Review: Welcome to ‘Bad Axe,’ where a multicultural American family braves the pandemic
The best hope of the country now seems to be a movie about an immigrant family of four. That, or a new comedy that brings together four non-white characters and treats them all like actual people. Yes, I know that’s an odd thought coming from a white man who made a movie called Crazy Rich Asians that was supposed to show Asians as more than cash cows.
But, whatever your opinion of Crazy Rich Asians, it’s still the most-watched movie in the world, and it’s easy to understand why. With a cast that includes Constance Wu (the world’s first Asian-American woman to win an Oscar), Michelle Yeoh (the world’s first openly bisexual woman to win an award) and JK Simmons (the world’s first openly transgender actor to win an Oscar), the film has a heart that will make you feel less anxious about the world.
If you’re not a fan of white people and you love the idea of seeing a movie about a multicultural family that doesn’t have any white people, this one might be for you. If you prefer to watch a movie about a multicultural family without any Asian people, this might be the one you’re looking for. (There is also the option of watching Crazy Rich Asians here.)
In Welcome to ‘Bad Axe,’ we meet Kevin (Wu), his new wife, Zoe (Yeoh), their young children, and a group of young people in Kevin’s youth group, most of whom have since left the group. They’re all from one of those countries you’ve probably never heard of — mostly the United States, a place that should be a safe haven. If you watch the movie, you’ll see that Kevin is very good at holding it together in a way that makes him one of the nicest characters you’ll ever see, but it’s not a pretty story.
You’re left to wonder why anyone would watch this movie, when the country has so many other movies just as good. That’s the great thing about Welcome to ‘Bad Axe,’ which is not only made by an Asian American filmmaker, but also by an Asian American person who grew up in a household where racial tensions ran very high.
In terms of the story, Welcome to ‘Bad Axe’ is a variation on Badlands, and Kevin is a version