Review: Asian Persuasion

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Official synopsis: A man, Mickey (Dante Basco) comes up with an outlandish plan to avoid alimony obligations to his fashion executive ex-wife, Avery (KC Concepcion).

How far would you go to avoid alimony? If your answer was catfishing a gorgeous yet awkward dude, Lee (Paolo Montalban) on a dating website with the profile of your ex-wife, then coaching him into saying all the right things so she falls in love with him - then you and Mickey would be fast friends.

I have to admit I don't watch many rom coms anymore, but the premise of Asian Persuasion was enough to pique my interest. Not to mention, it kind of makes you fall in love with this side of Queens. Director Jhett Tolentino shot this during COVID, and while that is kind of obvious with how people are staged, it almost gives you more space to enjoy the scenery. Plus Mickey owns a coffee shop called "The Fili Beans" and that is an A+ name.

Solid premise aside, the range of acting skills in this film is...vast. Some scenes go very smoothly, others are kind of painful to watch. Paolo Montalban was the best in my opinion, and that's probably a big reason why Lee is the character I ended up liking the most. 

Ultimately, Asian Persuasion is a mostly enjoyable watch. The soundtrack is lovely, the costume designer Sheena Alexis Suarez does an amazing job, especially with Avery's looks. I'm seriously about to go Google Lens a pair of shoes she was wearing, and these things do outweigh the unevenness of the acting and writing. 

Asian Persuasion opens in theaters this Friday. 

Grade: C

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