You Don't Need a Lot of Persuading to Watch 'Asian Persuasion'

Welcome to Golden Dragon, a newsletter by Eric Diep about Asians in hip-hop and my takes on trending topics in AAPI pop culture. Golden Dragon is a rotation of interviews, reviews, news, critical perspectives, and random blogs about music I recommend.

• A Q&A with Jhett Tolentino and Kevin Kreider, moderated by Chris Wycoco after the Asian Persuasion screening.

• Diep Cuts featuring Yentown, Squid the Kid, Chow Mane, Seiji Oda, and Yoshi T.

• Send It: Bobby Hundreds got a new job at Disney; Jackson Wang hangs out with iShowSpeed in China.

On Sunday, I went out with Rosalie, Golden Dragon’s Director of Filipino Culture, to a sold-out screening of the U.S. theatrical release of Asian Persuasion at Violet Crown Dallas.

I never heard of Asian Persuasion until Rosalie put me on, but I love my rom-coms. I learned that the film is the directorial debut of three-time Tony Award and Grammy-winning producer Jhett Tolentino. The logline: a dejected husband comes up with an outlandish plot to avoid alimony obligations to his fashion executive ex-wife. It stars Dante Basco, KC Concepcion, Kevin Kreider, and Paolo Montalban, and the film takes place in New York City. It was released in 2023; however, starting on March 21, wider audiences can see Asian Persuasion in 17 states, two territories, and 48 cities.

My Rotten Tomatoes review? A 4/5 stars. I was moved by the nuances of highlighting cultural staples from different countries. Asian Persuasion has 21 Asian countries represented in this production, so locations like Basco’s character Mickey de los Santos owning a Filipino coffee shop in Queens, the spotlight on the Phil-Am Food Mart in Woodside, Chinese Tuxedo in Lower Manhattan, and shooting a scene at Sushi Suite 1001, an intimate four-seat sushi counter serving a 60-minute, 17-course omakase where it is reportedly $500 a seat, were all intentional in showcasing heritage.

Some of the dialogue in Asian Persuasion can be a bit cheesy. I think it was done on purpose to emulate the dramas we grew up on. I got emotional watching a flashback of how Mickey and Avery (played by KC Concepcion) fell in love. I felt for Mickey when his plan of orchestrating a man to fall in love with his ex-wife backfired, realizing how amazing she was and that he wanted her back. He was finally motivated to get his life together, but it was too little, too late.

If you’re looking for a date idea, Asian Persuasion is a film that’s light, heartwarming, and funny. You see an accomplished actor like Basco with his take on a romantic lead role, while Kreider gets an opportunity to show his acting skills after doing reality TV. It’s a good one to gather all your favorite titas to watch together.

After the film concluded, there was a Q&A with host Chris Wycoco, Tolentino, and Kreider. I included it below, along with a great audience question Rosalie asked. The call to action from Tolentino and Kreider is to use the hashtag #asianpersuasionfilm, rate the film on Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB, and spread the word. You can purchase tickets here.