Hundred Percent (DVD, 2006)

This movie spent years trying to find distribution and now DVD has finally let the masses see this fun, entertaining film. The movie tells the tale of three Asian American men and their adventures in Venice, California. The movie seeks and achieves to break the mold of Asian stereotypes in film. This is most directly demonstrated by the character played by Garrett Wang, which is as a struggling actor trying to find roles that aren't a caricature of Asian culture.

The mold is most clearly shattered by Darion Basco's Slim Kim, a Rastafarian hooked up with the wrong crowd. When you meet his Mom in the film, she's clearly not the traditional Asian Mom stereotype at all and instead resoundingly American.

Dustin Nguyen, Tamlyn Tomita, Stan Egi, Lindsay Price, and Keiko Agena make for a veritable who's who of Asian American 20-30-something actors in this movie.

Personally, I've been waiting to see this movie for years since I saw it for the first time at an Asian American film festival. This movie is clearly a labor of love by Director/Writer Eric Koyanagi. In the DVD extras, there's a slideshow of photos during the film, its release party, and a tribute to his family.

While one hundred percent of the main characters are Asian, this movie shouldn't just be labeled as an Asian American film. It's just a fun movie. The story and movie itself may not be perfect, but it's absolutely worth checking out.