A Different Kind of Asian-American Movie - The People I've Slept With

Angela likes sex, I mean, really likes it - she can't get enough. She has guys like some people have gum drops, and then makes baseball cards to keep track of them. One day, Angela takes a home pregnancy test, and the darn stick turns blue - oh my God, she's pregnant, and she doesn't have a clue as to which of her 'cards' is the father.

This is the premise of The People I've Slept With, a 2009 Canadian independent movie directed by Quentin Lee and written by Koji Steven Sakai, which opened in New York on August 13, 2010. If this sounds like predictable, raunchy sex comedy, think again. Lee and Sakai have teamed up with a battalion of known and unknown performers to offer to the screen a movie that, while totally inappropriate for the young set, will leave you rolling on the floor with laughter.

Karin Anna Cheung is fantastic as Angela, a sexaholic. She's the lovable slut who wants sex whenever, wherever, and with whomever. In the words of her gay best friend Gabriel, played believably by New Yorker Wilson Cruz, a slut is just a woman with the morals of a man. His advice to her is "take care of it." I don't need to tell you what that means. Her conservative sister, Juliett, played by Lynn Chenn, has other ideas. She convinces Angela to find the father, get married to him, and settle down like she has. Chenn, who is rumored to be lesbian, comes across as the stiff-necked, 'why can't you be more like me' sibling that we can probably all identify with.

Some of the acting is overdone - Cruz, for instance, prances just a bit too much - but the overall effect is great, and explains why this movie has received such critical acclaim. If nothing else, it is to be commended for turning stereotypes on their ear. The Asian nympho, for instance, doesn't need some lame white guy to save her. She comes across as a woman who can take care of herself, thank you very much; well, at least most of the time she can.

The mostly Asian cast, with the exception of Cruz, who is of Puerto Rican origins, is also a change of pace. One can imagine that if this movie had been made by one of the major companies, the hero would have been some Caucasian, and the nice but boring guy, played by Randall Park, would definitely have been a white dude. Lee bowed to convention by casting Chris Zylka as the 'hottie,' but I forgive him that, since Zylka did such a good job. Screen legend James Shigeta, who has graced many major productions in feature roles, turns in a stellar performance, and I have to be fair, the other non-Asians do exceptionally well.

I have only one complaint about the film. I was never sure why a woman who routinely engages in unprotected sex would take a pregnancy test, and not have a clue where the errant sperm came from. It would have been more credible if she'd been in a clinic getting herself checked for an STD, and the doctor discovered the pregnancy. But then, I'm just old-fashioned.

Kudos to Lee, Sakai, and Cruz; and a special 'hats off' to Karin Cheung for bringing this delightful comedy to American movie screens. I can't wait to see what Lee will come up with next.

References:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024770/

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the=people-ive-slept-with/4943

http://www.examiner.com/Asian-American-movie-in-Los-Angeles/people-i-ve-slept-with-theatrical-release-announced