The One Where the Asian Guy Gets the Girl

[YuheiCarreau]

Since this either is or becomes the underlying theme to most of the posts about Asians in the media, just how many American movies are there that feature Asian/AA men in an onscreen romance with an Asian/AA woman?

The only one I can think of is Surf Ninjas, which my sisters and I watched a kajillion times growing up. Cheesy as hell, but lots of fun!

[Hanuman]

The Replacements - Chow Yun Fat and Miro Sorvino
Return of the Dragon - Bruce Lee hooks up with a friendly Roman
Rapid Fire - Bruce Lee Jr, Jason Lee hooks up with a female cop
The One - Jet Li is married to a cute caucasion.
Romeo must die - Jet Li and Alyiah
Kiss of the Dragon - Jet Li and Briget Fonda
The Tuxedo - Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt (I think, I didn't see the movie)


That's all I can think off.

[teaz0r]

all the porn that i watch.
all the asian guys get the girl.
be it it's only one girl, and they have to share.
but they don't seem to mind.


oh the bruce lee story: dragon - with jason scott lee?

[Green_Circle]

Originally posted by Tawee@Feb 10 2003, 12:53 PM
The Replacements - Chow Yun Fat and Miro Sorvino
Return of the Dragon - Bruce Lee hooks up with a friendly Roman
Rapid Fire - Bruce Lee Jr, Jason Lee hooks up with a female cop
The One - Jet Li is married to a cute caucasion.
Romeo must die - Jet Li and Alyiah
Kiss of the Dragon - Jet Li and Briget Fonda
The Tuxedo - Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt (I think, I didn't see the movie)


That's all I can think off.
It's true there really aren't that many at all. But then why is that? The hero is always supposed to get the girl. Another rip off?

[DaBestSpooner]

Personal Velocity

indie hottie Parker Posey has an affair behind her white husband's back with a vietnamese writer

[YuheiCarreau]

NO NO NO

The Asian guy gets the Asian girl!

[Shuriken]

Daughter of Shanghai (1937) Philip Ahn gets Anna May Wong

Walk Like a Dragon (1960) James Shigeta gets Nobu McCarthy (beating Jack Lord)

Flower Drum Song (1961) James Shigeta gets Miyoshi Umeki & Jack Soo gets Nancy Kwan

Judge Dee and the Monastery Murder (1974) Soon-Tek Oh gets Susie Elene

The Last Emperor (1987) John Lone gets Joan Chen and Vivian Wu

Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) Russell Wong gets Cora Miao

Surf Ninjas (1993) Ernie Reyes Jr. gets Kelly Hu

Golden Gate (1994) Stan Egi gets Joan Chen (beating Matt Dillon)

(not a Hollywood movie but) Hundred Percent (1998) Dustin Nguyen gets Tamlyn Tomita & Dante Basco gets Keiko Agena (while Garrett Wang loses Lindsay Price)

Mulan (1998) B.D. Wong gets Ming-Na

[YuheiCarreau]

Jeez, now I feel bad for using the word 'get'... Sounds kinda sexist, even in context :D


Shuriken, could you maybe add a description of some of those films?

[ism]

Originally posted by Tawee@Feb 10 2003, 07:53 AM
Romeo must die - Jet Li and Alyiah
I'd hardly call that a romance. Forced into a situation where they have to work together, I'd call it plutonic friendship at best.

[Hanuman]

Originally posted by Shuriken@Feb 10 2003, 01:12 PM


Surf Ninjas (1993) Ernie Reyes Jr. gets Kelly Hu


That was Kelly Hu? Wow, I'd forgotten that, I have to rent that again.

[537]

Originally posted by ism@Feb 10 2003, 12:38 PM
I'd hardly call that a romance. Forced into a situation where they have to work together, I'd call it plutonic friendship at best.
agreed. Jet Li got NO Aaliyah ass.

None. Zip. Zilch.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by Tawee@Feb 10 2003, 12:44 PM
Originally posted by Shuriken@Feb 10 2003, 01:12 PM


Surf Ninjas (1993) Ernie Reyes Jr. gets Kelly Hu


That was Kelly Hu? Wow, I'd forgotten that, I have to rent that again.
omg wasn't Leslie Nielsen in that?!! I remember turning off that movie before it was even halfway done.

[thaite]

I don't think The Replacement Killer counts because Chow Yun really didn't get Mira Sorvino. The alluded to a certain attraction and tension, but never took it anywhere. I don't think Hollywood is ready for it.

[mr. x]

There was no GETTING, but in the second Mortal Kombat Jade seduces that asian hero i forget his name

turns out she's bad though

[tvbdude]

There was no GETTING, but in the second Mortal Kombat Jade seduces that asian hero i forget his name

turns out she's bad though

you mean liu kang?

[DragonKnight]

Gawd, there was this one independent film I saw in which a Filipino guy steals away this Japanese girl from this wierd caucasian guy who loves Bruce Lee yet can't tell the difference between Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese. :lol:

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by tvbdude@Feb 10 2003, 10:34 PM
There was no GETTING, but in the second Mortal Kombat Jade seduces that asian hero i forget his name

turns out she's bad though

you mean liu kang?
Robin Shou = Liu Kang

[DragonKnight]

Ah-ha, found it:

Disoriented (http://www.disorientedmovie.com/index.html), Filipino guy steals away Japanese girl from wierdo Caucasian guy.

[Azn Retribution]

I wonder if that is showing in the dallas area. looks pretty interesting

[Shuriken]

Originally posted by YuheiCarreau@Feb 10 2003, 07:50 PM
Shuriken, could you maybe add a description of some of those films?
My own observations about Daughter of Shanghai can be found here (http://www.yellowworld.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=12).

For information about the other films, I recommend that you check out the Internet Movie Data Base (http://www.imdb.com). Just enter a movie's title in the search field. You can also use your own search engine to find out more.

And I hope I didn't offend anyone with my use of the word "get." Even if I did, I'm not resigning my subcommittee chairmanship. :D

[DragonKnight]

Originally posted by Azn Retribution@Feb 11 2003, 12:34 PM
I wonder if that is showing in the dallas area. looks pretty interesting
I saw it on International Channel I think. But that was at least 2 yrs ago or so. I e-mailed the the website on where I can get a copy of the video. I'm hoping to show it at my college. :D

[thaite]

Yeah, I'll have to check it out.

[BeTheReds]

How about Snow falling on cedars?

Yuki Kudoh ends up with Rick Yune instead of Ethan Hawke.

[YuheiCarreau]

Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 12 2003, 01:30 AM
How about Snow falling on cedars?

Yuki Kudoh ends up with Rick Yune instead of Ethan Hawke.
Rick Yune is in that movie? Not so sure I wanna see it now...

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by YuheiCarreau@Feb 12 2003, 09:49 AM
Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 12 2003, 01:30 AM
How about Snow falling on cedars?

Yuki Kudoh ends up with Rick Yune instead of Ethan Hawke.
Rick Yune is in that movie? Not so sure I wanna see it now...
Regarding the quality of acting, even if I could really tell the difference between good acting and mediocre acting (I usually can't, I can only tell the difference between mediocre/good acting and horrible acting), it wouldn't really matter to me, but then again, I like movies like Con Air.....like it makes a difference if the main character is played by Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Kevin Spacey, or Rick Yune.... :unsure: :P

[yoMAMA]

Rick Yune is BADASS in TF&F,

too bad the fed had to bust his ass in the end of the film.

[BeTheReds]

What is it with all this hating on Rick Yune? He's a good actor, and his role in Snow Falling on Cedars was very very positive... a Japanese American who fought the Germans in WW2 who came home only to find the land his father sacrificed to buy in the hands of a white man who benefitted from his family's internment.

Are you pissed cuz he played the asian dood in F&F?

Or is it cuz he is the bad guy in the latest bond film?

[MellowDrama]

Shuriken, would you like to comment on "Snow On Falling Cedars"?

I'm sure your crit. of it is better than mine.

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 12 2003, 04:59 PM
What is it with all this hating on Rick Yune? He's a good actor, and his role in Snow Falling on Cedars was very very positive... a Japanese American who fought the Germans in WW2 who came home only to find the land his father sacrificed to buy in the hands of a white man who benefitted from his family's internment.

Are you pissed cuz he played the asian dood in F&F?

Or is it cuz he is the bad guy in the latest bond film?
I think he's a bad actor. I'd like him to be my mute sex slave though.

[Shuriken]

Originally posted by MellowDrama@Feb 13 2003, 03:44 AM
Shuriken, would you like to comment on "Snow On Falling Cedars"?

I'm sure your crit. of it is better than mine.
Thanks for your interest in my opinion, M.D. I don't really have time to write anything long or elaborate about Snow Falling on Cedars. But I did think that the movie was quite well done. I thought that the visuals and the way that the story unfolded were absolutely outstanding. Those shots of the snow falling on the trees are still haunting. But there was one thing about this movie that completely ruined it for me...

Youki Kudoh's Japanese accent!

Okay, this character is born in the United States, raised in the United States, educated in the United States, and she speaks with a Japanese accent??? What's up with that??? If the story called for a white daughter of European parents — a white woman who was born in the United States, raised in the United States, and educated in the United States — would they have cast a white actress who spoke with a European accent? I think not. The filmmakers probably cast Youki Kudoh primarily to make the film easier to sell in Japan, where she is a star. Kudoh's accent might not have bothered me as much if the internment hadn't been such a major subplot in the film. But this was an historical incident which came about, for all intents and purposes, because white American society saw no meaningful distinction between Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals. Ironically, Snow Falling on Cedars failed to make this distinction as well: if the character has an Asian face, Hollywood seems to believe, she must speak with a foreign accent. If Kudoh had been able to pull off a believable American accent, I'd probably be a big fan of the film.

Now, I realize that it would be within the realm of possibility for such a character to speak with a foreign accent. But this was a story in which the character's Americanness played a crucial role, and I think that the movie should have played that up to an American audience that still has trouble acknowledging the Americanness of Asian Americans.

One other thing about Snow Falling on Cedars that bothers me: Hatsuye (Kudoh's character) and Kazuo (Rick Yune) are the second and third most important people in the story, after Ethan Hawke's protagonist. But Kudoh and Yune get sixth and seventh billing in the opening credits — after the actors who play the sheriff and the prosecuting attorney (less important characters not played by big-name stars). Moreover, the actors who play the sheriff and the prosecuting attorney get to have their names alone on the screen in the opening credits (what's called "single-card billing"), while Kudoh's and Yune's names are billed on the screen together. This is like Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henried getting sixth and seventh billing in Casablanca! I think it's utterly disrespectful to the actors, and I have to wonder whether the movie would have given white actors who played such important roles such shoddy billing.

Snow Falling on Cedars should have cast an Asian actress (preferrably Asian American) who could speak with a convincing American accent, and it should have given that actress appropriate billing in the opening credits. The fact that the film did not do these things ruined it for me. But otherwise, it's very well made.

Nevertheless, I should have put Snow Falling on Cedars on my first list. Not including it was an oversight on my part. Thanks to BTR for reminding us about it.

[YuheiCarreau]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Feb 12 2003, 09:49 PM
Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 12 2003, 04:59 PM
What is it with all this hating on Rick Yune?  He's a good actor, and his role in Snow Falling on Cedars was very very positive... a Japanese American who fought the Germans in WW2 who came home only to find the land his father sacrificed to buy in the hands of a white man who benefitted from his family's internment.

Are you pissed cuz he played the asian dood in F&F?

Or is it cuz he is the bad guy in the latest bond film?
I think he's a bad actor. I'd like him to be my mute sex slave though.
I'm with HH... Not on the sex slave thing though.

He was bland in F&F and almost as boring as Pierce Brosnan in the Bond movie.

[DaBestSpooner]

oh god rick yune

have you ever seen him on politically incorrect? not only is he a douche, he makes the super models on the show look like mensa members.

[Shuriken]

http://www.nancy-kwan.com/nancyF8.jpg

Jack Soo, Nancy Kwan, Miyoshi Umeki, and James Shigeta in Flower Drum Song (1961)

[Shuriken]

http://www.philipahn.com/dos26x4.jpg

Philip Ahn and Anna May Wong in Daughter of Shanghai (1937)

[AngryABCGirl]

What is it with all this hating on Rick Yune? He's a good actor, and his role in Snow Falling on Cedars was very very positive... a Japanese American who fought the Germans in WW2 who came home only to find the land his father sacrificed to buy in the hands of a white man who benefitted from his family's internment.

Are you pissed cuz he played the asian dood in F&F?

Or is it cuz he is the bad guy in the latest bond film?
I think he's a bad actor. I'd like him to be my mute sex slave though.[/QUOTE]

[/QUOTE]
Yes please.

[mr. x]

what was he like on politically incorrect?