2018 In Review: "Searching" + John Cho Should Get A Best Actor Nod

Sunday, December 30, 2018



The first post looking back at 2018, as well as the start of hopefully a run of posts up until the end of the year - this one just feels right.

I absolutely loved "Searching" with John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Sara Sohn, Alex Jayne Go, and Michelle La - and although I did think the weakest link while watching the movie was Debra Messing - it kind of made sense at the end of the film and maybe that was exactly the way she needed to be - although with the strong performance of John Cho, who anchored and made that film believable (along with a really strong performance by Joseph Lee) - her performance didn't need to be great - just believable.

Written by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian, and directed by Aneesh Chaganty - it did keep you on the edge of your seat and I thought the vehicles they used to show the main parts of the film - like using the YouTube channel of a news agency - were incredibly innovative and kept you guessing not just about the plot, but how the story was going to be unfolded from a completely operational view.

Generating around $75 million at the box office (off a reported $1 million budget) not counting revenue from On-Demand or other services - and having 90%+ ratings on a number of different review platforms - it's just more proof that an Asian American Lead can anchor an innovative film that people want to watch, and that's hugely profitable as well.

I DO THINK THOUGH...

I'll be honest though too in that I think Cho's performance will be overlooked and that if he was a non-Asian actor - and a White actor - he'd probably get more accolades for the film. His acting when you compare it to other films this year, it was undeniably a great performance that deserves recognition.