Better Luck Tomorrow

Better Luck Tomorrow
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Justin Lin
Produced by	Justin Lin Julie Asato Ernesto Foronda
Written by	Ernesto Foronda Justin Lin Fabian Marquez
Starring	Parry Shen Sung Kang Jason Tobin Roger Fan John Cho Karin Anna Cheung
Music by	Michael Gonzales Tobin Mori
Cinematography	Patrice Lucien Cochet
Editing by	Justin Lin
Studio	MTV Films
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	January 12, 2002
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$250,000
Box office	$3,809,226

Better Luck Tomorrow is a 2002 crime-drama film directed by Justin Lin. The movie is about Asian American overachievers who become bored with their lives and enter a world of petty crime and material excess. Better Luck Tomorrow introduced Karin Anna Cheung to film audiences and a cast including Parry Shen, Sung Kang, Jason Tobin, Roger Fan and John Cho.

The film was based loosely on the murder of Stuart Tay, a teenager from Tustin, California, by four Sunny Hills High School honor students on December 31, 1992, in nearby Fullerton.

In its first ever film acquisition, MTV Films eventually acquired Better Luck Tomorrow after it debuted at The Sundance Film Festival. After meeting at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2001, MC Hammer (credited as a producer) provided the much needed funding to the filmmaker Justin Lin for this film. The director said, "Out of desperation, I called up MC Hammer because he had read the script and liked it. Two hours later, he wired the money we needed into a bank account and saved us."

Plot

Ben Manibag (Parry Shen) and his friend Virgil Hu (Jason Tobin) are lying in the sun discussing college admissions. A cell phone ring tone is heard, and the two crawl along the grass, digging into the turf and discover a human hand.

Four months earlier

Ben and Virgil are the quintessential Asian Americans, seen as highly intelligent overachievers whose only goal is to gain acceptance into the highly prestigious Ivy League universities. In fact, Ben learns a new SAT vocabulary word every night through rote memorization and recitation. These words act as the dividers between different chapters of Ben's life. In reality, Ben reveals that he in fact uses his perfectionism in order to act out in other ways, such as toilet papering houses with Virgil and other petty crimes. Part of these activities include the purchase and return of computer equipment with Virgil, and Virgil's cousin Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang) to earn easy money. Ben is involved in many of the school clubs, all of which are being used to pad his college application. He eventually tries out for the basketball team and makes the team, though he soon discovers that he is merely a bench player. In the meantime, Ben develops a crush on his new lab partner, Stephanie Vandergosh (Karin Anna Cheung), a girl of Asian descent who appears to have been adopted by a white family.

Daric

During practice, Ben is approached by Daric Loo (Roger Fan), the senior valedictorian and the president of nearly every student club. He asks to interview Ben for a newspaper article, asking Ben about being on the team solely due to affirmative action. Ben becomes aggravated at the interview and Daric ends it with some photos. The article is published, resulting in a small group of students protesting the coach’s tokenism at every game. Both Ben and the coach are mortified, and despite an increase in playing time, Ben quits the team.

Daric later shows up at Ben's job at a fast food restaurant. Daric tries to dismiss the incident, but Ben is still angry. Before leaving, he gives Ben a sheet of paper, telling him that he would receive $50 if he finished it by the next day. While Ben at first attempts to dismiss it, he eventually completes it, giving it to Daric the next day.

Ben soon discovers that Daric is running a cheat-sheet operation. He pays Jesus, another student, to break into the faculty office and steal the tests, then proceeds to sell off the cheat sheets to students. Ben is brought into the operation, as are Virgil and Han. The four of them make a small fortune by the operation.

Meanwhile, Ben has fallen in love with Stephanie. He discovers that her boyfriend, Steve Choe (John Cho), who is rich and arrogant, does not seem to appreciate her. Steve discovers Ben's crush and offers to let him take her to the Winter Formal. Ben is confused by the offer and declines, stating that that is Steve's job. He becomes incensed when Stephanie later confronts him with the knowledge.

Escalation

Ben soon discovers his life becoming more and more out of control. As a member of the Academic Decathlon team with Daric, Virgil and Han, the practices at Daric's house devolve into drinking parties. The team fails miserably at their first competition, but Ben observes Steve with another girl. Ben later confronts Steve, telling him that he will not tell her his secret, but that she deserves better. Daric later attempts to go on a date with Stephanie, only to discover (to the remainder of the group's amusement) that the date is in fact a double date.

Later, the group, now intoxicated, arrive at a party, where they are accosted by a football player who mocks them for their perfect image. A fight results in Daric pulling out a gun, stopping the fight. Daric, Virgil and Ben kick the fallen football player mercilessly before leaving the party. Virgil later expresses the rush he felt from the experience, while the remainder of the group observe a gang of cholos in the next lane over. Virgil eventually falls into tears over the possible fallout from the event and the rest of the group is relieved when the gang leaves. At school the next day, news of the fight spreads around school and the four’s notoriety increases. Theories run rampant, including a possible link to the Chinese mafia. They gradually expand into more and more dangerous scams, such as the theft of computer parts from the school and eventually, drugs. They become users themselves, and Ben begins to develop a heavy cocaine habit. They also throw wild parties at Daric's house, which results in their lives running wildly out of control.

Ben accompanies Steve to a batting cage after selling him drugs. Steve expresses to Ben that he knows he should be happy with what he has, but he is not. Instead, he feels stifled by the expectations that others have of him. He envies Ben’s freedom to choose his own path, because his own is already set out for him.

On his birthday, Ben wakes up with a nosebleed as a result of his cocaine use. This is enough to scare him into changing his life. He meets the remainder of the group and tells them that he wants to quit. Daric agrees with him, expressing that their operation has become a full time job. Daric presents a present from the three of them to Ben, wishing him a happy birthday, which is later revealed to be a gun. Virgil continues the operation on his own, but, without the influence of Daric or Ben, is soon discovered thanks to his own carelessness and bragging. Han is forced to take the blame for the cheat sheet operation and is suspended, but not before he proceeds to beat up Virgil.

Ben begins to rebuild his life, studying hard again and engaging in volunteer activities once more. He also begins to spend more time with Stephanie, who reveals a wild side of her own when she gives him a CD [Music You Hump To] that she shoplifted. Ben gathers up the courage to ask Stephanie to the formal, to which she agrees.

The four leave to Las Vegas for the Academic Decathlon championships. They enjoy the pleasures of Vegas until they are discovered to be underage. Daric hires a prostitute and the group proceeds to have sex with her, with Ben being the first. During his turn, Virgil pulls a gun on the prostitute and she storms off. Han berates him, but Virgil pulls the gun on him, resulting in Han angrily storming off. Despite the turmoil, the team wins the competition.

Ben and Stephanie attend the winter formal together and continue to get to know each other. During the formal, the two share a dance. The situation is made clear to Ben when Steve is seen outside of the formal, waiting to take Stephanie home. Ben expresses anger at his situation, as his feelings are getting more intense, but he is unable to pursue anything more.

Murder

Steve meets Ben at the basketball court and tells him that he has information on a possible score. Though Ben is reluctant to re-enter his previous activities, he gathers up the group once more and meets Steve at his home. The group is stunned when they are informed that Steve wants them to rob his parents' house. He refers to it as a wake-up call. Ben and Han are against the plan, but Daric convinces them to participate, saying that this would be the perfect opportunity to give Steve his wake-up call. They agree Steve’s plan and practice constantly. They also agree to purchase Steve a gun.

On New Year's Eve, the four meet Steve at Jesus' house. With Ben acting as lookout, Han, Daric and Virgil begin attacking Steve. The lights go out as Virgil’s gun slips away from him. Steve lunges for the weapon and the struggle for the automatic results in it going off. Ben hears the shot and rushes into the garage. He arrives in time to see Steve winning the struggle for the gun, and Ben hits him with a bat. The frustration over his feelings for Stephanie and his own anger at Steve result in Ben beating Steve nearly to death, stopping only when Han yells to him. The four are stunned at what they just did and get Jesus to agree to allow them to bury the body in his backyard for $300. Steve begins to twitch. Daric soaks a rag in gasoline and, with a tearful Virgil holding him, suffocates Steve with it.

Afterwards, the four go to a New Year's party, where they each split up. Ben sees Stephanie, who is upset that Steve has not shown up. The pair share a kiss at midnight, to which Stephanie tells an apologetic Ben that it is okay.

Present day

The cell phone ring tone came from Steve's phone, which shows that the missed call was from Stephanie. Ben debates about whether or not to report Steve's murder to the police. The knowledge of his role in the murder is too much for Virgil, who attempts to commit suicide after calling over Han under the premise of watching some pornography. He survived the gunshot wound, but will most likely suffer brain damage. Daric arrives shortly after Ben, makes a flippant remark that angers Han and Ben escorts him out of the room. Daric expresses concern about the possibility of Han or Virgil revealing their secret. Ben simply resolves to do nothing and leaves Daric alone.

With the group now permanently separated, Ben is alone at school. He goes to the basketball court but is unable to attempt a shot. On his way home, Stephanie pulls over in her new car and picks him up. She asks him whether he has seen Steve lately, and expresses some concern that he has not called. They kiss, implying she and Ben will continue their relationship. As they drive off, Ben's voice over tells the audience that he has no idea what is going to happen or what the other guys will do but all he knows is that there is no turning back.

Development

Lin said that the title "Better Luck Tomorrow" refers to how the film explores "the whole youth culture of today, specifically Asian American, but also just the general mentality of teenagers today. I mean, I work with teenagers, I grew up in the 80s, and already it's very different, the mentality. You go to suburbia, you look at upper middle class kids, and through the media they've literally adopted urban gangsta mentality."

Originally the film was going to be shot in digital video, but within two weeks, after Fujifilm and later Kodak proposed deals with the director, the filming switched to 35mm.

Cast

• Parry Shen as Ben Manibag
• Sung Kang as Han Seoul-Oh
• Jason Tobin as Virgil Hu
• Roger Fan as Daric Loo
• John Cho as Steve Choe
• Karin Anna Cheung as Stephanie Vandergosh

Related films

Although Better Luck Tomorrow is not officially part of The Fast and the Furious film series, the character of Han Seoul-Oh, played by Sung Kang, makes an appearance in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious and Fast Five, all of which were also directed by Justin Lin. In Fast Five, Gisele Yashar attributes Han's constant need to occupy his hands to him being a former smoker, referring to his habits in this film, an easter egg reference according to Lin's commentary. One scene in this film also features the line "Rumors about us came and went fast and furious.". Moreover the director himself accepted at an interview saying that this movie is actually the high school life of Han Seoul-Oh(Sung Kang).

Awards and film festivals

Official Selection - Sundance Film Festival - 2002
Official Selection - Toronto International Film Festival - 2002

Grand Jury Prize Nomination - Sundance Film Festival - 2002
Independent Spirit Awards - John Cassavetes Award Nomination - 2004

Critical reception

Better Luck Tomorrow was rated "Certified fresh" with a score of 80% based on 95 reviews the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.

External links

• Official Website
• Better Luck Tomorrow at the Internet Movie Database
• Better Luck Tomorrow at AllRovi
• Better Luck Tomorrow at Box Office Mojo
• Better Luck Tomorrow at Rotten Tomatoes