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Movies / On DVD / Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow

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Better Luck Tomorrow (2003)

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Reviews Counted:95

Fresh:76

Rotten:19

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: A promising work by Lin, the energetic Better Luck Tomorrow is disturbing and thought-provoking.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] Rated R for violence, drug use, language and sexuality

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 11, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $3,687,324

Synopsis: Everyone knows a person like Ben - the perfect Asian American high school teen - extremely intelligent, a perfectionist, overachiever whose tunnel vision leads to nothing less than graduating at... Everyone knows a person like Ben - the perfect Asian American high school teen - extremely intelligent, a perfectionist, overachiever whose tunnel vision leads to nothing less than graduating at the top of the class and acceptance to the best Ivy League university. Ben lives in an upper middle class, conservative suburb of Orange County, California. As Ben struggles to achieve social success in high school, we discover his darker side. Along with two friends, Virgil, a brilliant yet awkward, overeager and socially inept misfit, and Virgil's cousin Han, a lost soul with more brawn than brains, Ben leads a double life of mischief and petty crimes that alleviate the pressures of perfection. At the start of his high school freshman year, Ben befriends Daric, the senior valedictorian ? another archetypical overachiever and perfectionist. But Daric is somewhat odd. While being the most intelligent student in the class, he also seems to be the most volatile and dangerous. Behind his trusting and benevolent façade lies a lurking secret, a timebomb ready to explode. With Daric at the helm, this group of misfit teens bands together into a suburban gang. As their adopted identity grows, Ben and the gang tumble into a downward spiral of excitement, excess, fun and growing danger. Ben's life careens out of control, into an intoxicating mix of sex, drugs and crime, leading to a surprisingly chaotic and violent end that will leave audiences engrossed, speechless and ultimately disturbed. -- © Trailing Johnson Productions [More]

Starring: Parry Shen, Jason J. Tobin, Sung Kang, Roger Fan

Starring: Parry Shen, Jason J. Tobin, Sung Kang, Roger Fan, John Cho, Jerry Mathers, Karin Anna Cheung

Director: Justin Lin

Director: Justin Lin
Screenwriter: Ernesto M. Foronda, Justin Lin, Fabian Marquez
Producer: Julie Asato, Ernesto M. Foronda, Justin Lin
Composer: Michael J. Gonzales
Studio: MTV Films

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Release:

Sep 30, 2003

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Better Luck Tomorrow

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Spends more time avoiding Asian-American stereotypes than it does making sense of its characters and plot.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

Has an optimistic outlook that uses pessimistic results in a manner fitting for a film of such solid morality.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/22/04
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Apollo Guide

Um filme do qual Martin Scorsese pode se orgulhar.

comment Comment
08/02/04
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

You could have replaced everyone in this movie with the cast of some lily-white show like Dawson's Creek and nobody would notice the difference.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/21/04
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

Justin Lin’s biggest accomplishment is providing a stereotype-shattering insiders’ view of the angst and rage of a group of Asian teenagers ...

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
02/18/04
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

[I]f the story has some rough edges, well, it’s a first film.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
01/04/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Doesn’t settle for easy thriller plot twists.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
10/06/03
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

At times Lin's story slides into crime cliches, but whatever he lacks in plotting he makes up for in style and brute emotional force.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
09/06/03
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

. . .its bolder themes and naked ambition heighten the sense of disappointment towards the film’s end when it fails to deliver on its initial promise.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
05/30/03
Richard Horgan
Richard Horgan
FilmStew.com

The picture's relative uniqueness is what intrigues and compels, marking Better Luck Tomorrow as important, if not ultimately entirely successful.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
05/14/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

A powerful and unpredictable film.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/12/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Reviewers seem surprised that a young Asian-American filmmaker has been reading Bret Easton Ellis and watching Quentin Tarantino, when in reality the opposite would be startling...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
05/09/03
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Those looking for the gangster movie seen in the TV spots will be seriously disappointed.

Full Review Source: Fantastica Daily | comment Comment
05/09/03
Shirley Klass
Shirley Klass
Fantastica Daily

a fairly provocative look at teenage life, featuring the kinds of multidimensional characters that aren't typically included in movies aimed at the high school crowd.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
05/08/03
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

...a worthy movie, but it shouldn’t be the best one Justin Lin ever makes.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
05/05/03
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

For Asian-Americans, the perception of their culture takes a new turn in “Better Luck Tomorrow”, Director Justin Lin’s wonderful bold new film that is well acted by an amazing ensemble.

Full Review Source: BlackFilm.com | comment Comment
05/02/03
Wilson Morales
Wilson Morales
BlackFilm.com

Unique, highly entertaining, completely uncompromising and terrifically acted.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
05/01/03
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Better Luck Tomorrow

March 24, 2007: Idris Elba Flashes Back With "Prom Night" Remake
In announcing his involvement in the "Prom Night" remake, Idris Elba also revealed the new hook for this version. Instead of one slash-fest, this "Prom... More...

September 29, 2005: Third "Fast & Furious" Flick Gets a Title ... and a Few More Cast Members
Just a few days ago we learned that Bow Wow and Lucas Black would be starring in "Fast and the Furious 3," and now comes word from Variety that the sequel's official... More...

September 27, 2005: Bow Wow & Lucas Black to Headline "Fast and the Furious 3"
Hanh Nguyen of Zap2it.com brings some new casting notices for the third entry in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, which is scheduled to begin shooting in Japan... More...

June 09, 2005: "Better Luck" Director to Helm Third "Furious" Flick
Justin Lin, director of the acclaimed indie "Better Luck Tomorrow," has been signed by Universal to direct the third entry of their "Fast and the Furious"... More...

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