Coming-of-age story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA. While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must find a way to navigate a new girlfriend, high school, on-court rivals, and the burden of expectation.
I grew up in the ’90s watching Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, and And1 mixtapes. Judging from “Boogie,” celebrity chef Eddie Huang, also grew up with a love for the sport and culture. His debut feature focuses on a first-generation Chinese-American basketball star caught between his family’s expectations and his own desires.
Alfred “Boogie” Chin (Taylor Takahashi) is introduced being transferred to a new high school during his senior year in an attempt to draw more college prospects. While in English class, Boogie catches the attention of his attractive classmate Eleanor (Taylour Paige). Obviously, the pair fall for one another but their relationship feels undeveloped and performative.
Boogie’s father (Perry Yung) is fresh out of prison and helps practice at night, determined to see his allegedly talented son drafted into the NBA. His mother (Pamelyn Chee) is reduced to mainly arguing and yelling which is a shame since Chee seems like a talented performer. In an odd cinematic callback to 1980s tropes, it’s imperative that Boogie defeat his Brooklyn rival Monk (Pop Smoke) on the court.
The script has a lot to tackle in its lean runtime but unfortunately, Huang fails to sell the protagonist as a phenomenal player. He’s supposed to be the best yet there’s a lack of showcasing his skills in the limited scenes. And in those scenes, the directing is way too choppy and filled with endless cuts that it’s impossible to be invested or thrilled. It doesn’t help that the premise is echoed by every character showing a lack of confidence or nuance in the writing. For instance, Boogie’s coach, Coach Hawkins (Domenick Lombardozzi), tells his star player the exact same pitch his father mentioned five minutes earlier. Lots of characters feel like they’re speaking declaratively instead of naturally conversing with one another.
Boogie’s central dilemma, deciding whether to stay in the States or to play in China, recalled Spike Lee’s “He Got Game.” In that film, a young man is pressured to choose a college team to play for by his father and everyone else who’s hoping to capitalize on his superstardom. Lee’s script is more compelling because of the high stakes and his thorough takedown of a system that thrives on using expendable athletes. Yes, there’s an abundance of memorable basketball films but Spike and Huang standout since they enjoy casting themselves as fourth-wall-breaking commentators. It’s not a complete miss overall, more of a layup than a slam dunk.
In Select Theaters Friday, March 5th
