Here are two comedies that aspire to catch out attention for different reasons. One stars our own Jo Koy and is set in the LA/Daly City-land of Filipino-Americans; while the second is also set in LA, but is about a young woman’s rather rude sexual awakening.
Easter Sunday (in Cinemas, and video on Demand) - Can we first establish that I’ve enjoyed watching both Rex Navarrete and Jo Koy when doing their live stand-up routines. I support and respect Filipino-American comedians for pushing the envelope and integrating their ethnicity in their routines. But I also reserve the right to be honest, and so I have to say that I consider Easter Sunday to be both a missed opportunity, and a film badly in need of a stronger premise and narrative. It’s one cliche after another, with fatigued tropes, aimless cameos, bad CGI’s, and questionable acting choices, littering the set. And to top it all, unlike his stand up, where Jo Koy’s shotgun, take no prisoners, shtick works beautifully; here, he’s even saddled with a long sequence of delivering a sermon in a Daly City church, that’s repetitive, and not really funny at all.
And you have to wonder what happened? Why is this film so off-target? At times, it felt like it would even have fared better if the whole film was shot from the actor playing the son of comic Joe Valencia (Jo Koy). Instead of a camera strung around his neck, it could have been a video camera and maybe, that perspective would have made this more interesting or genuine. As it is, the preponderance of tired jokes about Filipinos living in America turn most of the cast into sad caricatures. And don’t tell me this is a film about Filipino identity that the whole world can now view and enjoy. At best, it’s about Filipino-American representation. But forget the struggle of the first generation, of racial discrimination, and rising above all that. This is a sit-com pilot disguised as a full feature film.
Sharp Stick (video on Demand) - Written and directed by Lena Dunham, this film has an indie feel, and it posits commentary about young women today, their identity and sexuality, and reimagining what constitutes victim or gender exploitation. What’s funny here is that our central character is a 26-year old virgin, pretty but naïve to the point of distraction, and ready to initiate an affair with the father of the special child she babysits for - and we’re supposed to still feel empathy for her. It’s like Dunham is really throwing it in our faces with this unconventional set-up, and challenging us to decide who will earn our sympathy. For that alone, I found this to be an intriguing and humorous film that defies expectations.
Kristine Froseth of Birds of Paradise (the off-tangent ballet film) is our mock-heroine, and Jon Bernthal is the aforementioned father, who willingly, is seduced by, and seduces, the babysitter of his child. Taylour Paige of Zola is back, and she has an interesting, if minor, role. Jennifer Jason Leigh clocks in as the girls’ mother. There’s a lot of introspection here, and how the search for love and meaning in life can go down unexpected rabbit holes, and traverse unfamiliar territory. What is rewarding is the veneer of soft, mocking humor that permeates a number of the scenes. There are times that you may question the motives and beliefs of the characters found in this film, but you will find them watchable.