[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIa45vslCtE[/youtube]
I had an opportunity to watch 21 AND OVER last Wednesday night with Ellen Sea, production manager for CineVue, before it premiered theatrically on Friday, March 1, and boy was it something! It was a crossover between THE HANGOVER and SUPERBAD–with crazy party scenes, obnoxious moments, and just some plain cringe-worthy scenes. Without giving too much away, it will surely make you reminisce those good ol’ college days.
Overall, I was thrilled to see Justin Chon on the big screen. I discovered him through YouTube, and I secretly dubbed him as the “screaming YouTube guy.” In 21 AND OVER, he plays Jeff Chang, the stereotypical obedient Asian son. At first, I was like oh no, not another blockbuster with this typecast Asian male character. But as the plot moved along, Justin broke out of the norm and became a wild party animal that falls unconscious for most of the film. Hilarity ensues, and after all is said and done, he stands up for what he most believes in and confronts his father. (This reminded me of Mike Chang’s featured episode on GLEE). He stood up for himself and confessed his passion in music–and that passion for the arts is something more and more Asian Americans can relate to nowadays.
Some parts of the film were stereotypical, but the twist at the end was the saving grace–although I must say, it was a bit abrupt. I wish we got to hear or see more of Justin’s back-story: his stress in school, how he interacted with Francois Chau who plays his father, and what drove him to that breaking point of letting go and wanting nothing more but his passion for music.
This movie is certainly something I can relate to, and I’m sure it will take you on an unforgettable journey. It opened everywhere last Friday, so go watch it and help Justin Chon buy that speedboat!
– Judy Lei, Managing Editor
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We also were able to catch Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, and Miles Teller when they were in town to promote the film. Full interview below!
CineVue: Was there anything in the film that you didn’t want to do?
Skylar Astin: The cool thing is that the director gave us the freedom to act as we will. I had the unique opportunity to work with legit directors, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, with a solid comedy background. I trust them so much because they know what’s good. They encouraged me to take risks, both in physicality and in comedy. I’ve always been a risk taker. if you play it safe as an actor/comedian, you will not reach to the level you’re expecting. The first day when filming, wardrobe pulled out sock. I said screw it, I’ll put it on, and hopefully it stays on. Once you do that, everything else is easy.
Miles Teller: The kiss. I knew it was funny. I have nothing against this, but we wore tube socks around our crotch and Skylar had a scrub. I didn’t sign up for this. They’re like, you signed the contract, so you will do it.
CV: What is your favorite moment & scene?
SA: Tower Power. It was all a montage with no audio. We were allowed to be as loud as we wanted to recreate the party scene. I also love the gorge scene, which is a House Fest called the Identity fest. Surprisingly, no camera broke while filming.
MT: The Identity Fest. Spanking sorority girls. It was bad because it was the same girls who spanked us. There was nothing Hollywood about that–we were getting spanked.
CV: Any butt or stunt-double?
SA: No butt-double. I was blessed with this body, and there is no hiding.
Justin Chon: Most of it was me, except for the running scene where I run across the car. It was raining that day, so my stunt-man fell and hit his back against the car. He didn’t get hurt though, so that was good.
MT: No, it was all me. I worked out to prepare for the role.
CV: Where there any offset character development?
SA: We were encouraged to go out and get to know each other. Over the course of filming, we developed a friendship, and we maintain it throughout the tour. We always have a great time together. I still remember the first night, Justin didn’t have his id, so we bought and drank 40s in the parking lot.
CV: Were you guys drunk on set?
SA: We had to keep the buzz up, but Miles and I had a lot of heavy lifting and dialogue, and we needed to keep up. We didn’t do anything too hardcore. We partied during the gorge scene because there were no lines, and we just went crazy.
JC: No. It took me a long time to figure out how to play drunk. Usually drunk people try to find their balance or lean on things. Or they try to get there, but not get there. It was hard to play that character.
CV: What life lesson did each of your character learn from the movie?
SA: Not to take life so seriously. Never let go of the people that really matters, like your best friends.
JC: Jeff can stand up for himself and take control of his own life. His happiness is more important than his parents’. I can see how suffocating it’d be to live out someone else’s life.
MT: Don’t mess with Latins. And friends are for life.
CV: Parts of the film was filmed in China, can you tell us more about this part of the film?
SA: The China scenes are not included in the film. There is a Chinese version of this film. It was a deal with a Chinese studio. We will be there for the premiere.
JC: We filmed in Linyi right outside of Beijing. There will be a Chinese version of this film that will be released in June. It is sort of a homecoming, where I go visit China with Francois Chau. It is the bookend to the film. The funny thing is: I didn’t know I had to speak in Chinese until I got on set. I don’t speak Chinese, so they wrote everything out phonetically. I’m glad I had the chance to travel to China, and it’d be interesting to see it premiere there.
CV: You have written and directed a short film called FULL CIRCLE on Youtube, do you plan on using YouTube as a distribution platform?
JC: I’d love to. In the 70s, there was a huge wave of independent films. The internet now is revitalizing that industry. It gives the power back to the people. I do funny stuff on YouTube, but I also want to put out interesting content on YouTube. Eventually I want to write and direct.
CV: Indie or Mainstream?
JC: I love indie. People are not paid a lot, and their hearts are in it. It requires a collaborative process. You also get to do whatever you want. 21 AND OVER had a similar structure, it was very hands-off, we can do whatever we want to make the movie. It was an awesome experience.