With Crazy Rich Asians setting the precedent that an all-Asian-cast, all-Asian themed Rom-Com can find huge success in the American market, it’s a little odd that Netflix would decide to limit Always Be My Maybe to such a small theatrical release (one theater in L.A. at the time of writing this review). But, lucky for us they did, because Always Be My Maybe is an equally delightful, if not funnier, Com-Rom (little more Com than Rom) than last year’s megahit, and, if you subscribe to Netflix, is far cheaper to watch as well.
Co-written by its co-stars, Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as Sasha and Marcus, two childhood best friends who awkwardly hook up in their late teenage years. That ill-timed night leads to a 16-year estrangement until they reunite when (now celebrity chef) Sasha returns to San Francisco to open a restaurant and Marcus ends up repairing her A/C.
Like an old family recipe, the film sticks to a tried and true formula, while making sure to use the best ingredients. Ali Wong mostly worked in TV and animation before this lead turn, but is probably most famous for her excellent stand-up specials (also on Netflix). She’s great as Sasha, exhibiting the archetypical successful workaholic trope in a realistic, non-caricature, kind of way (read: not humorless). Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat, Veep, Ant-Man and the Wasp) continues to shine as Marcus.
After losing his mother in an accident shortly before his and Sasha’s fallout, Marcus remains in stasis: living at home with his dad, smoking weed and playing in the same band at the same club nearly a decade and a half later (his band, Hello Peril, is actually quite good, especially considering they are a fictional movie band). Michelle Buteau as Sasha’s friend Veronica deserves some credit too. Veronica is funny and helpful, but in a well-rounded way antithetical to most Rom-Com “best friend” types who don’t seem to exist beyond the lives of the main characters.
As Always Be My Maybe hits the required beats of the genre, it remains grounded, witty and breezy. It could coast along on the strength of its script and talent alone, but a little over halfway through, the film throws in an extended cameo more inspired than Bill Murray in Zombieland. This not-so-secret appearance (IMDB somehow gives this person top billing) makes for two of the most hilarious back-to-back scenes in an already funny movie, like wrapping scallops in bacon.
