Asian-American feature films released in the US since the 1980s
by harrylin-812-205550 | created - 17 Aug 2018 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicIn celebration to the August 2018 release of "Crazy Rich Asians", here is a list of feature films released in the past couple of decades that are Asian American. By "Asian American", I mean: features a mostly or significantly Asian American cast (not Asian nationals) and is set mostly in America (i.e., the story doesn't transpire in Asia … but I snuck in a Canada-set movie). I include South Asian Indians. Only feature-length movies released in cinemas (no TV series, no shorts, no documentaries, no streaming-only movies … though I made an exception for my wife’s wonderful short film!).
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1. Double Happiness (1994)
PG-13 | 87 min | Drama, Romance
East clashes with West and generations collide as a young Chinese woman struggles to appease her old-fashioned father, and at the same time pursue her modern dreams.
Director: Mina Shum | Stars: Sandra Oh, Stephen Chang, Claudette Carracedo, Greg Chan
Votes: 1,245 | Gross: $0.76M
2. Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985)
PG | 84 min | Comedy, Drama
In San Francisco, an immigrant widow welcomes the new year with some unhappiness: she's sixty-two now, she wants to make a trip to China to pay last respects to her ancestors, a fortune ... See full summary »
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Laureen Chew, Kim Chew, Victor Wong, Ida F.O. Chung
Votes: 623
3. Chan Is Missing (1982)
Not Rated | 76 min | Drama, Mystery
Two cab drivers search San Francisco's Chinatown for the mysterious Chan, who disappeared with their $4000.
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Wood Moy, Marc Hayashi, Laureen Chew, Peter Wang
Votes: 1,854
4. Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A study in culture bridging, including ... a new US-born husband, trying to work within the traditional ways, a new China-born wife, eager to join the "dream" of America, two family-minded ... See full summary »
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Cora Miao, Russell Wong, Victor Wong, Sau-Kei Lee
Votes: 835 | Gross: $0.23M
5. Charlotte Sometimes (2002)
R | 85 min | Drama, Romance
Michael, a young mechanic, is forced to choose between a daring tryst with an alluring stranger and the habitual comfort of his bittersweet obsession: his beautiful young tenant.
Director: Eric Byler | Stars: Jacqueline Kim, Eugenia Yuan, Michael Aki, Matt Westmore
Votes: 1,101 | Gross: $0.08M
6. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
R | 88 min | Adventure, Comedy
A Korean-American office worker and his Indian-American stoner friend embark on a quest to satisfy their desire for White Castle burgers.
Director: Danny Leiner | Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Ethan Embry, Rob Tinkler
Votes: 206,165 | Gross: $18.23M
7. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
R | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy
After being mistaken for terrorists and thrown into Guantánamo Bay, stoners Harold and Kumar escape and return to the U.S., where they proceed to flee across the country with federal agents in hot pursuit.
Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg | Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Corddry
Votes: 142,035 | Gross: $38.09M
8. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)
R | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy
Six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree.
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson | Stars: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris, Patton Oswalt
Votes: 72,745 | Gross: $35.03M
9. Saving Face (2004)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A gay Chinese-American and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.
Director: Alice Wu | Stars: Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec, Lynn Chen, Jin Wang
Votes: 13,439 | Gross: $1.19M
10. The People I've Slept With (2012)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy
A promiscuous woman tries to find out who got her pregnant so she can get married and live a normal life.
Director: Quentin Lee | Stars: Karin Anna Cheung, Wilson Cruz, Archie Kao, Lynn Chen
Votes: 816
11. Mississippi Masala (1991)
R | 118 min | Drama, Romance
An ethnic Indian family is expelled from Idi Amin's Uganda in 1972 and lives in Mississippi 17 years later. The dad sues Uganda to get his property back. The grown daughter falls in love with a Black man.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore
Votes: 6,210 | Gross: $7.31M
12. Americanese (2006)
110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Long after their break-up, Chinese American Raymond Ding and bi-racial Aurora Crane struggle to let go. Torn apart by mismatched ideals, meddling friends, and the complexities of racial ... See full summary »
Director: Eric Byler | Stars: Chris Tashima, Allison Sie, Sab Shimono, Munda Razooki
Votes: 172
13. Red Doors (2005)
R | 90 min | Drama
The Wongs struggle to cope with life, love, and family dysfunction in the suburbs of New York.
Director: Georgia Lee | Stars: Tzi Ma, Jacqueline Kim, Elaine Kao, Freda Foh Shen
Votes: 1,149
14. Yes, We're Open (2012)
79 min | Comedy, Romance
A couple experiment with having an open relationship.
Director: Richard Wong | Stars: Lynn Chen, Parry Shen, Sheetal Sheth, Kerry McCrohan
Votes: 115
15. Half-Life (2008)
Not Rated | 106 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
As troubling signs of global cataclysms accelerate, a brother and sister react to their father's desertion and the powerful presence of their mother's new boyfriend.
Director: Jennifer Phang | Stars: Sanoe Lake, Julia Nickson, Leonardo Nam, Ben Redgrave
Votes: 522
16. Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A group of over-achieving East Asian American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extracurricular criminal activities.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Shirley Anderson
Votes: 10,452 | Gross: $3.80M
17. Eat with Me (2014)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When Emma moves in with her estranged, gay son, the pair must learn to reconnect through food where words fail, and face the foreclosure of the family's Chinese restaurant and a stubborn fear of intimacy.
Director: David Au | Stars: Sharon Omi, Edward Chen, Nicole Sullivan, Aidan Bristow
Votes: 1,418
18. Close Call (2004)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In Los Angeles, the young Jenny has a nice childhood with her Korean parents Joanne and David Kim. However, after the divorce of her parents, the judge gives her custody to her selfish ... See full summary »
Director: Jimmy Lee | Stars: Annie Lee, Philip Moon, Jan Devereaux, Jeff Fahey
Votes: 138
19. Ping Pong Playa (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Sport
A kid dreams of playing professional basketball in order to escape his dead-end job, living in the suburbs, his bossy older brother and running his Mom's ping pong classes.
Director: Jessica Yu | Stars: Jimmy Tsai, Andrew Vo, Khary Payton, Jim Lau
Votes: 3,123 | Gross: $0.08M
20. The Sensei (2008)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Drama, Sport
In 1985 Colorado, a long-absent woman, proficient as a black belt in martial arts, returns home where she agrees, secretly, to train a bullied gay teen.
Director: Diana Lee Inosanto | Stars: Diana Lee Inosanto, Keith David, Melissa Taylor, Shane Weingardt
Votes: 478
21. Picture Bride (1994)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama, Romance
Riyo marries a man more than twice her age. She is devastated and labors in the sugar cane field. At the end she is able to love her husband.
Director: Kayo Hatta | Stars: Yûki Kudô, Akira Takayama, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tamlyn Tomita
Votes: 1,185 | Gross: $1.24M
22. Finishing the Game (2007)
Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy
Bruce Lee's shocking death left legions of stunned fans and a legacy of 12 minutes from his unfinished Game Of Death. Undeterred, studio executives launched a search for his replacement chronicled here through the eyes of five aspiring thespians who find out what the real game is.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Roger Fan, Dustin Nguyen, Sung Kang, Josh Diamond
Votes: 1,904 | Gross: $0.05M
23. The Motel (2005)
Not Rated | 75 min | Comedy, Drama
Thirteen-year-old Ernest Chin lives and works at a sleazy hourly-rate motel on a strip of desolate suburban bi-way. Misunderstood by his family and blindly careening into puberty, Ernest ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Kang | Stars: Jeffrey Chyau, Sung Kang, Jade Wu, Samantha Futerman
Votes: 1,424 | Gross: $0.05M
24. Pushing Hands (1991)
Not Rated | 105 min | Comedy, Drama
All the while, Master Chu tries to find his place in the foreign American world.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Sihung Lung, Lai Wang, Bozhao Wang, Deb Snyder
Votes: 4,820 | Gross: $0.15M
25. The Wedding Banquet (1993)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua, Sihung Lung
Votes: 17,149 | Gross: $6.93M
26. The Joy Luck Club (1993)
R | 139 min | Drama
The life histories of four East Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other.
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Tamlyn Tomita, Rosalind Chao, Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin
Votes: 18,246 | Gross: $32.86M
27. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A fictionalized account of the life of the martial arts superstar.
Director: Rob Cohen | Stars: Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, Robert Wagner, Michael Learned
Votes: 32,877 | Gross: $35.11M
28. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
R | 139 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.
Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert | Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan
Votes: 533,409 | Gross: $72.86M
29. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Shang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton | Stars: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 435,804 | Gross: $224.54M
30. Joy Ride (2023)
R | 95 min | Comedy
Follows four Asian American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through China in search of one of their birth mothers.
Director: Adele Lim | Stars: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu
Votes: 23,358
31. Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
PG-13 | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
This contemporary romantic comedy based on a global bestseller follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.
Director: Jon M. Chu | Stars: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan
Votes: 190,133 | Gross: $174.53M
32. Red Thread (2003)
25 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A playwright tired of dating Mr. Wrong goes on a blind date with an actor who turns out to be Mr. Wrong and Mr. Right.
Director: Cynthia Liu | Stars: Keiko Agena, Eddie Mui, Jodi Long, Elaine Kao
Votes: 15
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