Review: Strong cast of 'Boogie' makes its familiar coming-of-age story feel fresh and alive
Coming-of-age sports stories are a universal language, it seems — as evidenced by the energy generated in “Boogie,” a tough-minded drama that marks the feature directing debut of restaurateur and author Eddie Huang.
Huang is best known for his memoir “Fresh Off the Boat,” which was the basis for the ABC sitcom that ended its six-season run last year. “Boogie” covers some of the same territory, as it considers the life of a Taiwanese-American teen, Alfred “Boogie” Chin (played by newcomer Taylor Takahashi), and his immigrant parents — who have competing visions of their son’s road to success.
Boogie is a promising high school basketball player in Queens, New York, recently transferred to City Prep in hopes of drawing the attention of college and pro scouts who are eyeing the league’s top stars. At the top of that list is a superstar street-ball player, Monk (played by rapper Bashar “Pop Smoke” Jackson).
Boogie’s father (Perry Yung), recently paroled, makes his money taking bets at street-ball games, and believes his son has the skills to make it to the NBA. Boogie’s mom (Pamelyn Chee) only wants to know whether Boogie can use his basketball talent to secure a college scholarship. Boogie often plays peacemaker in his parents’ screaming arguments, and it’s clear he’s been in the crossfire since he was very young.
At City Prep, though, Boogie has a chance to escape his parents’ influence, even if it means bucking 5,000 years of Chinese tradition and family obligation. At school, he finds a coach (Domenick Lombardozzi) who won’t tolerate his selfish play, a teacher (Steve Coulter) who challenges him to speak up about “The Catcher in the Rye,” and a female athlete, Eleanor (Taylour Paige, most recently seen in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), who might give him a chance if he’d ever drop the tough-guy facade.
Huang infuses “Boogie” with commentary about assimilation into American culture, and the myth of the “model minority.” There’s also plenty of talk about the stereotypes Asian-American athletes face, and some sly insults hurled at some who’ve made it. (Fans of Jeremy Lin might take offense.)
As a coming-of-age story, Huang sticks to the familiar — even the built-in critique of Holden Caulfield’s self-absorption in “The Catcher in the Rye” feels formulaic in its irony, as if Huang is elbowing you in the ribs with his cleverness.
Where “Boogie” succeeds is in the performances, which are strong across the board. Even the smaller roles — like Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Boogie’s wingman Richie, Mike Moh (who played Bruce Lee in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”) as a ruthless talent agent, or Jackson (who was shot to death last year at age 20) as Boogie’s cold-blooded rival — pop with ferocity.
Yung and Chee, as Boogie’s warring parents, lean into their arguments so powerfully it’s nearly uncomfortable to watch. Paige brings warmth and a healthy skepticism to what could have been a decorative girlfriend role. And Takahashi, in his first movie, is a true find — whose swagger and underlying insecurities provide “Boogie” with some genuine emotion within the standard underdog story.
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‘Boogie’
★★★
Opens Friday, March 5, in theaters where open. Rated R for language throughout including sexual references, and some drug use. Running time: 90 minutes; in English and in Taiwanese Mandarin with subtitles.