The People I've Slept With

If you like the Hollywood mainstream romantic comedy with an ending you can guess in the first 5 minutes of the film and the standard white cast ala Matthew and Jennifer, then you should skip this film...but you'll miss out on something totally fun and original! Koji Steven Sakai has written a script with plenty of laughs and smile moments and the beauty of his comedy is the subtle messages (yes many) conveyed throughout starting with the first scene where we hear the film tagline, "A slut is a woman with the morals of a man." And FINALLY someone tells the truth about that age old double standard! Karin Anna Cheung's strong, confident performance is spot on and co-star Archie's Kao's charm creates a quasi role reversal of the man/woman stereotypes. And "Nice But Boring Guy" Randall Park has so many scene stealing laughs he becomes a star in his own right. The one drawback of the film is yet another stereotypical "gay friend" role, however, Wilson Cruz's performance was great and he has plenty of funny moments, so maybe that can be forgiven!

I really enjoyed The People I've Slept With as it's Quentin Lee's most accessible films. It's a zany, sexy and funny comedy center-staged with protagonists (a slutty girl and a gay boy) that we never see in more mainstream Hollywood fares.

Better Luck Tomorrow's Karin Anna Cheung delivers a sympathetic and compelling turn as a slutty girl-next-door. Wilson Cruz is a hoot. Screen legend James Shigeta plays an unconventional patriarch with charisma and depth. Chris Zylka's Mr. Hottie is sizzling and irresistible. The surprise breakthrough is Randall Park's Nice-but-Boring guy.

It's well-done and unconventional with a heart. Highly recommended if you want something fresh and different.

"The People I've Slept With"

A Sexy Romantic Comedy

Amos Lassen

Angela (Karin Anna Cheung) is an Asian America who is proud that she is a slut. She lives from bed to bed and from man to man and she keeps a record of who she has had sex with by taking pictures of her tricks and keeping them like a baseball card collection. However this all ends when she finds out she is pregnant and the father of her child could be one of four people. Gabriel (Wilson Cruz) her gay best friend helps her to get DNA samples from the quartet of lovers. She wants to know who the father of her child is and hopefully get him to fall in love with her. We meet Angela for the first time when she is writhing with ecstasy during a secret encounter and I really felt nothing for her but as the plot progresses that changes and I realize that I am rooting for her. It is through Angela that we get the message of the film which is all about responsibility. Angela comes to terms with her past when she understands that she is not only responsible for herself but for the baby growing inside of her. With that she gains our sympathy and support. Gabriel also has a message for us. Our first time seeing him, it seems that he is just another stereotypical gay man. As Angela matures into a thinking woman, Gabriel also matures and also becomes a lovable character. Wilson Cruz gives a wonderful performance and he exudes humor. We get good looks at the men that Angela slept with. Their types vary from the well hung stalker to the mystery man (Archie Kao) and we meet Angela's father who is a fantastic character who is full of advice that he gleaned from the internet. It is the task of the characters to entertain us as the film deals with issues of freedom and love. We meet a group of young adults who attempt to belong to a society that wants them to either disappear or be marginalized. The characters really want to be "good". Cheung is Angela and Angela apologizes for nothing. She is a strong woman who does what and who she wants when she wants and on her terms. When she finds out that she is pregnant she does not blame herself because of her free living lifestyle but because she was just careless. Quentin Lee directed and Koji Steven Saki wrote this sexy comedy that is very funny, very sexy and very entertaining. Perhaps the ending was not what I wanted it to be but it is not my movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it and even though I could probably find faults but why bother?

The People I've Slept With (2009) was directed by Quentin Lee. This low-budget film has its moments, but it's not a winner. Angela is a Asian woman who has decided that a "slut is just a woman with the morals of a man." OK--let's accept that.

The next question is, "Does a slut mean having less judgment than a seven-year-old?" My point is that it's your business if you want to be a slut, but no one with any intelligence has unprotected sex with multiple unknown sexual partners in today's world.

We are supposed to find it charming that Angela has one-night stands with anyone with a Y chromosome, and is very casual about protection against STD's and pregnancy. Just doesn't work for me.

OK, so now Angela is pregnant, and she has narrowed down the field of fathers to five guys whose names she doesn't know. She has to learn who the men are, then decide who the father is, then decide what to do with that information, and then decide what to do with the rest of her life. Not the basis for a great movie, although I have to admit that the film has its positive aspects.

Karin Anna Cheung, who plays Angela, is extremely beautiful, and has the timing and skills of a fine comic actor. Every beautiful woman in a film needs a gay friend, and Angela's gay friend, Gabriel, is played by Wilson Cruz. I've admired Cruz's work since he played Ricky in "My So-Called Life," and he's gotten more handsome and more accomplished since then. He's the same kind of confidant to Angela as he was to Claire Danes (also named Angela) in the TV series. He's really good in that role.

So, with attractive actors and some clever comic lines, the movie is good enough to keep you in your seat for 90 minutes. If you're looking for sophisticated wit or intense drama, this isn't the film for you.

We saw this movie at the Little Theatre as part of the fabulous ImageOut: Rochester Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. It will work well on DVD.