It
may seem unusual to suggest that a rollicking sex comedy
be considered revolutionary, but one could make the case
that Quentin Lee’s THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH
is just that. Karin Anna Cheung (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW)
stars as Angela, whose unabashed sexual escapades lead
to an unplanned pregnancy with an unknown father. With
her biological clock ticking down 9 months, Angela has
to trace her relationship history back to the contraceptive
source. Conveniently, she keeps track of her conquests
on postcards, with all relevant information included such
as name, age, ethnicity and…length/girth.
What
ensues is a flip around the Rolodex as Angela chases down
the Ghosts of Lovers Past, including such notables as
“Nice-But-Boring” (played with absolutely
brilliant cluelessness by Randall Park), the excitable
“Five Sec Guy”, and a few other (un)lucky
bastards. She’s flanked by both her shrill older
sister (Lynn Chen), whose sterile, Pottery Barn-perfect
life contrasts with the chaos of Angela’s, as well
as by Gabriel (Wilson Cruz), the gay best friend who transcends
token status by pursuing a parallel set of romantic misadventures.
Through all this, THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH delves
into sexuality in a way that few other Asian American
features have before. Wayne Wang’s adaptation of
Louis Chu’s EAT A BOWL OF TEA (1989) was one of
the first sex comedies, though in that film Russell Wong
and Cora Miao’s prospects for carnality were always
shadowed by the pressures of filial duty and burdens of
immigrant histories. In contrast, Lee’s latest feature
revels in a liberated sexuality unencumbered by either
guilt-inducing moralism or disapproving parental figures.
The fact that veteran actor James Shigeta shows up as
Angela’s Peyote-dropping, aphorism-spouting father
— easily his best role in decades — suggests
how Lee deliberately tweaks expectations with a sly smile
and wink. Call this his JOY F— CLUB.
Director
Quentin Lee and scriptwriter Koji Steven Sakai keep things
moving with a refreshing blend of modern urban situations,
well-drawn supporting characters and old-fashioned romantic
comedy conventions; even the typical “gay best friend”
role is given a far more nuanced, believable tweak here,
especially thanks to a winning performance by Wilson Cruz
(My SO-CALLED LIFE). Comedian Randall Park (AMERICAN FUSION)
adds extra charm as the clueless-but-willing “Nice-But-Boring
Guy,” while none other than acting legend James
Shigeta (subject of a prior festival retrospective, and
Asian America’s first romantic lead) completes the
circle as Mystery Man’s open-minded father. All
romantic comedies are judged on their stars, however,
and few films can boast as radiant a lead duo as Cheung
and Kao, who bring a sizzling chemistry and screen presence
that not only match, but also overshadow, the casts of
any current Hollywood romance. It’s their performances
that will truly turn heads here, and make THE PEOPLE I’VE
SLEPT WITH a proud new example of the romantic comedy
tradition, and of powerhouse Asian American cinema.
After
the heavy melodrama of 2004’s ETHAN MAO, Lee returns
to the quirkier, subversively comedic territory of his
and Justin Lin’s seminal SHOPPING FOR FANGS (1997).
He’s never been shy in his willingness to shock
his audiences, and with a movie whose subject matter is
as frank as THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH, Lee especially
seems to take special delight in stringing up any number
of societal hang-ups around sexuality and then whacking
them with a strap-on. Uptight wedding planners, the born-again
virgin movement, the opium of suburbia – they all
get their salad tossed. (He also has some classic, squirm-inducing
moments too; let’s just say that not all DNA samples
are collected with a cotton swab). Most of all, there’s
an undeniable pleasure in watching how Asian American
libidinal adventures are treated as something…ordinary,
healthy and enjoyable. That simple acknowledgment, so
rarely found in mass media, is itself worth climaxing
over.
