Coming-of-age films are personally one of my favorite things to watch. The genre has a wide variety that allows everyone to find the right one, from the classic Stand by Me to the recent hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Disney has a long history of exploring the theme of growing up in their films, with the topic being explored in some of their classics as The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, and in the more contemporary ones as Turning Red. However, sometimes I forget that the studio also produces a lot of live-action features, and they can be as good as the animated ones or at least as entertaining. I mentioned Turning Red because the latest film premiered in Disney+ has some points in common with the animated feature.
Chang Can Dunk, written and directed by Jingyi Shao, follows Chang, an Asian-American, teenager who behaves indecisively towards everything, which generates conflicts with his mother. Chang tends to change his activities often and even his haircut, with the only constant being that he belongs to his school’s marching band.
One day Chang has a discussion with a friend turned foe that also happens to be the best basketball player in their high school. During the debate, Chang bets he can dunk on the day of the last basketball game. They bet precious items they have, and Chang starts preparing to dunk with the help of his friend Bo, his new crush Kristy and a retired basketball player named Deandre.
The film’s storyline is predictable and follows a formula that audiences are familiar with. However, that does not make the movie less likable. Some elements make the feature fresh and deserving of being seen from beginning to end.
First is the protagonist’s family background. I think that centering the story on an Asian-American teenager makes the conflict he faces unique, and that helps the audience to be interested in following him. The relationship with his mother and how that plays a vital role in his quest is central to feeling that the film is not exactly like every other sports film we have seen. The relationship between the two characters feels true to a real family. It is appreciated that in a Disney film, their relationship plays an essential role because of how it is modified through it. I am not originally from the US, and this family depiction is way closer to my experience than others I have seen. The same happened to me watching Turning Red. It is hard to distance ourselves from our viewer experience, and I think that feeling close to that representation made me more connected to the film; it will probably be the case for other viewers.
Another aspect of the film that makes it stand out is character development. All characters are tri-dimensional and complex (to the extent of the feature’s needs). We don’t see strong stereotypes as sometimes seen in more massive audiences’ coming-of-age stories. The film takes itself seriously and lets its characters breathe, which allows the actors to do their best. I was especially impressed with Mardy Ma’s performance, who plays Chen, Chang’s mom. I have never seen her before in anything, and I think her performance gives so much depth to the story and the main character. She is an outstanding actress, and I can’t wait to see her more.
I also think that Chang Can Dunk has impressive cinematography. Again, we are talking about a film meant for massive audiences. However, it allows itself to play visually with different elements. It intelligently features different kinds of footage, using other cameras, for example, for showing Youtube videos. Compared to similar films, I feel it features the social media and virtual world more elegantly and just as much as necessary for storytelling. Sometimes I think this resource is used too much nowadays in filmmaking, and I’m not too fond of it; however, this particular film is used excellently. The cinematography is pleasant to watch, primarily because of its warm tones.
Score: 3/5
Chang Can Dunk is not a masterpiece. However, it delivers a fun-to-watch sports story that has a fresh take on the genre. It generously features its characters and does not put them in a box. The highlight to me is the relationship between Chang and his Mom and how it develops and grows through the story and because of Chang’s quest. It is the most valuable aspect to me. The whole learning how to Dunk arc will probably stand out to sports lovers, although I feel it is just an excuse to make the character grow as a person. Chang Can Dunk is fun and deep enough to care and watch it until the end.
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