Extremely Unique Dynamic

This film immediately stands out because of its perspective, coming from an Asian filmmaker and featuring an all-Asian cast that proudly centers cultural identity without making it feel like a gimmick. From the opening moments, it establishes itself as a personal, intimate story rather than a broad crowd-pleaser, grounding the audience in a friendship that feels lived-in and sincere. The cultural lens adds texture to the narrative, giving the film a voice that feels specific and refreshing, even when the story itself leans into familiar coming-of-age territory.

At its core, the movie is about two longtime friends facing the reality of separation as one prepares to move away at just twenty years old. That looming change hangs over every interaction, giving even the lighter moments an emotional edge. The fear of growing apart, of losing something that has defined your life for years, is something the film captures with surprising honesty. It's not just about distance-it's about the uncertainty of who you become when the people who know you best might no longer be there every day.

The clever "film within the film" device is where the story really finds its creative spark. By having the characters make their own movie about someone pretending to be gay who is actually gay, the narrative layers humor over vulnerability. What begins as a playful concept slowly turns into a deeply personal way for one character to confront his own truth. This approach allows the film to explore coming out not as a dramatic spectacle, but as something messy, awkward, and rooted in real relationships.

The emotional heart of the film lies in the tension between wanting to be honest and fearing the cost of that honesty. The idea that revealing your true self might jeopardize a friendship built over two decades gives the story real stakes. The performances sell that anxiety well, especially in quieter scenes where what isn't said matters just as much as what is. The comedy never completely undercuts the emotion, even when the film leans into some intentionally cheesy moments.

That said, the movie isn't without its missteps. The celebrity cameos, particularly the moment where the film pauses to spotlight Hudson Yang, feel forced and a bit distracting. Instead of enhancing the story, those moments briefly pull you out of it, reminding you that you're watching something trying a little too hard to be clever or self-aware. They don't ruin the experience, but they do feel unnecessary in a film that works best when it stays grounded.

The tight setting and short timeframe give the story a stage-play quality, with most of the events unfolding over just a couple of days in one location. This works in the film's favor by keeping the focus on character dynamics and dialogue, even if it limits the sense of scope. The intimacy makes the story feel personal, but it also contributes to the feeling that once the emotional journey is over, there isn't much left pulling you back for another viewing.

In the end, this is an endearing, light, and heartfelt film about friendship, change, and self-acceptance. It doesn't aim to reinvent the genre, but it delivers a warm, sincere experience that's easy to enjoy in the moment. While it may not linger in your mind long enough to demand a rewatch, it serves its purpose as a comforting, casually engaging story. If you're in the mood for something gentle, culturally grounded, and emotionally honest, it's well worth a single watch.

Two long-time friends and actor wannabees are about to part ways. The more successful Ryan is leaving L. A. to follow his fiancee to Canada, leaving Daniel behind. On their last weekend together, they shoot videos of Ryan's favorite places in L. A., but when they try to wrap a narrative around it, they come up with the idea of making a movie about 2 guys making a movie about 2 guys making a movie.

The process is chaotic. They are supposed to be stoners, but Daniel actually consumes an edible, and becomes difficult to direct. Wanting a secret to come out, Ryan suggests that Daniel's character be secretly in love with him, but Daniel's performance suggests that he is actually in love with Ryan. Ryan also is looking for a celebrity cameo, which they get in the form of Hudson Yang (from Fresh Off the Boat).

This ends up being rather amusing, but does not lead to anything deep, so it would not be recommended to everyone.

I saw this at a film festival with the writers / directors / stars present for a Q+A, and they explained that they belonged to a tight-knit young Asian community, and knew Hudson Yang, who agreed to join the project during his spring break.

I'll come right to the point about this mess - it's a prime example of unmitigated cinematic nonsense. This preposterous exercise in stream of consciousness filmmaking is not only utterly ridiculous, but positively annoying to sit through. I lost interest very quickly and could not wait for it to end. Writer-directors Ivan Leung, Harrison Xu and Katherine Dudas have come up with one of the most unfocused, amateurish, totally stupid movies I have ever seen, one that plays like a bad, pretentious student film project on steroids. It's almost as if the filmmakers went out and shot a lot of footage at random and then tried to piece it all together into some kind of allegedly coherent finished product, hoping that it would somehow all make sense (and apparently not really caring if it didn't). Much of the "story" (if it can even be called that) consists of two longtime stoner buddies (Leung, Xu) engaged in a series of shallow, incomprehensible, disjointed conversations while making a movie about two fictional friends making a movie whose subject is making a movie (and unrealistically attempting to do so all in one weekend). In the process, they spout an endless barrage of completely unrelated ideas on how to proceed, many of which amount to little more than hollow, pseudointellectual observations about a wide range of subjects, filmmaking techniques and narrative elements. What's more, the film's attempt at trying to redeem itself by incorporating some "serious" material late in the film absolutely fall flat, given that any credibility that the directors were trying to engender at this point is totally undermined by the unending, senseless twaddle that preceded it. The picture also unsuccessfully tries to incorporate an LGBTQ+ story thread that gets decidedly shortchanged and feels more like an afterthought than a genuine attempt at making some kind of meaningfully relevant social statement. The picture's only redeeming attribute, in my opinion, is its mercifully short 1:13:00 runtime, which actually often feels much longer than that. It's truly sad that many well-made movies struggle mightily to find distributors while cinematic hokum like this inexplicably gets the green light. Sadly, the principals involved in this project seem to have deceived themselves into thinking they've created an edgy, rip-roaring contemporary comedy in this offering. But what they don't realize is what they've created is a joke.