Easter Sunday

The funniest moments in Easter Sunday are surprisingly the ones that are the most awkward and have nothing to do with anything, yet they allow the film's star, Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy, to do what he does best.  That would be his stand up routine.  There are a couple moments in the film where he suddenly launches into what his essentially his stand up act, and he gets some big laughs.  He's less successful as a leading man in a comedic narrative, in which this is his first attempt.  

I don't want to dissuade him from trying again, just maybe get a better script next time, or maybe write one for himself.  He has a real confidence when he's just being funny, and a lot of his humor rings true.  He also has great interactions with other comedians, such as Tiffany Haddish, who has a funny cameo as an ex-girlfriend who is now a cop, and savors over the fact that she's pulled him over for speeding.  He shows a lot of potential here, but the material when he's not doing his stand up falters.  I'm talking about the stuff that seems recycled out of ancient sitcom cliches, such as the hurried dad who's too busy to appreciate his teenage son, and especially the stuff about the violent gang that get dragged into the plot.  Koy is so funny just being himself, it's a shame he has to be burdened with this kind of material.

In the world of stand up, he has made a name by creating a likable act centered around his family and culture.  The movie tries to play upon this from time to time, and there are some nice touches that Filipinos will recognize.  As someone who has been dating a Filipino for the past five and a half years, and have been getting a crash course in the food and culture, I certainly appreciated these moments.  I would have appreciated them more if they were attached to an actual plot that didn't read like it was written after a marathon binge watch of 90s television.  It creates an odd disconnect in the film, where the representation of the culture and Koy's material seems fresh, while the character he's playing and the plot itself feel like reheated leftovers from 30 years ago.

Koy plays Joe Valencia, a rising comic and struggling actor who is most famous for starring in a series of beer commercials, and is remembered by everyone for his obnoxious catch phrase.  Joe has a chance for a lead supporting role on a sitcom, but the network wants him to play the role with a funny accent, due to his ethnicity.  While his agent (the film's director, Jay Chandrasekhar) urges him to do the accent and take the role, Joe finds himself torn.  Meanwhile, his mother (Lydia Gaston) is pressuring him to come home to celebrate Easter with the family.  He brings along his distant teenage son, Joe Jr. (Brandon Wardell), who is struggling at his private school; a plot that is introduced and forgotten about as soon as Joe Jr. meets a pretty teenage girl at a park. 

At home, Joe is reunited with his scheming cousin Eugene (Eugene Cordero), who owes $40,000 to a gangster (Asif Ali), who wants his money by the end of the day.  As the guys are racing about the city to get the money, there is also a family feud between Joe's mother and her sister Theresa (Tia Carrere) that has been going on so long, they've probably forgotten what they're still fighting about.  Throw in a cameo from Lou Diamond Phillips (having fun kidding himself and his career), a lot of underwritten roles for the rest of Joe's family, including his ex-wife and her new boyfriend, and some knowing humor aimed at Filipino culture, and you have an uneven movie that is pleasant, but only works from time to time.

Easter Sunday benefits whenever it's letting its strong comic cast just play off each other and improvise, which it doesn't do as often as it should.  I was more interested in what these characters were saying, rather than the plugged in plot elements of missing money, gun-toting gang members, and repairing a distant father and son relationship.  This is why I am hoping that Koy gets to write his own screenplay, as he seems smart enough to carry his own brand of comedy through an entire film without having to resort to these cliches.  You can see it in his performance.  He's much more animated when he's improvising.  When he has to stick to the script, he's likable, but not as magnetic.

As for why this movie is being released in August, rather than the spring, your guess is as good as mine, but I fear the studio is just pushing it out quietly.  Jo Koy deserves better, and hopefully he gets it the next time around. 

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