Critic Reviews
| 90 |
New Times (L.A.)
David Ehrenstein
The cast is uniformly excellent; all involved seem keyed into the subtextual subtleties of a story that, while simple on the surface, is exceedingly rich underneath.
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| 80 |
Los Angeles Times
Kevin Thomas
Illuminating as it is entertaining.
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| 75 |
Chicago Tribune
Kevin M. Williams
Delightful coming-of-age film that becomes universal by way of its subject matter.
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| 75 |
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
Familiar in its story arc, but fresh in its energy and lucky in its choice of actors.
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| 70 |
The New York Times
Lawrence Van Gelder
Sometimes amateurishly acted by the appealing younger cast but is nonetheless a neat blend of well-drawn major characters and drama, music, dance, romance and humor that generates considerable charm and achieves a heartwarming resolution of its generational conflict.
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| 70 |
LA Weekly
Chuck Wilson
Having built his cast from friends and family, the director is left with some stilted acting, but that's easily outweighed by the film's infectious enthusiasm.
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| 63 |
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
A likable, if somewhat earnest, exploration of cultural identity.
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| 60 |
Washington Post
Michael O'Sullivan
It is also, despite the all-too-rare focus on the Filipino American community, a creakily familiar take on an age-old family dynamic.
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| 60 |
Village Voice
Laura Sinagra
Has a sweet low-budget quality that sometimes slips into TV-movie schmaltz.
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| 50 |
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
That it feels so predictable is, ironically, a tribute to the universality of the experience it explores.
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| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Edward Guthmann
A melodramatic yarn that transcends some of its technical and storytelling flaws through the cheery energy and sincerity of its cast.
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| 50 |
Variety
Dennis Harvey
A pleasant and polished first feature for director Gene Cajayon.
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| 50 |
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Earnest and predictable.
|
| 40 |
Chicago Reader
Ted Shen
A hackneyed coming-of-age drama.
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