Fresh
Director Gene Cajayon, with co-writer John Manal Castro and a charming cast, continually subverts expectations.
Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly
Overview
Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Basco) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
74%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Mostly the situations, albeit compressed, ring true; the characters are admirably multi-dimensional, and there are welcome doses of humor that compensate for any contrivances.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Rotten
An earnest and predictable little indie.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Fresh
A neat blend of well-drawn major characters and drama, music, dance, romance and humor that generates considerable charm and achieves a heartwarming resolution of its generational conflict.
Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times
Rotten
The film has a sweet low-budget quality that sometimes slips into TV-movie schmaltz.
Laura Sinagra, Village Voice
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