Netflix’s latest film Always Be My Maybe, which released on the streaming platform on 30 May, has been earning praises for its refreshing take on the traditional rom-com.
Directed by Fresh off the Boat’s Nanatchka Khan the film follows childhood friends Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) who, after awkwardly losing their virginity to each other as teenagers in the back of the latter’s Corolla, go their separate ways and are estranged till they bump into each other 18 years later.
Among the film’s highlights are its lead actors, comedians Ali Wong and Randall Park, who produced and co-wrote the film together. Their easy chemistry makes their scenes together stand out, with Wong’s bold personality completing Park’s softer vibe. Wong says that the two could not stop laughing on set. Recalling the flashback scene where they played teenaged versions of their characters she says, “I would start off a line that I had improvised and I could feel his chest starting to shake.”
Another element that makes Always Be My Maybe stand out is its treatment of its largely non-white cast. The film embraces inclusivity and cultural specifity without reducing its Asian-American characters to immigrant tropes. Speaking about a scene where Sasha bonds with Marcus’ mother over a pot of jjigae (a Korean stew), Randall Park says, “Food is such an important part of the movie – like the making of the jjigae. It really just kind of brought me back to my own childhood and to have it reflected in our movie is so great.”
Always Be My Maybe in part can also be credited for reintroducing audiences to everyone’s favourite Internet boyfriend, Keanu Reeves, who makes a hilarious cameo in the film.
Randall Park admits to being a huge Keanu fan and said that while he was nervous to meet him, they bonded over their fight scenes together. “The stunt work really kind of bonded us and I think he fell in love with me,” he quips.
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