Another white man save the day movie? They should instead get an insert xyz african/european girl. Trying to capture the asian market hoping more asian viewers will watch it? Fail. Trying to sell more tickets? Doesn't work.
If ethnicity/race identity doesn't add to the film then don't put it there.
Do people enjoy stereotypes? Do you appreciate the production value of cultural stereotypes?
Two things 1. Mercury rising had a white calculator boy for a main character. 2. I didnt even put the idea of an Asain and her basically being a calculator together. Most probably didn't. In order to recognize or create stereotypes you have to be stereotyping.
shareMercury Rising was based on a best-selling novel by Ridley Pearson. It was back in the early '90s, when white Americans still could do higher math.
shareNope, I didn't have to stereotype anyone. The movie did it for me. And I'm not just talking about the Chinese girl. I'm talking they stereotyped EVERYBODY.
shareAnd a computer nerd complaining about a movie on the IMDB boards isn't stereotypical?
Nice logic.
"There is no charge for awesomeness. Or attractiveness..." -Kung Fu Panda
She might have a mild form of autism, she said at the start of the movie that she doesn't want to have new friends and all that. They can't use white/black girl/boy because it's the Chinese mafia that needs such person and therefore that person must speak Chinese. Kind of make sense that they would look among the Chinese people for such individual, doesn't it?
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The studio suits cast the Chinese girl in order to appeal to all the Asians who will buy this bootleg on the sidewalks of Hong Kong, Taipei, and Beijing.
Um, wait, that doesn't sound right.
Why are people even angry and think that I'm trolling? Stereotypes ftl man, I'll ask you again, Do you enjoy watching stereotypes on screen? Does it increase your satisfaction? Do you enjoy characterization and enjoying these fantasies yourself?
What is wrong with people. Geez.
Trolling would be saying things like: She delivered great single eye lid performance or to that effect lol.
You are right, people are crazy to think your OP about a "white man save the day movie" was anything but a sincere question.
shareNever thought of it in terms of stereotypes. I just saw a little girl who happened to be Chinese and a man who happened to be white (as most action heroes are.) The girl was abducted because she was good with math, not because she was Chinese and the villains just assumed she would be good at math (that would be enforcing a stereotype).
It seems if anything has people of different races someone will always find something to whine about; whether it's Dirty Harry, Captain Planet, Rio Bravo, or Safe.
"If ethnicity/race identity doesn't add to the film then don't put it there."
Okay. Then what character from another group of people would recognize the solution in the abacus, that she solved? Fifth graders from South Central or central Atlanta? I don't think so.
Clearly there was plenty of reason to juxtapost the character of Mei (Catherine Chan) with the Chinese tongs and the Russian mafia.
And maybe you're just a little bit racist or bigoted yourself.
@jporter
How the hell do you know it couldn't have been a fifth grader from South Central who solved the abacus? Geniuses come in ALL colors---Asian folks don't have a claim on intelligence, and if you're ever been on Asian-American sites, even some of them admit that they're getting tired of the whole "Asian people are geniuses" stereotype because it completely ignores the Asian-Americans who aren't geniuses, for one thing---and dosen't even acknowledge their existence or the problems around that particular stereotype.
"If ethnicity/race identity doesn't add to the film then don't put it there."
To whoever said that: People's ethnicities get added to a film whether they add anything or not, so be quiet.
I haven't actually seen the film yet, but yeah, it would be cool to see a film where a Chinese woman gets saved by a brother (like Wesley Snipes did in THE ART OF WAR.) The whole "white savior" thing is so played the hell out, anyway.
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I believe you are barking up the wrong tree with the stereotype idea. Movie is kind of like The Professional. This movie is a Jason Statham vehicle and he happens to be a white guy who falls for this little girl who is good with numbers. The little girl happens to be Chinese. Wasn't there a movie Pi where the kid was white? Wasn't there another movie "Numbers" where the kid was white? Then there was "Looking for Bobby Fischer"- what race/color were the prodigies? You can get yourself all worked up over the stereotypes but it just isn't worth it in the case of this movie. Everybody who has any sense knows there are many, many honest Chinese and Russian immigrants. The movie is quite negative on the NYPD, which is portrays as riddled with corruption. And the white mayor and his boyfriend (the guy the little girl shoots in the leg at the end) and the white cops are corrupt.
share