Jay Rohr
Asian Persuasion shows how premise is everything in the realm of romcoms. The right idea is enough to catch an audience’s eye. Holding it, however, comes down to execution. Therein lies the difference between pulling it all together or putting it down like a lame horse. Fortunately, the few flaws in Asian Persuasion don’t bury the film, though they do hold this picture back.
The central story involves Mickey de los Santos played by Dante Basco (Hook). He owns a quaint coffee shop in the Little Manila part of Queens. Recently divorced, he’s getting crushed by various debts. During a rowdy evening blowing off steam with his best buddy Caspian (Kevin Kreider), the two concoct a scheme to sew up one leak in his cash flow. The sooner his ex-wife Avery (K.C. Concepcion) remarries, the sooner Mickey can stop paying alimony. As such, he catfishes romantic prospects until one agrees to let him sort of Cyrano the situation. However, expediting the intimacy between Avery and Lee-Kwan (Paolo Montalban) using inside info about his ex-wife only rekindles Mickey’s love for her.
It’s easy to see the potential for drama and comedy in such a premise. Asian Persuasion often oscillates crossing the line between quirky comedy and light dramedy. At times, some scenes have a goofiness reminiscent of 80s over the top absurdity. Other occasions feel far more grounded. The film is always aiming for laughs, but in ways that don’t always mix well. Sometimes Asian Persuasion pulls it off, but the film would have a smoother tone if it committed to one course.
Most of the performers seem capable of acting in either direction. Dante Basco, perhaps best known for his role as Rufio in Hook (1991), easily shows signs of shifting between seriousness and absurdity. He capably portrays a classic romcom protagonist, an immature individual settled into a life accepting defeat rather than fighting for his passions. Scenes with Scarlett Sher (Hustlers), who plays his young daughter, have a warmth and charm that quietly suggest the seriousness Mickey is capable of. The problem seems to be that Asian Persuasion is never sure what kind of film it wants to be.
To be fair, the movie does have a solid focus on its intention to feature a cast primarily composed of Asian American Pacific Islanders. There are also several great instances highlighting areas, businesses, and eateries in New York that emphasize the cultural presence as well as influence of that ethnicity. What’s great is how organically it comes across. None of these scenes feel forced. At risk of spoilers, even when visiting a boutique shop where an Asian fashion designer operates, it ties into a character’s job — there’s always a valid reason for these moments.
Asian Persuasion makes the AAPI community its focus without making that the point of the film. It never feels like a travelogue exploring seldom seen parts of Woodside, Queens. These are just people living their lives. The idiosyncrasies of their heritage then inject a unique stylization into certain settings or costume choices.
Filmed during the pandemic, it’s tempting to speculate whether some scenes might have been shot differently without Covid restrictions. Asian Persuasion occasionally seems limited by lockdown precautions, so some things don’t come across quite right. Not to spoil a scene, but there’s a pool party at one point where people are standing too far apart. That’s not the only example, though it is the most obvious.
Director Jhett Tolentino does his best to keep focus on the main characters. This involves a lot of simple, straightforward camera work. Much of it effectively ignores the peculiar emptiness of the surrounding city. However, there isn’t much fancy filmmaking in Asian Persuasion. Perhaps that’s to keep the audience’s attention on the dialogue.
The script by Mike Ang endeavors to have a lot of witty banter. It succeeds as often as it fails. K.C. Concepcion (Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill) doesn’t always nail comedic timing and, despite his acting charms, Kevin Krieder’s (Bling Empire) role feels like a mix of clichés. Still, Asian Persuasion is usually amusing. What limits the movie’s humor the most, though, is that much of it feels stale. That’s because the film follows a routine romcom formula.
Regardless, universal themes of love, loss, ambition, and family are woven into the story. These are infused with Asian elements which illuminate humanity’s similarities while also highlighting cultural differences. That means some scenes are perfectly relatable while retaining distinct AAPI qualities.
Narratively, most of the movie flows smoothly. The only real hiccups are flashbacks. These flesh out the backstory behind Mickey and Avery’s romance as well as its ruination. As the film goes along, it’s easier to realize when these occur as there are more visual cues. The first few, though, simply occur without preamble. Suddenly, viewers are observing the past after what seems like an ordinary scene shift. It takes a second to catch up to the time switch, but while the flashbacks have useful information, they mostly feel like visual info dumps running through a predictable outline that does nothing fresh with the meet cute, blossoming romance, or savage breakup.
Asian Persuasion possesses a certain charm thanks to its peculiar premise. It’s a tale of lost love rekindled thanks to a whacky quasi- Cyrano de Bergerac situation. This allows the film to oscillate in tone between quirky comedy and dramedy, though these shifts aren’t always to the movie’s benefit. The central strength of Asian Persuasion is a look at the lives of Asian American Pacific Islanders, highlighting their uniqueness alongside their relatability. This romcom nails some universal themes such as being a good parent, loneliness, adulthood, and the tire fire that love can be despite its revitalizing qualities. The humor is a little bland but nothing a little wine can’t overcome during a date night viewing. There are enough charming and chuckle worthy moments to make it through one watch. That’s about as much as Asian Persuasion can persuade a person to commit to.
