What Is the Story About?
Chang Can Dunk is a coming of age tale of a young Asian-American teen and basketball fanatic who just wants to dunk and impress the girl on whom his rival hits on. However, the journey of self discovery leads him to learn much more about himself, his best friends, and his mother.
Performances?
Bloom Li’s performance as Chang carries the movie upfront. He gives a character and personality to the angsty try hard teenager, elevates the predictable writing and marks himself stand-out in the film.
Apart from Li, the scene-stealer is Mardy Ma who plays Chang’s single mother. Her scenes with Li are so well written and all the more adorable. Li’s chemistry with Ben Wang who plays Mo is also a riot.
Analysis?
Written and directed by Jingyi Shao, Chang Can Dunk is Disney’s latest outing that shines through and through shuttling all the major cliches in a coming of age teen drama.
Chang Can Dunk follows Chang, a 16-year-old basketball fanatic, ardent fan of late Kobe Bryant who motivates himself through his success story. Determined to shred his geeky image, Chang grooms himself before new school year begins. Like every teenager, his only aim is to get popular in school and have a popular girlfriend.
As he explains his wishes to his friend Bo, Chang meets Kristy (Zoe Renee), who he instantly develops a crush on. To impress Kristy, Chang places a bet on the School’s most popular high school basketball player Matt that by the coming homecoming he’ll dunk. This bet, however changes life unexpectedly and for the better for Chang. What begins as a silly high-school drama becomes a heart-warming tale of self-realisation, realisation of family, roots and a motivated rebellion against stereotypes and expectations.
One of the biggest strengths of Chang Can Dunk is it’s believable protagonist. Apart from the stunning turn from Li, Chang is a character sketched with so much honesty and tenderness into him despite belonging to the typical angsty teenage dreamer template.
Chang Can Dunk also reflects struggles every teenager goes through during school days as validation and popularity metres get too mainstream,sometimes even stereotypical and racist. The film also depicts challenges that every teen faces while trying to figure out their interests and ambitions, besides throwing light on generation gap and asian values of family and belongingness.
Chang’s relationship with his Mother and best-friend truly cover the best moments in the film. Some of them are really laugh-out-loud moments, while some are really heart-touching and endearing. Although Chang Can Dunk doesn’t villainize anyone as such, it sure sheds a commentary on racism and racial privilege with Matt’s character.
In short, Chang Can Dunk is a watchable, endearing coming of age dramedy. It’s also not devoid of the regular cliches we are so used to seeing in American coming of age dramas of today. Nevertheless, Chang Can Dunk can go directly into your watchlist if you enjoy sport films and high school coming of age films.
Music and Other Departments?
Ross Riege’s camera work in Chang Can Dunk is adequate. The camera seals the apprehensions, ambitions, angst and self realisation of Chang seamlessly. Brad Turner’s editing and Nathan Mathew David’s score is also adequate.
Highlights?
Core Story
Screenplay
Cast
Chang and his Mother’s relationship
Drawbacks?
Cliched & predictable writing
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes. It’s a sweet little movie
Chang Can Dunk Movie Review by Binged Bureau |Chang Can Dunk |Chang Can Dunk Review