| | | Never underestimate an over achiever.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby, Digital Audio, English, Dolby Digital (5.1)
To his classmates and teachers, high-schooler Ben Manibag (Perry Shen) appears to be the "model" student: a perfectionist and overachiever, destined for nothing less than graduating at the top of his class and then attending a prestigious college. But underneath this persona is a darker side--Ben and his bored high-school buddies lead double lives, flying high in a world of petty crime and material excess in order to ease the pressures of "being perfect." It's a free-wheeling lifestyle that soon takes a downward spiral, leading to an unexpected end. An Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival, Better Luck Tomorrow is a gripping, edgy and provocative film that rips the tranquil, well-manicured facade off of middle-class suburbia and cultural stereotypes.
"It's as smart, as sharp and as compelling as filmmaking gets." Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
"Two Big Thumbs Up!" Ebert & Roeper
Editor's Note
BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, the first feature film from director and screenwriter Justin Lin, is a dark comedy about Asian-American high school students in suburban Los Angeles. High school student Ben Manibag (Parry Shen) is an overachiever. The polite 16-year-old does well in class, studies diligently for the SATs, works in a fast food restaurant, and is involved with extracurricular activities that will enhance his college applications. Essentially, he is an ideal Ivy League candidate. But when he is befriended by senior Daric Loo (Roger Fan)--class valedictorian and captain of the academic decathlon team--his life changes. Bit by bit Ben, his best friend Virgil (Jason Tobin), and Virgil's cousin, Han (Sung Kang), are drawn from their boring suburban high school life to Daric's increasingly risky propositions and into a world of petty crime, drugs, and sex. Eventually, the foursome's activities begin to spin out of control, culminating in shocking events that none of them could anticipate.
| Features | Subtitles: English | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16x9 TVs | | Commentary By Director/Co-Writer Justin Lin And Co-Writers Enesto M. Foronda & Fabian Marquez | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 8/19/2008 |
| Running Time: 99 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 342854 | | UPC: 00097363428541 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...A shrewdly tense piece of storytelling....Swift, compelling..." 04/11/2003 p.E14Entertainment Weekly
"...Lin works with a rhythmic observational flair..." 04/18/2003 p.49 Rolling Stone
"...Lin is a talent to watch. There's a sting to this film that gets to you..." 05/01/2003 p.64 Box Office
"...Solid performances by the cast and Lin's expressive storytelling techniques combine for an absorbing twist on this coming-of-age tale..." 05/01/2003 p.58 Chicago Sun-Times
"...[Justin Lin] reveals himself as a skilled and sure director, a rising star....Lin keeps a sure hand on tricky material; he has obvious confidence about where he wants to go and how he wants to get there..." 04/11/2003 p.29 Los Angeles Times
"...[Lin is] engaged with the world to a degree that's rare in the indie scene. He's not averse to making us think; he just knows that first he's got to catch our attention..." 04/11/2003 p.C1 Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
Lin keeps a sure hand on tricky material; he has obvious confidence about where he wants to go and how he wants to get there. His film is uncompromising and doesn't chicken out with a U-turn ending. His actors expand and breathe as if they're captives just released from lesser roles (the audition reel of one actor, Lin recalls, showed him delivering pizzas in one movie after another). Parry Shen gives a watchful and wary undertone to his all-American boy, and Karin Anna Cheung finds the right note to deal with a boy she likes but finds a little too-goody. Better Luck Tomorrow is not just a thriller, not just a social commentary, not just a comedy or a romance, but all of those in a clearly seen, brilliantly made film. - Roger Ebert
James Berardinelli's ReelViews 9 of 10
Typically, movies aimed at teenage audiences have little concern for things like intelligent scripts, credible characters, and meaningful dialogue. Better Luck Tomorrow contains all three, making it a hugely rewarding experience for anyone who goes to see it. MTV (which bought this movie out of Sundance) believes the target audience to be high school and college students. I would argue that it's anyone in search of a well-made, thought-provoking motion picture. - James Berardinelli
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