ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE (NETFLIX) (2019)

SYNOPSIS: Everyone assumed Sasha and Marcus would wind up together except for Sasha and Marcus. Reconnecting after 15 years, the two start to wonder... maybe?  

MOVIE REVIEW:

Crazy Rich Asians makes every Asian proud by scoring over $200 million in the box-office on a mere $30 million budget. Who says an entire cast of Asians can’t spearhead a Hollywood rom-com movie? Henry Golding was basically an unknown at that point and you might only know Constance Wu from Fresh Off The Boat. 

Now another cast member from Fresh Off The Boat, Randall Park (Ant-Man and the Wasp) has teamed up with stand-up comedian Ali Wong in a brand new Netflix’s rom-com, Always Be Maybe. All we can say is it’s definitely the right time now to showcase the talents of Asian. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan need not always be white after all.   

Park plays Marcus who has been childhood friends with Sasha Tran (Wong) until an argument leads them to drift apart for more than 15 years. While Marcus has stop living his life after the death of his mother, Sasha has turned into a huge celebrity chef in LA. In order to open up a new restaurant in San Francisco, Sasha briefly moved back to her hometown and unexpectedly reunite with Marcus when her assistant hired Marcus and his dad to repair her faulty airconditioned unit. Sparks fly once again between the two but there are still obstacles to overcome before they can take their relationship further.   

Always Be Maybe is fast-paced and witty all thanks to the impeccable chemistry between Park and Wong. It’s great that both of them are so likeable in their respective roles. Park is perfect as Marcus, the slacker weed-smoking dude who is actually quite a talented musician. And Wong is genuinely funny as the “elevated” celebrity chef who cooks for the super-rich white people. The dialogues are often well-written, sharp and laugh-out-loud even it’s pretty much predictable and adhere to all the rules of a typical rom-com.  

Keanu Reeves aka John Wick turned up as one of Tran’s boyfriends in an outrageous extended cameo that is best watched rather than described. Familiar faces include Daniel Dae Kim seen recently in the Hellboy reboot who stars as Tran’s boyfriend and manager while Deadpool’s Karan Soni stars as one of Park’s undervalued bandmate. 

Always Be Maybe is a flick that might be stuck with an old story mould but the excellent pair up of Park and Wong (the duo also contributes to the screenplay) and the appearance of John Wick kind of lifted this Asian-American rom-com to an exciting level. 

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee