Now that Asians are considered cool to cast as leads in films and TV shows, we’d like to gently remind you (okay, we lied — there’s nothing gentle with this reminder) that Asians have always been cool. We have always been the main characters and deserving of our own stories. What better way to celebrate Asians in media than the time-honored buddy flick? We asked the internet and our staff to tell us the best Asian friendship movies and shows that aren’t about the “Asian best friend” trope but star Asians outright, and they delivered!
Classic Asian American Movies
Starting with the classics and in true Asian style, we need to honor our ancestors (or at least the recent ones), and these are some of the most well-known.
1) “The Joy Luck Club” (1993)
Though it’s been over 20 years since “The Joy Luck Club” was released, the movie stands the test of time. Based on the 1989 Amy Tan novel of the same name, the movie highlights four San Francisco-based Chinese American families who have formed a mahjong-playing club. Though much of the focus centers on the relationships between the mothers and daughters, the movie also examines the friendships (and frenemies) between the four mothers and the four daughters as peers.
Juanita (@nitachiquita) on Threads says, ”It shows no matter how conflicted, dysfunctional, or different our relationships may be, we are tied together and still the same despite our differences.”
2) “Better Luck Tomorrow” (2002)
Another classic, “Better Luck Tomorrow,” follows a group of bored, rich, and overachieving Asian American friends who turn to petty crime in a plot that spirals deeper and deeper into darkness.
“I’m Canadian, but it was one of the first movies I didn’t feel Asians were ‘othered’ or foreign or ‘exotic,’” actress and educator Hiromi Okuyama (@hiromiacts) says. “It was a classic Asian American movie about Asian American characters and story.”
3) “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”…
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