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FILM REVIEW
"freshmen" A Stoddard Temple production. Produced, directed,
written by Tom Huang. Camera (color, 16mm), Brian Harding; edi-
tors, Huang, Monina Verano; art director, Andrea Pocaccini; set
designers, Greg Rutledge, Jean Jacobson; assistant directors,
Barrett Tripp, Charles Howard; casting, Tina Gee, Amy Lundin,
Mae Libanao. Reviewed at AMC Kabuki, San Francisco, Feb. 21, 2000.
(In S.F. Asian-American Film Festival) Running time: 121 MIN.
With: N.D. Brown, Tom. Huang, Kurt Kohler, Margaret Scarborough,
Wendy Speake, Mary Chen, Richard Guiton, Jake White, Sonya Leslie,
Patrick Gorman.
By DENNIS HARVEY
There's nothing remotely original about "freshmen,"
but this somewhat formulaic comedy-drama about four college newbies
has a lot of charm and sincerity going for it. Microbudget 16mm
feature (with a $35,000 bottom line) lacks the gloss or distinguishing
edginess to warrant much exposure beyond fest circuit -- possible
TV sales aside -- but it's a solid calling card for debuting director
Tom Huang and his fresh-faced, very likable young cast.
Things look pretty routine at the outset, as scheduling conflicts
force the lead quartet to form their own unsupervised discussion
group for an American History 101 course on fictive L.A. University
(actually Loyola Marymount) campus. Judy (Margaret Scarborough)
is a blonde, bubbly semi-airhead; Rick (Kurt Kohler) is insecure
and socially awkward; San (Huang) must confront the Chinese-American
identity he's always distanced himself from; and Tonisha (N.D.
Brown), who commutes in from Compton, is stressed out trying to
balance school against working to support her cash- strapped mom
and little brother.
They're a mismatched lot, with the brighter
bulbs, by far, being the minority students; the pressure each
endures from demanding parents and unsympathetic profs is often
broadly drawn. But while script seems too pat for a while -- and
never springs any real surprises - characters grow some depths
worth rooting for as they pull together to face various formative
challenges.
With no spare time for fun, Tonisha begins feeling crushed by
her heavy responsibilities. Judy's grades suffer as she falls
into a party-circuit hole, at one inebriated point being date-raped
by a frat boy, to smitten, too-shy Greek rushee Rick's horror.
Lucky San finds himself torn between two terrific potential girlfriends
-- Judy's level-headed roomie Dana (Wendy Speake) and ethnically
proud Grace (Mary Chen)- yet his indecision blows both chances.
What starts out like a run-of-mill teenpic minus the usual crass
slapstick and T&A becomes very ingratiating, given its deft
situational humor and the non-condescending, sweet-spirited stance
taken toward unapologetically decent, naive principal characters.
While most adult roles are penned (and played) a bit simplistically,
younger thesps all lend their parts a pleasing restraint that
rings true. Weak comic tag involving two minor figures should
be ditched however.
Tech aspects are modest but well-handled excepting one badly underlit
albeit brief nighttime dance sequence.