Favorite Asian American Movie
by pbn | created - 01 May 2023 | updated - 9 months ago | PublicIn time for the release of Joy Ride (2023), we ask which of these earlier American movies with Asians both on screen and behind the scenes is your favorite?
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1. Minari (2020)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
Director: Lee Isaac Chung | Stars: Steven Yeun, Han Yeri, Alan Kim, Noel Cho
Votes: 97,092
2. Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
PG-13 | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
This contemporary romantic comedy based on a global bestseller follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.
Director: Jon M. Chu | Stars: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan
Votes: 190,125 | Gross: $174.53M
3. The Namesake (2006)
PG-13 | 122 min | Drama
American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Kal Penn, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Jacinda Barrett
Votes: 21,762 | Gross: $8.66M
4. The Big Sick (2017)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
Director: Michael Showalter | Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
Votes: 143,612 | Gross: $42.87M
5. Life of Pi (2012)
PG | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu
Votes: 666,989 | Gross: $124.99M
6. The Joy Luck Club (1993)
R | 139 min | Drama
The life histories of four East Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other.
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Tamlyn Tomita, Rosalind Chao, Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin
Votes: 18,244 | Gross: $32.86M
7. The Wedding Banquet (1993)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua, Sihung Lung
Votes: 17,147 | Gross: $6.93M
8. Mississippi Masala (1991)
R | 118 min | Drama, Romance
An ethnic Indian family is expelled from Idi Amin's Uganda in 1972 and lives in Mississippi 17 years later. The dad sues Uganda to get his property back. The grown daughter falls in love with a Black man.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore
Votes: 6,209 | Gross: $7.31M
9. The Farewell (I) (2019)
PG | 100 min | Comedy, Drama
A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
Director: Lulu Wang | Stars: Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina, X Mayo, Hong Lu
Votes: 71,154 | Gross: $16.88M
10. Always Be My Maybe (2019)
PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy, Romance
Everyone assumed that Sasha and Marcus would wind up together, except for Sasha and Marcus. Reconnecting after 15 years, the two start to wonder--maybe?
Director: Nahnatchka Khan | Stars: Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito, Michelle Buteau
Votes: 62,687
11. Searching (III) (2018)
PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop.
Director: Aneesh Chaganty | Stars: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Michelle La
Votes: 179,998 | Gross: $26.02M
12. The Half of It (I) (2020)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama
When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush.
Director: Alice Wu | Stars: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Wolfgang Novogratz
Votes: 43,278
13. Saving Face (2004)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A gay Chinese-American and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.
Director: Alice Wu | Stars: Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec, Lynn Chen, Jin Wang
Votes: 13,437 | Gross: $1.19M
14. Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A group of over-achieving East Asian American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extracurricular criminal activities.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Shirley Anderson
Votes: 10,452 | Gross: $3.80M
15. Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015)
Not Rated | 78 min | Comedy, Romance
An attraction forms when a Chinese American girl visiting Hong Kong for the first time meets an American expat who shows her the way, but timing may not quite be on their side. A ... See full summary »
Director: Emily Ting | Stars: Jamie Chung, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Ng, Sarah Lian
Votes: 6,204
16. Today's Special (2009)
R | 99 min | Comedy
In this super-feel-good foodie comedy, young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.
Director: David Kaplan | Stars: Dean Winters, Aarti Mann, Kevin Corrigan, Jess Weixler
Votes: 6,733 | Gross: $0.40M
17. Driveways (2019)
83 min | Drama
A lonesome boy accompanies his mother on a trip to clean out his late aunt's house, and ends up forming an unexpected friendship with the retiree who lives next door.
Director: Andrew Ahn | Stars: Lucas Jaye, Hong Chau, Brian Dennehy, Laurent Rejto
Votes: 6,492
18. The Paper Tigers (2020)
PG-13 | 108 min | Action, Comedy
Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death.
Director: Quoc Bao Tran | Stars: Yuji Okumoto, Roger Yuan, Jae Suh Park, Ron Yuan
Votes: 5,215
19. Columbus (I) (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
A Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams.
Director: Kogonada | Stars: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Michelle Forbes
Votes: 20,974 | Gross: $1.02M
20. Fire Island (I) (2022)
R | 105 min | Comedy, Romance
A group of queer best friends gather in Fire Island Pines for their annual week of love and laughter, but a sudden change of events might make this their last summer in gay paradise.
Director: Andrew Ahn | Stars: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Conrad Ricamora
Votes: 13,625
21. After Yang (2021)
PG | 96 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a near future, a family reckons with questions of love, connection, and loss after their A.I. helper unexpectedly breaks down.
Director: Kogonada | Stars: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Justin H. Min
Votes: 22,988
22. Blue Bayou (2021)
R | 117 min | Drama
As a Korean-American man raised in the Louisiana bayou works hard to make a life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past as he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home.
Director: Justin Chon | Stars: Justin Chon, Alicia Vikander, Mark O'Brien, Linh-Dan Pham
Votes: 10,466
23. Wedding Season (2022)
TV-PG | 98 min | Comedy, Romance
Pressured by their parents to find spouses, Asha and Ravi pretend to date during a summer of weddings, only to find themselves falling for each other.
Director: Tom Dey | Stars: Pallavi Sharda, Suraj Sharma, Arianna Afsar, Sean Kleier
Votes: 11,148
24. Turning Red (2022)
PG | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A thirteen-year-old girl named Mei Lee is torn between staying her mother's dutiful daughter and the changes of adolescence. And as if the challenges were not enough, whenever she gets overly excited she transforms into a giant red panda.
Director: Domee Shi | Stars: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park
Votes: 152,670
25. Eternals (2021)
PG-13 | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.
Director: Chloé Zhao | Stars: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek
Votes: 386,301 | Gross: $164.87M
26. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Shang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton | Stars: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 435,770 | Gross: $224.54M
27. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
R | 139 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.
Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert | Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan
Votes: 533,344 | Gross: $72.86M
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