EASTER SUNDAY (2022) – Review

So, when’s the perfect time to release a big family comedy about a big family event that happens in the Spring? Why, the “dog days” of Summer, naturally. Or at least that’s the thinking behind this weekend’s answer to the big star-fueled “action-on-the-rails” blockbuster. But what was the question, again? Yeah, so when will another “stand-up” superstar branch into the movies (most go right to TV) with an “all ages” funny flick loosely based on his life, and his sell-out comedy concerts? Move over Amy Schumer, Pete Davidson, and Kevin Hart, here comes some competition with a unique, often spicy ethnic voice. So, strap in for one wild and raucous EASTER SUNDAY.

An opening title montage introduces us to the hectic world of rising stand-up comic Joe Valencia (Jo Koy). When he’s not hustling from one club stage to the next, he tries to spend some quality time with his almost-out-of-high-school son Junior (Brandon Wardell), when he can wrangle him away from his ex. Almost preventing that is a big audition for a supporting role in a network TV sitcom pilot, though they want him to “hit up the accent” he uses in his act while talking about his Filipino family. Speaking of, his matriarch, single mom Susan (Lydia Gaston) “blows up” his phone with her concern about his arrival in time for the Easter Sunday family festivities. Thankfully Joe and Jr. hit the road, leaving LA for Daly City, just south of ‘Frisco. As soon as they arrive the duo are plunged into lots of “drama”. Mama is feuding with sister Tita Theresa (Tia Carrere), over…it’s unclear, but she threatens to boycott her post-church service lunch. Then there’s cousin Eugene (Eugene Cordero) who has taken Joe’s investment money for a taco truck and has instead diverted it to a “hype-truck”, selling designer labels “doodads”. Unfortunately, he’s gotten his inventory from a swaggering “wannabe” gangster named Dev Deluxe (Asif Ali), who wants his 40 grand today. At least Jr. has met a cool local girl named Ruth (Eva Nobelzada), while Joe has been pelted with calls from his aggressive LA agent (Jay Chandrasekhar) who wants him to fly back for a post-holiday dinner “re-audition”. But while outrunning Dev’s goons, acquiring some “hot” sports memorabilia, and hooking up with an old flame and a local celeb, will he be able to enjoy the massive feast his mom has “slaved over” or will he put career before “family time”?

So, how’s Koy as the lead of a feature film? Pretty decent, though he relies a bit too much on reprising some stand-up bits in certain scenes (at the church…oookay). But he conveys the idea of a man literally being pulled by all sides, or a variation of the old variety show “plate-spinner”, though one of them’s gonna’ crash to the floor. It helps that he’s willing to be the “straight man” to many of the terrific “scene-stealers” ready to nab the spotlight. Primary is the always grinning Cordero who doesn’t fully understand his dire straights thinking he can charm his way out of anything since it seems to work with most of his family, except the frustrated Joe. Gaston is endearing as the sweet “noodge” who doesn’t “get” her son’s life but tries to be his anchor. Ali’s a very funny comic villain using his manic bluster to puff up his petite frame. Carrere is in full “diva mode” as the fussy competitive sister. But really shaking things up is Koy’s BFF from the “club days”, Tiffany Haddish, who’s a comic “stealth missile” destroying everything and everyone in sight during her two sequences (if she could find a lead role that showcases her like this). Another comic, Jimmy O. Yang scores some laughs as a reclusive retail hustler. And Lou Diamond Phillips seems to be having a blast as he satirizes his screen persona. Perhaps the biggest laughs come from Chandrasekhar as the agent who needs to talk right away but loses interest quickly (“Oops, going through a tunnel, losing you…”).

Wouldn’t you know that the director gave himself a plum comic role (in the tradition of Sydney Pollack and Mel Brooks)? But then Chandrasekhar has honed his comedy skills as part of the Broken Lizard crew, at the helm of many of their film projects, along with countless TV shows and a few other features. This may be the reason why his digs at “Tinsel-Town” feels so right and have the spark that most of the final act concerning the family dynamic lacks. At times the script recalls another funny franchise (it’s a wonder this was titled “My Big Fat Filipino Holiday”), or a “stitched together” compilation of the first three or four episodes of a TV sitcom. It’s often a tad exhausting to think of all the hijinks occurring over a single day, culminating in a bit of gunplay that feels out of sync with the bickering relatives. And all these conflicts get compressed and churned into a “feel good finale” that seems too “pat”. Still, it’s great to take a tour through a culture that Hollywood hasn’t explored and the fans of Koy’s comedy specials should find EASTER SUNDAY a pleasant bit of family fluff. Here’s hoping that his next screen effort offers more bite to the “bits”.

2.5 Out of 4

EASTER SUNDAY is now playing in theatres everywhere