Martial arts movies remain contentious in Asian American cinema. On one hand, the likes of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have made major breakthroughs in the US; thanks to their kung fu movies from the 20th century, Hollywood realized that Asians too are excellent leads. On the other hand, however, the same films have molded into an unbreakable ceiling for Asian American actors. Stereotypes of sagely shifu and nunchuck-wielding warriors have since been well baked-in, the most recent “Mortal Kombat” (2021) notwithstanding.
Quoc Bao Tran’s “The Paper Tigers” (2020) enters the fray with a charming spin on an age-old trope. This production too had initially faced funding resistance. Critics denounced “yet another” Asian American martial arts movie, clamoring for other forms of representation. Upon viewing, however, these arguments seem redundant, if not ironic. “The Paper Tigers” is anything but. While it plays with the usual tropes of kung fu comedy, the feature is also steeped in a good dose of ambiguous Americana — making it perhaps more Asian American than one might initially expect.
The film opens with a VHS eulogy of the Three Tigers’ glory days in Chinatown, Seattle. Each member of the trio has their own specialty. Senior disciple Danny “Eight Hands” (Alain Uy, Yoshi Sudarso) mastered the art meditation; team hype-man Hing (Ron Yuan, Peter Sudarso) champions Chinese medicine; and finally, the ever-loyal Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Gui DaSilva-Greene) dabbles with boxing. As time should have it, however, they each go their separate ways. When they reconvene in the digital age over the death of their shifu, they are in their 40s — and are wildly out of shape. Danny works in insurance; Hing is handicapped; Jim simply forgets the old ways. As they struggle to grapple with their lost past, they collectively realize that a deeper mystery lurks behind the cause of their master’s death. As per their disciple pledge, they do their utmost to get behind it.
As a comedy, the jokes don’t always hit. Some are even a little cringe. As if inspired by Stephen Chow, Tran attempts to deliver humor through hyperbole — though through a script. Wildly politically incorrect lines and references to “kpop wannabes” and “fortune cookie hints” border the typical American slapstick, but they feel less like clever wordplay than they do dad jokes. Some feel too try-hard at staying relevant; other times, some are simply too literal. In this attempt to subvert slurs into slang, Tran’s focus on wordplay misses part of the joy of comedic kung fu movies: the sheer ridicule of performance itself.
There are some golden nuggets in this logic of inversion, however. Matthew Page does an excellent job acting as Carter, a white kung fu master who tries to be Chinese. He completely flattens his character to wince-worthy tropes. Conversely, Alain Uy fleshes out the protagonist well. His deadpan lines are always delivered on-point, and he appropriately builds a muted charisma that draws the audience’s attention. Fitting of a consciously BIPOC main cast, Tran entertains American expectations of who should be the real star of the silver screen.
This push-and-pull with audience expectations contributes to the feature’s merit, as well. Though the narrative does take some time to build up momentum, Tran blithely maneuvers through fart jokes and deadly threats. For each mild fight, then, Tran treats his audience to yet an even more serious plot twist. It is only a shame that the movie ends when it does. In typical American fashion, high stakes are overcome not through sweat and blood, but through whimsical self-belief.
All in all, the Tigers seem to have clipped their claws to make this a suitably PG-13 family film. “The Paper Tigers” is an entertaining watch — one that is uniquely pan-Asian, but sharply American in character. Tran’s insistence on wordplay instead of performance appeals to typical American comedic traditions, and the fight scenes are less important than the story. Though this feature may not keep you on the edge of your seat, it at least will make you laugh — and maybe even cry.
“Paper Tigers” will be released in US theaters starting 7 May 2021. Distribution is managed by Well Go USA.
