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Plot Summary
Never underestimate an over achiever. To his classmates and teachers, high-schooler Ben Manibag (Perry Shen) appears to be the "model" student: a perfectionist and overachiever, destined for nothing less than graduating at the top of his class and then attending a prestigious college. But underneath this persona is a darker side - Ben and his bored high-school buddies lead double lives, flying high in a world of petty crime and material excess in order to ease the pressures of "being perfect." It's a free-wheeling lifestyle that soon takes a downward spiral, leading to an unexpected end. An Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival, Better Luck Tomorrow is a gripping, edgy and provocative film that rips the tranquil, well-manicured facade off of middle-class suburbia and cultural stereotypes.
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Director
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
81%- Reviews Counted: 103
- Fresh: 83
- Rotten: 20
- Average Rating: 7.0/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: A enerally absorbing look at a slice of society normally taken for granted, both in life and onscreen.
Fresh: Better Luck Tomorrow, a corrosive, insightful study of the pressure-packed lives of suburban high school students, brings a new variant to gangster movies: gangsters with perfect SAT scores.
Rotten: The director sacrifices finesse to run around in the baggy duds of a lurid gangsta flick looking for street cred.
Fresh: Better Luck Tomorrow breathes new life into a familiar story: coming of age in high school.
Customer Reviews
Nice
I thought the movie was quite entertaining and a good look at the pressures of todays younger indviduals (even if it is in a asian subtext) the plot is good and there are quite a few scenes in the movie that are really intense. the ending is a little predictable but all in all i really thought the movie was a stand out amongst most of the other movies in its genre. if your looking for a good engaging movie this is the movie for you
A Movie Worthy of Praise
This is a movie that is unusual in that it has an all Asian-American cast. But more importantly, the story focuses on the characters rather than their ethnicity, which is something to be lauded because it is rare in Hollywood for Asian-American actors to have the opportunity to assume roles other than 1D caricatures. I appreciate this movie for breaking the mold and for it's brave portrayal of characters with questionable morality. This movie is a story about teenagers who are making the wrong choices. The fact that these teenagers are of Asian descent is secondary to the story. This movie is the vanguard for those who believe there should be well-rounded roles for Asian-American actors, as well as other minorities in a predominantly white Hollywood. For far too long, quality roles have been out of the reach of Asian-American actors. The enforced invisibility of Asian-American actors in Hollywood productions is so prevalent that even stories based on Asian people are played by caucasian actors (EX: The movie 21, in which the lead Asian-American of the story was portrayed by a white British man with an iffy grasp of the American accent). I support original movies like "Better Luck Tomorrow" and hope more like it will follow. In time, perhaps, casting directors will no longer be so narrow in their selection of actors and be more willing to give minority actors a chance to be in major movies. The current situation in Hollywood is a dismal case of "the chicken or the egg", where Asian-Americans are reluctant to become actors due to a dearth of quality roles for them while at the same time, casting directors complain there simply aren't enough of experienced Asian-American actors for them to cast.
Awesome and realistic
This movie works well as an exploration of the Asian-American Dream story, as well as a study of what happens when good kids turn bad. Exploring race, class and violence, the film is surprisingly well-acted. The ending is a bit over the top, but it's an important film for minorities of any ethnicity.
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- $14.99
- Genre: Drama
- Released: 2003
- © TM & Copyright 2007 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. TM & Copyright 2007 by MTV Networks A Division of Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.