Fakin' da Funk
| Fakin' da Funk | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tim Chey |
| Written by | Tim Chey |
| Produced by | Tim Chey Harry Yoo Darren M. Demetre |
| Starring | Pam Grier Tone Loc Ernie Hudson Tatyana Ali |
| Cinematography | Zoltán David |
| Edited by | Chris Peppe |
| Music by | Charlie Gross |
Production company | Octillion Entertainment |
| Distributed by | USA Network |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Fakin' da Funkis a 1997comedy filmwritten and directed byTim Chey.It starsPam Grier,Ernie Hudson,Dante Basco,Tone Loc,Margaret Cho,andTatyana Ali.The film is about two Asian-American youths trying to adjust to a new environment inSouth Central Los Angeles,with one being a Chinese boy who was adopted and raised by Black parents, and the other a foreign-exchange student.
Plot
[edit]Joe and Annabelle Lee, a Black couple living inAtlanta,are thrown for a surprise when they learn the baby that they adopted is Chinese and not black. Despite the mix-up, they decide to raise the baby, Julian, as their own. After Joe's death a few years later, the family decides to uproot from Atlanta toLos Angeles.Once in LA, Julian tries to befriend his peers, but they are perplexed that he is Asian, yet talks and acts as if he isBlack.Julian is also forced to intervene when his younger brother Perry falls in with a local gang.
In a parallel plot, foreign-exchange student May-Lee similarly experiences confusion when she discovers that she is being housed with a black family inSouth Central.
Cast
[edit]- Ernie Hudsonas Joe Lee
- Pam Grieras Annabelle Lee
- Margaret Choas May-Lee
- Dante Bascoas Julian Lee
- Rashaan Nallas Perry Lee
- Duane Martinas Brandon
- John Witherspoonas Bill
- Tone Locas "Frog"
- Bo Jacksonas Reverend Cecil
- Tichina Arnoldas Tracy
- Chris Spenceras Charlie
- Kelly Huas Kwee-Me
- Rudy Ray Mooreas Larry
- Reynaldo Reyas Earnest
- Nell Carteras Claire
- Martin Chow as Sushi Chef
- Marta Cunningham as Tracy
- Ron Yuanas Walter "Chinese Walter"
- Dwanye Hackett as Willie
- Tatyana Alias Karyn
Production
[edit]The film was shot from July 9 to August 3, 1996[1]in South Central LA.[2]
Release
[edit]The film had its world premiere in July 1997 at theAsian American International Film Festival.[3]It went on to screen at theHamptons International Film Festivalthat October.[4][5]It also screened at the Urbanworld Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award,[6]and theLos Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.[7]
The film was aired on theUSA Network,where it became one of the channel's highest-rated films.[8][9]
It was released on DVD on January 4, 2000, by Image Entertainment.[10]
Reception
[edit]Brendan Kelly ofVarietycalled the film "an energetic, highly likable comedy".[11]He added, "Chey keeps it grooving along at a good pace with lots of laughs along the way, making for a fun, if fairly light, look at a complicated subject", and though "the storytelling is a tad predictable", "the abundance of comic moments helps keep [its] feel-good message about racial harmony from becoming too earnest."[11]
Nathan Rabin ofThe A.V. Clubwas more critical, writing "As in similar films—Woo,Sprung,I Got The Hook-Up,Booty Call—Fakin' Da Funkderives humor from exactly three sources: people insulting one another's parentage, random pop-culture references, and various misunderstandings concerning cultural differences. "[12]
References
[edit]- ^"Fakin' Da Funk - Miscellaneous Notes".Turner Classic Movie Database.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^"Festival Roundup".Filmmaker.No. Winter 1998.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^Dauphin, Gary (July 20, 1997)."Crossed Cultures".Village Voice.Archived fromthe originalon May 24, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^"Hamptons '97: The final word".IndieWire.October 6, 1997.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^Gussow, Mel (October 15, 1997)."Hamptons Film Festival Just Keeps On Growing".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^"An Urban World".IndieWire.August 28, 1997.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^Topel, Fred (May 21, 2012)."Dante 'Rufio' Basco on the Asian Pacific Film Fest and the Hook Prequel".Mandatory.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^"Legislation to limelight".Daily Bruin.November 8, 2007.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^Feng, Peter X. (2002).Identities in Motion: Asian American Film and Video.Duke University Press. p. 212.ISBN978-0822329961.
- ^"Fakin' Da Funk - Releases".AllMovie.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
- ^abKelly, Brendan (November 1, 1997)."Review: 'Fakin' Da Funk'".Variety.RetrievedApril 5,2017.
- ^Rabin, Nathan (March 29, 2002)."Fakin' Da Funk".The A.V. Club.RetrievedFebruary 6,2023.
External links
[edit]- 1997 films
- 1997 comedy films
- 1997 directorial debut films
- 1997 independent films
- Comedy films about Asian Americans
- Hood films
- Hood comedy films
- Films about adoption
- Films about immigration to the United States
- Films about race and ethnicity
- African-American comedy films
- Films about Chinese Americans
- Films directed by Timothy A. Chey
- Films set in Los Angeles
- Films shot in Los Angeles
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s American films
- English-language comedy films