'American Born Chinese' Review: Disney+ Series Struggles To Wield Its Fullest Potential
American Chinese is the kind of show that theoretically has the potential to be a hit with both critics and the general public. A powerfully charismatic premise, a celebration of Chinese culture and the Chinese language, constant jokes in all the right places, commentary on Western culture and racism, and a well-thrown action adventure. The problem is that the Disney+ series doesn't know how to tie multiple themes together, making it a frustrating experience for most of its eight episodes.
The story revolves around Jin Wang ( Ben Wang ), a teenage boy trying to make it to high school as safely as possible when confronted by an overbearing mother. Her life changes when she meets Wei-chen ( Jimmy Liu ), caught in a war between the gods of Chinese mythology. Chinese-American, first offense in the casting process: Wang is very charming, has great comedic timing, and is 100% awesome. At the end of episode 1, we're set to go on an unforgettable journey with him... but the show isn't. Somehow, we're missing out on Wong's talent as the show chooses to sideline Jean and give her the story arcs typically found on The CW.
Everything is everywhere
To be honest, American-born Chinese rarely use their best-known actors. This time, considering that Michelle Yeoh ( Everything, Anywhere, Anytime ) plays every role, it is good to see him here on the screen. The Oscar winner easily transitions from pretty aunt to powerful goddess. She makes everything natural and believable on both sides of her character. It's understandable that he takes a mentoring role (typical) and therefore often takes a back seat, but that doesn't make him any less weird. Half the time the program doesn't know what to do with it.
However, the worst abuse of talent is Freddie Wong's Ke Hui Quan arc. In the series, he is an actor known for portraying the most stereotypical Asian character in a sitcom, which he treats sympathetically. At first glance, the sitcom looks like it's going to be some sort of light-hearted comedy, but we'll be surprised when the show-within-a-show unfolds... It's just not worth it. Disney+ series never show the complexity of viewing the perspectives they capitalize on. It's a testament to Ki Hu Guan's skill that his face is completely different onscreen in the few real scenes he's in, but the downside is that we don't get to see him.
"Chinese Americans" know what they want to do, but they don't understand
Another disappointing thing about American Bon China is that you can really see that the series knows what it's trying to do. In one episode in particular, everything else is thrown aside, so we end up watching a Chinese sitcom, subtitles and all, beyond your expectations. In the overall story, this is going to be a great episode and probably the best of the season. The problem here is that this sitcom is full of characters we don't really care about and whose stories can only be told in short clips. Nor is a sitcom committed enough to reinvent low-budget television material for laughs. Some things are cheesy on purpose, but sometimes they have a special effect and make you wonder why you shouldn't use low budget effects.
This brings us to the funny part of Chinese Americans. The jokes are all there, and mostly good; However, most of them are distributed without proper timing or configuration, so most of them do not work properly. Wong and his on-screen mother Yan Ya Yo quickly form a bond when they share a scene, but it doesn't quite work out. Makes us long for the times when they exchange playful banter.
After all this wasted potential, everyone in the audience is trying to relax and enjoy this American-made Chinese act, which unfortunately isn't very good. More than once, the series expects us to believe that no one will hear the sound of an entire episode disintegrating while Wei-Chen fights a mythical creature. And we'd like to believe that no one noticed that things were different after the fight. In one particular episode, the show used the excuse of people not hearing the fight going on in the next episode by playing music over the speakers. The problem is that sometimes the music stops and... people still aren't listening.
Wuxia fans, rejoice! "American Born Chinese" is here for you.
With clear references to Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon and the visual flair of modern classics like Hero , American-born Chinese 's respect for Wuxia is truly outstanding. In this sense, favors are not limited to commitment, but also to the battles of the session.
At the end of the day, the Chinese American seems determined to tell the world's longest story, even if he ignores the main character and leaves him completely out of the action. It's like the show wants to show its full potential, but maybe they can stick it for a second season. If that's what it takes to bring this story to life, fine, but now it's hard not to see it as a waste of time.
Grade: C+
You can stream every episode of American Bon Chine on Disney+.
