Review: Always Be My Maybe
If Crazy Rich Asians reimagined Pretty Woman through an Asian-American perspective, then Always Be My Maybe, the latest in Netflix's arsenal of rom-coms, takes the When Harry Met Sally... and stamps it with its own brand of cultural specificity. Buoyed by two charismatic stars in Ali Wong and Randall Park as well as a fantastically funny cameo from Keanu Reeves, the feature film debut by Fresh Off the Boat creator Nahnatchka Khan is a winning addition to a genre that is almost on the endangered species list as far as Hollywood studios are concerned.
Wong and Park play Sasha and Marcus, childhood friends who grew up next door to each other in San Francisco. She was practically an orphan, resigned to making dinners for herself since her parents were too busy working. Marcus and his family, dad Harry (James Saito) and mom Judy (Susan Park), were more than happy to embrace her into their home and their family. As teens, their bond is stronger than ever and, when Judy suddenly dies, the two find themselves crossing the friend zone in a deliciously awkward scene that finds them making out in the back seat of Marcus' car. Instead of the expected happily ever after, the two have a terrible falling out.
Cut to 15 years later. Sasha is now a successful celebrity chef in Los Angeles whose fiancé, restaurateur Brandon Choi (Daniel Dae Kim), has just decided that it's time for them to see other people. Back in San Francisco to oversee the opening of her new restaurant, Sasha runs into Marcus, who is still living in his childhood home and looking after his dad. Though he once aspired to be a musician, he's content to play at local dive bars with his bandmates from high school. Sasha and Marcus naturally reconnect, their feelings for one another resurfacing though neither are willing to admit it and there are a couple of obstacles thrown in their way, most notably Keanu Reeves playing himself with such passive-aggressive pretension, arrogance and affability that he all but steals the film.
The divide between Sasha and Marcus in terms of their social status and ambition is portrayed with a welcome lightness of touch. Equally refreshing is the affectionate relationship between Marcus and his dad, especially when Harry gently tells his son to stop using him as an excuse not to move on with his life. Wong and Park make for a sparkling pair, with the former displaying her trademark feistiness whilst garbed in envy-inducing attire and the latter proving himself an irresistible romantic lead. Always Be My Maybe doesn't necessarily break any new ground, but it delivers the laughs, the tears, and the swoons.
Always Be My Maybe
Directed by: Nahnatchka Khan
Written by: Michael Golamco, Randall Park, Ali Wong
Starring: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Daniel Dae Kim, Charlyne Yi, Keanu Reeves, James Saito, Casey Wilson, Michelle Buteau
