Review of Better Luck Tomorrow (2003) by Cory T — 20 Apr 2008

"Temerity" is defined as reckless boldness; foolhardiness. The main character explains this word to the audience in his voice-over, and then proceeds to cement that definition and put it into practice. The justification he gives for getting into the drug business is "they were putting the law of supply and demand into practice"... and hey, his economics teacher would be proud. And while this mindset seems amoral and illogical, we come to realize that neither morals nor logic mattered to these kids from the start.

They are the upper-class academic elite in an Orange County high school, bound for and expected to get, nothing less than Standford or Harvard. The only problem is, they're bored out of their minds; they know as long as they keep the grades, they'll be trusted and given complete freedom.

The best thing about the movie is director Justin Lin's visual style; it is so natural, so well-constructed, it seems like he's been making movies all his life (This is actually his second feature).

The consequences these kids sow as a result of their decisions feel so real, it's scary. The movie does more than sidestep the cliches of conventional teen films, it cements a knowingness and awareness of life's possible brutality. The fact that these characters are all of Asian-American descent also adds to this idea of hostility, sidestepping, even the existence of, caucasians. The meanness and petty crime that ensues is masked by the comforts of social high-fasion.

The main character quizzes himself, to get the perfect SAT score, by picking a new word each day and memorizing its grammatical categorization and definition, and we get words (like temerity) throughout the film, that coincide with the plot. The word at the film's close is inextricable. - It almost seems like a pun for the movie to put a term on itself, seeming to render that job (for the critic) null. But using that word, that I certainly wouldn't have considered by the way, it makes the film as a whole take on a richer, more complex ending that seems to make up for any slight aversions the story might have taken along its way.

By making rash or temorarious decisions, these kids don't know, for once, how their lives will turn out. Their futures don't feel planned, and yeah, it cost someone their life, but "every war has its casualities" and it sure beats boredom, right?