'Always Be My Maybe' gifted us Randall Park as a romantic lead and we could not be more grateful
If you’re looking for that next light-hearted watch, log in to your Netflix account and click on ‘Always Be My Maybe’ in the “Newly Added” section. One of the funniest movies on the streaming platform right now is this story of an Asian-American couple, and a very handsome, very funny Keanu Reeves, and Netflix really did blow it out of the park with this one.
Starring comedian Ali Wong and Randall Park of ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ fame, the movie is as authentic as it comes, with Wong and Park, even having taken on the role of writers. Giving a giant middle finger to gender and racial stereotypes, ‘Always Be My Maybe’ also happens to be one of the funniest and surprisingly romantic stories, and Park may have had a lot to do with it.
We sure are glad a combination of the fame that came with being on ABC sitcom ‘Fresh Off the Boat,’ coupled with Hollywood’s sudden realization that stories about minority communities have a huge demographic, has allowed Park to explore various roles. From nabbing a role each in the DC and Marvel Cinematic universes to playing a romantic lead in a Netflix film, Park has an impressively diverse resume.
‘Always Be My Maybe,’ especially shows a completely different side of Park – an easy going, lovable borderline loser, who gets by on his charm. His character of Marcus represents so much of our own lost hopes and missed opportunities, and while Caucasian males have played variations of this role many times over, seeing an Asian man struggle with passion and drive was what gave it a very fresh perspective and Park certainly did a spectacular job of portraying his insecurities and jealousy in a way that did not turn us off; as mentioned earlier, charm basically oozes out of Park.
It is nearly impossible to dislike him even during his a**holist moments or to be disgusted by him during his most self-deprecating moments. The brilliant way in which this character was written also needs to be applauded. While his refusal to be Sasha’s (Wong) purse-boy is made explicitly clear in the beginning, we can’t help but marvel at the character’s journey into accepting that the woman he loves is way more successful than him, and could definitely make him a better man.
We need more characters like Marcus on screen, and we need talented actors from minority communities, like Park to portray these characters.
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