Finishing the Game
credits:
Director: Justin LinProducers: Jullie Asato, Sal Gatdula, Justin Lin
Writers: Josh Diamond, Justin Lin
Cast: Roger Fan, Sung Kang, Dustin Nguyen, McCaleb Burnett
USA 2007 | 88 mins | 35mm | English
IN PERSON: Justin Lin, Sung Kang, Dustin Nguyen, Roger Fan, Leonardo Nam, McCaleb Burnett, Julie Asato, Mousa Kraish, MC Hammer, Yul Kwon (MC)
In 1973, Bruce Lee died suddenly at the age of 32, leaving behind footage intended for his dream project THE GAME OF DEATH. Not one to miss an opportunity for profit, Hollywood executives cast stand-ins to double as Lee in a rewritten script which took advantage of 12 minutes of Lee’s real footage, including his now immortal fight with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his iconic yellow-and-black jumpsuit.
Following his groundbreaking indie hit BETTER LUCK TOMORROW (Opening Night, SFIAAFF ’02) as well as studio ventures ANNAPOLIS and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT, director Justin Lin returns to his roots with FINISHING THE GAME, a rollicking comedy spoof about this egregiously exploitative search for Bruce Lee’s stand-in. Documentarians capture the absurd, hilarious and sometimes disturbingly true-to-life (but decidedly fictional) audition process as a motley assortment of candidates vie for the role: a former-TV-star-turned door-to-door salesman, a Bruce Lee knockoff named Breeze Loo and some guys who don’t even look Chinese, much less like Lee.
FINISHING THE GAME turns out to be less about Bruce Lee than it is a lampoon of Hollywood in the 1970s, poking fun at the behind-the-scenes farces and the racism—both blatant and subtle—ingrained in the industry. Lin reunites many of his cast from BETTER LUCK TOMORROW (Sung Kang, Roger Fan, Parry Shen) and populates the film with cameos by friends gained along the way, such as Leonardo Nam and Brian Tee (from TOKYO DRIFT), Dustin Nguyen (21 JUMP STREET), MTV’s Suchin Pak, James Franco and even MC Hammer. Telling the story of the struggles faced by Asian American actors of the time, Lin has ingeniously created a vehicle for some of today’s counterparts to showcase their impressive comedic talents.
—Taro Goto
Opening Night screening followed by:
RECEPTION | 9:30PM
Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco
Kick off this year’s Festival at the official Asian Art Museum–Cathay Pacific Airways Opening Night Gala with BETTER LUCK TOMORROW director Justin Lin and the all-star cast of FINISHING THE GAME. The raucous movie is the perfect entry point to a celebratory event: enjoy a first-class experience courtesy of Cathay Pacific Airways, wander through the Asian Art Museum’s magnificent galleries, mix and mingle with the Festival’s filmmakers and special guests, and partake in free-flowing food and libations.
$40 Screening Only / $30 Reception Only / $60 Screening & Reception
