basking in a hazing heat, think they hear one of their beepers, and realize that the sound is coming from under the soil, alongside with a body. This is set up not to spoil the story this tale is inspired by true events some eleven years ago , but to set up the slick, if bleak, atmosphere.The central character of Lin's film is Ben, a JV Basketball player who rarely gets picked to play, repeats words he picks up in the dictionary over and over in preparation for SAT's, and works a part-time job in a food court so he'll have something to put on college applications. Along with this are his friends, Virgil, Han, and Daric, the last of which being the most intriguing of the supporting characters. Instead of Lin getting overtly cocky with his plot ideas and characters, he creates a study of them, and of the paths they are each on in their high times of adolescence. He does this in a style that is kinetic even in scenes that slow down or just have minor dialogue, and when things pick up they pick up and slow down at the right pace. We get a sense where the movie will take us, yet by the time it does it's surely not as expected. When the last scene rolls around, and Ben has made decisions that will possibly effect the outcome of his life, it's clear that Lin has made a film for MTV that has a life-force, a cool if sorrowful spirit, and an understanding of the additudes of youth that skims close to the line of a soap, but never is stupid enough to even try it. Some will leave cheated; I think this it may be one of the best films of the year, a little gem for the Asian-American community. Between A and A+ A because of a slightly weak side-plot with the character of Stephanie

made me really feel like I just wanted to scream at them and say tell them not to go down the road they were following! This is something that not many films can do "Bad things" included .This film is quite impressive, especially considering it was shot for a VERY shoestring budget, and had some great camera work and very solid editing. It did not in any way look like an amateur film, at all. I don't understand how this film has been branded "shallow"; it takes an original story and tells it in a convincing manner not characteristic of many films lately. On one final note, all the acting is great, and I really don't care if anyone in it was thirty years old playing a seventeen year old, they were great performances and they had actual heart behind them. If you have a chance, see this film, but be prepared to get a little more than what you thought you would.

to be good, dutiful daughters, who in turn become their own slave drivers feeding off of their need for perfectionism. Thanks to the oppressive histories of East Asian cultures, Asian parents brook no rebellion from girls. Girls are constantly taught that the slightest transgression will bring harsh criticism. And, having already fallen out of favor for not being born male, girls are dealt much harsher punishments than boys for rebellious behavior. The patriarchal adage "boys will be boys" resonates through Asian cultures with the accompanying implication that "girls must also be girls". Unfortunately, "Better Luck Tomorrow" makes no mention of the double standards imposed on Asian-American girls. It was disappointing to see the sole female actress become a pawn in the brokering of power between two high school boys.The Asian girls in my high school who exhibited risky behavior were always sidelined by more daring male exploits. Essentially, female risky behavior amounted to wanton sex with men and occasional petty thievery. How little it differs from our non-Asian counterparts!But if anything, at least this movie is not about kung fu fighting Chinese actors coupled with black or white male leads in movies like "Bulletproof Monk". Justin Lin's "Better Luck Tomorrow" aptly reminds the audience that Chow Young Fat, Jet Li, and Jacky Chan are not Asian-American men!Criticisms aside, "Better Luck Tomorrow" is a clever film featuring some fine acting. The strengths and vulnerabilities of the Asian American boys are explored in a hitherto unprecedented way. Kudos to Jason Tobin for some fine acting!

out Derrick first starts asking Ben to write up cheat sheets for $50 bucks, and then with the enlistment of scrawny Virgil and his no nonsense cousin Han, the guys end up with a reputation that leads to bigger and riskier things...The film has a great fresh style and pace to it, Justin Lin's direction is impecable. Slow motion edits, fast cuts, perfect timing with the soundtrack, good cinematography are all apparant and enjoyable and not to annoying as they sometimes can be when they are thrown at you constantly. What's probably the most telling thing about this movie is the focus on Asian-Americans in a not so seen light. All these kids have the world ahead of them, perfect grades, homes, money, but they are all dead inside and lacking direction. It doesn't help also that their parents in the film are nowhere to be seen, and no doubt non existent. All the trappings of success and great intelligence that the kids have is no match for there lack of faith and spiritual deadness which Better Luck Tomorrow shows off impecably!Most important is the camradare these kids share and the wonderful casting that was chosen. Derick exhudes confidence and smarts like a crooked politician, Han is the cool guy doesn't say much looks like he can break your face with his intesnse stare, and Ben is the guy we follow through all his dillemas and trials with much anticipation and hope. But the best is saved for the scrawny Virgil played AMAZINGLY by Jason J Tobin. He's the small kid who ends up a lot like the whipping post, and over compensates his rash bravado and toughness to hide his obvious weaknesses and extreme vulnerability. He is the guy you can't help smile and appreciate but also pray for knowing that he is in someway doomed cause of his lack of self esteem.Wonderful filmRating 9 out of 10.

not much beyond the scope of believability...as unbelievable as that may seem after watching this movie.When people say this movie has no plot, they really mean this movie has no linear predictable path with a climactic high point and typical wrap up resolution. It is in fact, absurd and unpredictable, which is why it is so powerful. Sorry, but reality doesn't always have an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and tidy resolution. Again, sorry if that is what you were expecting or wanted.

therefore feel a little like I "know these guys" .Lim's directing is first-rate. Tarantino may have popularized the device of telling a story out of order and letting the viewer put the pieces together --- but Lim employs it with a restraint that makes Tarantino's films look almost gimmicky by comparison.

real commitment to the values of service.Ben is the central character, a youth of untapped ability and boundless promise who seems unable to find any real meaning in his academic goals. The others are a cross-section of teenagers running from the daring to the reckless to the pathological.He slowly falls hard for Stephanie, a beautiful classmate actually almost thirty when the film was made but you'd never know it . She has a manipulative, rich boyfriend, "Stevo," and her relationship with him is both resistant and dependent. Girls in this film are ancillary arm candy for the males. Stephanie, who has issues of her own, she refers to her obligatory therapist, knows she's dominated by Steve but resisting submissiveness is very hard. Asian-American or not, Stephanie is a very recognizable teenager. Not too different a story from many high school buddy films, that part.What is different and distinctive about this story are two factors. The first is that Ben and his friends start running scams at stores to get money for stolen merchandise returned for refunds and then graduate to both selling and using drugs. Their criminal activities become both more sinister and essentially aimless as challenge predominates over possible gain. To describe more would be to give away a genuinely original story line.The second factor that separates "Better Luck Tomorrow" from the usual run-of-the-mill teen angst flick is the total absence of adult authority figures- parents, teachers one biology teacher has a brief, colorless classroom presence , police a sole cop is shown in a couple of seconds in a hallway, almost an opaque shadow . These kids have wheels and money but there's no evidence of their being accountable to anybody. Their ambitions and schemes are their sole interior reality.Many IMDb comments are from Asian-Americans who view the characters as reflecting their own background. There is a brutal fight scene between the Asian boys and white kids at an unsupervised of course booze bash but much of the behavior that escalates into disaster isn't limited to any racial or ethnic group. I'm not even sure I feel comfortable dismissing the behavior as just another example of SoCal teen life.The acting here, by a cast unknown check IMDb for their names is outstanding as is the direction and cinematography that pictures a slightly bleached suburb mirroring the superficiality of the central male characters. Anomie rather than evil is the malevolent controlling force for most of the boys.A very disturbing film-one that does and should arouse discussion.8/10.

point that is so involving we cannot look away. What I enjoyed so much about this film is that its characters are intelligent, but their intelligence is constantly overwhelmed by hormones and social pressures typical of the American teenager. It begins as a story of four Asian-American high school students, all with promising futures and crystal clean records, who decide to enter a life of crime and violence. Their crimes are easy because their reputations as do-gooders make them inconspicuous. The film follows Ben, whose richly observant narration offers a voyeur type insight into their declining souls. We watch, with unblinking eyes as harmless vices transform into drugs and murder. Soon enough the lives of these characters collapse, rendering one a surviver of a botched suicide attempt, and another a paranoid killer. The brilliance of these characters is not simply an excuse for their crimes, but an added weight on their shoulders. Their intelligence breeds conflict; they are smart enough to know that their lives are being jeopardized, but logical enough to see that when the extra pennies are so easy to attain, the crime is to lose the opportunity. The crown jewel of this film is Stephanie, strongly portrayed by beautiful Karin Anna Cheug, possibly the hottest new thing to hit Hollywood in years. Her character is strong, on par with the boys in terms of intellect and achievement, but her heart is gold. Mark my words, after the release of this film, this girl is going to be on the cover of every magazine in this country. Wonderful girl, Wonderful film.

acting and a terrific script helps carry the core message of Better Luck Tomorrow. And that message is that although these kids are incredibly smart and in many ways lead adult lives, they're still just kids and aren't emotionally prepared for the kind of situations they find themselves in. The movie does a great job of showing the slow escalation in both pressure and stakes when the boys move from petty teenage scams to real hardcore crime. By the end of the movie you feel like you've accompanied these boys on a very long journey, and not one of them is the same when it's over.It's also a somewhat disturbing window into the lives of modern high-achieving high schoolers. The filmmakers make what I'm sure was an intentional, searing indictment of the parents of such kids - not one parent is seen or even really talked about in the entire movie. To me the message was obvious - that the parents are so immersed in their own lives that they are content to basically put their children on autopilot as long as, as one character memorably puts it, "the grades are there". I wouldn't be surprised if some people especially baby boomers find this way too real to make them comfortable. The film is paced well and is full of interesting little scenes and bits of dialogue, and they aren't solely for amusement. I realized that many of them were there to obliquely foreshadow what would happen later. This is called great screenwriting. Couple that with very capable direction and this is one impressive film. I think that there's a very promising future ahead for all of the obviously talented people involved in Better Luck Tomorrow. Hats Off!