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Better Luck Tomorrow
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Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) -- A group of over-achieving Asian-American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extra-curricular criminal activities.
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) -- A group of over-achieving Asian-American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extra-curricular criminal activities.
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) -- A group of over-achieving Asian-American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extra-curricular criminal activities.
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) -- A group of over-achieving Asian-American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extra-curricular criminal activities.

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   5,550 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Justin Lin
Writers:
Ernesto Foronda (written by) &
Justin Lin (written by) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Better Luck Tomorrow on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
Never underestimate an overachiever. more
Plot:
A group of over-achieving Asian-American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extra-curricular criminal activities. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Hey, Paulington: The Black List, Reboots, and Cineplex Sex!
 (From MovieWeb. 29 April 2009, 12:28 PM, PDT)

Universal's Fast and Furious Super Bowl TV Spot
 (From FirstShowing.net. 31 January 2009, 8:33 PM, PST)

User Comments:
A Disturbing View of the Slide Into Anomie more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Parry Shen ... Ben Manibag

Jason J. Tobin ... Virgil Hu
Shirley Anderson ... Hot Dog Planet Customer
Nanette Matoba ... Housewife
Kenji Matoba ... Toddler

Sung Kang ... Han
Ashley Arai ... Cheerleader
Danielle Conner ... Cheerleader
Karen DiTota ... Cheerleader
Smita Satiani ... Cheerleader
Kristen Stinson ... Cheerleader
Jeff DeJohn ... Ryan

Robert Zepeda ... Jock

Collin Kahey ... Jock
Christopher J. Francis ... Jock
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for violence, drug use, language and sexuality.
Runtime:
101 min | USA:98 min (2003 version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Alhambra, California, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
According to an April 2003 NPR radio interview with Elvis Mitchell, Justin Lin's production company was on the verge of folding unless he could secure a certain amount of funding. Lin had essentially resigned himself to failure; but on a whim called a celebrity he had met once in Las Vegas. Lin got a call the day before the deadline from the celeb saying that he had read the script and wanted to provide some backing. Two hours later, the new investor had wired Lin the money and saved the production. The celebrity: MC Hammer. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Early in the film when Virgil is standing in the strip mall parking lot, a wide shot shows two blank store signs in the background. In the close-up, he has shifted down the parking lot slightly, and is now standing further to the right of the signs. This can be confirmed by looking at the addresses below each sign, which have changed. more
Quotes:
Ben Manibag: I shoot 215 free throws a day. My goal is to beat Calvin Murphy's record of 95.8%. Thats 207 baskets. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2004) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Bouncing Baby Buddah more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
17 out of 23 people found the following comment useful:-
A Disturbing View of the Slide Into Anomie, 20 February 2004
8/10

"Better Luck Tomorrow" has attracted much IMDb comment despite being shown in few theaters and then over a short period. Now available in DVD it will clearly garner a slowly widening audience by word of mouth. And it should.

This idie film operates on several levels. The story of a loose cohort of high school high achievers, mostly Asian-American, they are simultaneously self-challenged to make it to the Ivies while at the same time drifting in an affluent bubble of moral emptiness. They volunteer for public service project for points to strengthen their "apps" without any 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.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Uhm, why did this receive a 7.2? ThatOneGuyFromIMDB
this movie sucked, nothing to do with stereotypes doodwithbooks
Some of the shots made me feel sick! stupid_mansuit
Collin Kahey is my Roommate nicholas_lee
what happened to the alternate ending? poly800rock
Main Theme ebios
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