like dead inside mm-hmm and like, I was like, oh my God, this was me like, like so much of my life.
[00:33:49] Jesse: I was like, I’m fabulous inside. I was like, Ooh. Um, and this is like one of those things where like I picked up on it and I just love how they took that character through that entire journey. And the visuals kind of supported that. Kind of story. Um, and so it was, it was nice for me to see,
[00:34:10] Angela: um, thank you for sharing that, because that was definitely something I didn’t pick up on.
[00:34:16] Angela: Like I, I think I noticed each of those individual parts that you mentioned, but I did not make that connection that like, as a queer person, that, that juxtaposition of the like outward I’m fabulous versus the like, inside I’m dead yeah. Thing is. Common or something that is like a recurring theme, I guess, um, because of the way society is run and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
[00:34:47] Angela: And how you kind of explore your own identity. It just, it was not something that I, um, made that connection of, but it kind of to our earlier comment about the onion and the different, like layers, it didn’t take away from my experience not to have picked up on that, but it like makes me happier to have heard your perspective on that.
[00:35:07] Angela: To know that there was like these other little touches that they. Through in there for the audiences that would understand it right now. I don’t know
[00:35:16] Jesse: if that was their intention, but that’s, that’s what I took
[00:35:18] Angela: away. Well, I think we both had a lot of, okay. So to be fair, Jesse and I watched the movie the same night at the same respective local times, but because of time zone, obviously just.
[00:35:32] Angela: Was first. And so he kind of sent me a text before I walked in, not giving away anything, but it kind of set up all my like expectations, which was. So amazing. I laughed and I cried. I did, yeah, I laughed. And I cried and I was like, oh shit. And so I was, I was really stoked. Oh. And also just a random aside was like my, okay.
[00:35:56] Angela: The PR agency kind of like teased something that I was like, oh, it’s gonna happen. But they’re like, maybe there’s gonna be cast appearances. And some of these upcoming screenings and Jesse got nothing. Um, and in mine, No. I was like at first I was like, who? Um, so there were people at mine and they presented themselves as like the martial arts choreographers of the movie.
[00:36:23] Angela: And I was like, oh, that’s cool. But I was like, okay. So not, not like the cast, as in like the people in the movie, I thought they were all like behind the scenes people. Um, and they, it was cool. They like came up as a group and they each did like live martial arts, which was pretty sweet. And then the movie started and I was like, oh, they’re like in the movie.
[00:36:43] Angela: So they weren’t, you know, it wasn’t like the main four characters or whatever, but like, If you watch the movie, there are some recurring kind of like nameless. Yes. Um, characters that do a lot of the martial arts and like interact with the main characters. And they were those guys that came to the, the showing and it was really cute.
[00:37:02] Angela: It was a really heartwarming showing because, um, It was like a packed house. Like it was, every seat was sold out and it was because it was all the like family and friends of these guys that were in the movies. So every time they’re on screen, there was like a wow. And like a clapping and it was so cute.
[00:37:21] Jesse: Um, so I think you’re gonna have a good time because the highs and the lows are like, you’re gonna be so bought into it. Like I was totally.
[00:37:28] Angela: It’s so good. Y’all you gotta go see it. Yeah. Um, and which brings us to our fortune cookie clothes. We like to end on a sweet treat, but this is the one section that we are gonna go into spoiler zone.
[00:37:41] Angela: So if you don’t want spoilers, get the fuck out now. if you do want spoilers sit tight, or if you’ve already watched the movies, sit tie and listen to this as well. We’re gonna go into our favorite parts of the movie. There’s so many, because like you said, it’s just like all over the place and so many fucking fun things.
[00:38:01] Angela: Um, do you have one in mind or do you want me to go first? Uh,
[00:38:04] Jesse: I just, okay. I know that I said I didn’t like the sweet parts of the movie, but it really got me. So like that part where, um, Michelle yo is like fighting her way up the stairs to get to yeah. The waters definite suit. And then at the end she’s like, it just.
[00:38:24] Jesse: hurts too much to be around you. Like, just let me go. And I was like watching her character and I was like, oh my God, this is like an impossible decision. Because like, there was a scene earlier with Michelle yo and, uh, J I think James Hong who’s her father. Mm-hmm . and she was like, how could you let me go so easily?
[00:38:42] Jesse: And I was like, oh my God. Like, she has to make the, the decision. And she doesn’t know the same decision first is like, yeah. And I was like, oh, like this. And then like, and then at first she like was like, okay, like, I’m not gonna make the same mistake. Like my daughter is asking me, you know, to let her go.
[00:39:00] Jesse: Yeah. And she lets her go and I was like, I’m heartbroken. Yeah. Like I look really heartbroken and. And then she, you know, she came back for the like pretty sure, like, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, kind of situation. But I was like, so moved at that point, I was like, oh, she has to make the decision. And it’s so emotional.
[00:39:17] Jesse: And I feel like the insanity of the movie really builds that. Cuz she’s like coming up the stairs, you’re getting like all these moments from the different characters as she interacts with them. And they just like build something in you to this like emotional crux. So that was my favorite. .
[00:39:35] Angela: Yeah. And I think so I couldn’t talk about this in the main section, since we didn’t wanna go into spoilers, but since we’re already talking about it.
[00:39:41] Angela: Yes. I think that was one of the parts where I was like, oh, this is like a very different way of portraying an Asian parent and child, because the concept of like, just let me go is like, I don’t think any parent would just let their child go in like the most traditional sense, right? Yeah. Yeah. They’d just be like, no, I know better than you do.
[00:40:05] Angela: Like you’re gonna, I’m I’m staying here or like, no we’re doing this, you know, like not giving as much leeway to the idea that the child has individual like volition and challenges that. Require them to need space and to like, not wanna maintain that relationship. Like, because I think it’s common that Asian parents and children have a really fraught relationship, especially if the parents are from are, are the immigrants and the children are like grew up American because we just have such different cultural understandings of like what’s important and how our relationship should be.
[00:40:47] Angela: Mm-hmm . I think I was just like imagining my own parents. If I was like, just let me go. You know? Like, and their expectation would probably be like, no, no matter how much you hate me, like, you’re my child. And like, I’m not letting this shit go.
[00:41:00] Jesse: You’re like, why are this so dramatic
[00:41:01] Angela: right now? exactly. Exactly.
[00:41:04] Angela: So that was the part where I was like, I don’t know how realistic this is, but also, maybe it is realistic because her character is like our parents in that they were the, I. That came to this country, but they were unlike our parents in that they became much more like Americanized and integrated became more individualistic.
[00:41:25] Angela: You know what I mean? Um, so I guess with that context, you could understand better why she would understand her. Daughter’s kind of request to say, like, I need my own. Without you at least for now, you know? Um, so yeah, no, that, that hit really hard for me as well. But also I was like, is this realistic?
[00:41:46] Jesse: I didn’t, it didn’t matter.
[00:41:47] Jesse: It was that it was not realistic. I was like, this is. it’s the heart of the movie, basically. Yes, for me, I was like, oh, this decision is it
[00:41:56] Angela: well to bring it up a notch? My favorite scene is not that heartwarming. It’s just fucking hilarious. Um, you talked about TUI. That was my favorite shit of the entire movie was RAA Cooney.
[00:42:09] Angela: Y’all rack a Cooney, if you know, you know, um, so in the movie, Jesse already alluded to it. It doesn’t, it’s not. Boiler because who cares? Yeah. It’s not like an important part of the movie, but, um, so at one point in the movie, it’s something like, so Asian mom, so Asian mom, or like, so mom in general was like getting the reference wrong.
[00:42:31] Angela: So like at one point in the movie, Michelle Yo’s character, like talking about Tuy, but she doesn’t remember it’s called Tuy or that it was a rat. You know, that’s why it’s called that. So she said raccoon . She thought it was a raccoon instead of a rat. And then in, in one of the multiverses, raccoon is a thing.
[00:42:55] Angela: And Harry SCHs character, cuz I was like, where’re the fuck? Is Harry sh coming out? Because they had him build as part of the cast. He’s like in this random multiverse version. and under his chef’s hat, there was like animatronic raccoon. a really
[00:43:09] Jesse: bad word by the way. A really
[00:43:11] Angela: bad was on purpose though, I think.
[00:43:13] Angela: Yeah. For why it was so terrible, but there was like a talking animatronic raccoon who was pulling his hair and like controlling all of his emotions. And I just fucking loved it because it was. It was already such a like typical mom and like Asian mom moment for her to get the reference wrong for then for, for them to play it out in a multiverse version, that there is literally a raccoon in the hat I fucking died.
[00:43:41] Angela: I fucking died. I loved it
[00:43:42] Jesse: so much. Yeah. Yeah. I mean here’s okay. So the last thing I’ll say about all this is that like none of these multiverse things are extraneous. Like they, no, they are, but they aren’t like, you’re never, you’re not gonna get into one of these like vignettes and be like, why is like, I didn’t like it, all of these were like either hilarious or they served the plot for some reason, or they were like an emotional thing.
[00:44:05] Jesse: Like they were all really just.
[00:44:07] Angela: And to your earlier point, they all tied back. Yes. Like there was no loose end. Everything had a purpose, everything tied into like the bigger thing. Yeah. And it is a really kind of like random reference to draw from. But, and I don’t think you watched the show, but for any of the, uh, this is us fans out there.
[00:44:25] Angela: It reminded me of that in terms of like, this is us as one of those real, like, there’s a reason why that show has won like a million Emmys and it’s like always nominated for stuff. Number one it’s like, fantastic. But number two, like one of the things it does really well is it cast a lot of fish hooks a lot of lines in the ocean that like, you’re just like, okay, I don’t know where this goes.
[00:44:45] Angela: And then like multiple episodes later, it like reels that shit back in. You’re like, oh my God, like there’s so many circles that come full circle and. This movie was very similar for that, to that for me in that it was like, I don’t know where this is going at all. Maybe it serves no purpose at many points.
[00:45:03] Angela: I think you think that, which is like, this seems extraneous. And then it like all comes back around in the end and you’re like, oh, and it’s just so gratifying. Yeah. When that kind of thing happens. Mm-hmm so, anyway, go watch this movie. Sure. She’s definitely fucking good. Yeah. Um, and write us in and tell us what you thought of the movie afterwards.
[00:45:24] Angela: Tell us where you’re from@gmail.com. Favorite scene part you cried at laughed at felt dead inside, felt alive. Whatever you wanna tell us, tell us on social media, wherever you want. Um, because man, so fucking good. I’m so excited for. What this movie will mean for like the cast moving forward in terms of opportunities they hopefully get in, you know, mainstream media opportunities and also for what storytelling can mean in the future as well from like a diversity inclusion, but like authentic mm-hmm standpoint.
[00:45:59] Angela: So just very excited all around seems and yeah, come back next week because all as always we’ll have another episode for you then. And until then, The idea bitches.