A coming of age cautionary tale, Better Luck Tomorrow is a fresh take on teenage rebellion that spirals out of control. Tomorrow is distinctive because it dispels the notion that immoral youthful aggression only happens to others less fortunate. When parents least expect it their straight-A geek of a child morphs into a juvenile delinquent, enters their home and snoozes where a model citizen formerly resided. Tomorrow's 'wannabe hoodrats' who shrink when confronted with hardcore machine gun toting thugs are richly portrayed by a fine ensemble cast, but it's Parry Shen who shines most brightly as the naïve Ben Manibag. 

For all appearances, Ben is the quintessential high school senior preparing for his SATs, participating in school sports, holding down a fast-food gig and volunteering to help the needy. Ben has a résumé many would envy. Yet beneath the aspiring coed's strait-laced veneer is a youngster in adolescent flux. He's easily distracted by hormones, peer pressure and the monotony of his achievement. So the ever-diligent Ben embarks on a detour that will add a sentence to his résumé, alter his fortunes and put a macho swagger in his step.

Along for the journey are the James Dean-like Han (Sung Kang) and skateboard dude Virgil (Jason Tobin). Momentarily abandoning the pursuit of the petit bourgeoisie, the three engage in petty crimes as a means to punctuate the dreariness of their suburban existence. With the addition of Daric (Roger Fan) the trio becomes a quartet and their capers escalate from delinquency to felony.

Just kidding ;-). M

April 2003

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