“Take Out Girl” is one of those films that really could’ve benefited from a bigger budget. That may sound like an insult, but it’s more of a lament. Starring and co-written by Hedy Wong, “Take Out Girl” is a story that we haven’t seen before, one with a specific vision and point-of-view. It’s fresh, and different — and makes the most out of its limited resources. Even so, I wish the biz would give productions like this a fraction of a fraction of what its gives Marvel pics or “Fast & Furious” sequels.
As it is, I’d say “Take Out Girl” is ambitious but doesn’t stick the landing. That may have been different if it had had more money to work with.
But enough about what could have been. “Take Out Girl” is not flawless, but it has a lot to say about the American Dream, economic opportunity, race, and systemic biases against immigrants and people of color. And its story is told through the eyes of a young Asian woman, something that, egregiously, is still all too rare in Hollywood.
Tera (Wong), a smart, take-no-shit 21-year-old, is just out of college and trying to keep her mother’s Chinese restaurant afloat. She lives and works in the “Low Bottoms” neighborhood in south central Los Angeles. It seems as if everyone around her is poor, hustling as much as they can to make ends meet, or involved in gangs or the drug trade — usually it’s some combination of the three. Tera has lived most her life managing to avoid the criminal side of her community, but, as her mother’s health deteriorates and the family becomes more desperate, she reconsiders her options.
Eventually, Tera ends up working for Lalo (Ski Carr), a drug kingpin impressed by her nerve. Under the guise of making food deliveries, she moves product, confident that she will slip under the cops’ radar — as a poor Asian woman, she is already “invisible” to most people. Tera’s goal is to work for Lalo until she has enough money to move the restaurant to the suburbs and hire some extra help for her mother. Of course, things don’t go as planned.
“Take Out Girl” can’t quite sustain its momentum, and its ending fizzles when it should pack a punch — but again, I can’t help but wonder if some more cash could’ve prevented these issues. Overall, however, it’s a signal of good things to come from Wong as a performer and writer. When the film works — which is more often than not — it’s a powerful portrait of young woman fighting poverty with everything she’s got. When it doesn’t, it’s a necessary reminder of the stories that receive financial support in show biz, and those that don’t. In more ways than one, “Take Out Girl” underlines how money can make or break us.
“Take Out Girl” is now available on VOD.
https://youtu.be/7QEyHH26Bag
