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Ethan Mao

Play trailer Poster for Ethan Mao 2004 1h 29m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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36% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Kicked out of his house because he is gay, a hustler returns home to steal and ends up holding his family hostage on Thanksgiving Day.

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Ethan Mao

Critics Reviews

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Robert Koehler Variety 08/11/2005
Messy admixtures of drama and mockery crucially undermine pic's serious message. Go to Full Review
Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times 08/11/2005
3/5
It builds tension gradually but surely to an exceptionally strong payoff. Go to Full Review
Tim Grierson L.A. Weekly 08/11/2005
1/5
Nobody onscreen seems to realize that this deadeningly self-serious treatment of family dysfunction is so overwrought that it becomes a spot-on satire of low-budget ineptitude. Go to Full Review
Don Willmott Filmcritic.com 10/26/2005
2/5
acting, directing, and production are all B to C level Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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05/10/2013 excellent, worth watching See more 04/13/2013 read the synopsis for the story line. this story had possibilities. Acting was so so, the actors seemed like they were reading the script and not feeling it . they were not believable. there were time that the two boys Ethan and Romero did a good job. that was not often. the story line its self was decent, and like I said had strong possibilities. the direction was lacking the did not give his actors the guidance they needed for a believable performance. all in all it was watchable, but parts dragged. would I recommend it. not really its a film that is watchable, but have something else to do. See more 03/14/2012 This film wasn't what I was expecting at all. It's very touching in some ways, disturbing in others, but very well acted. A love story like you'll never have seen, and so original it deserves a good rating. See more 09/26/2011 Okay, so I'm behind, but catching up. Luckily, though, I caught this film after searching through gay themed thriller type movies, and had just about given up on anything worth turning the tv on for. For those critics that call it a B movie, well duh, it wasn't meant for wide release, but to tell a story, which it did in a very nice way. Sure, some dialogue burps, but overall well done for the fresh group of actors involved to tell this dysfunctional family story. Caught me very nicely by surprise! Well done. See more 09/11/2011 In my opinion, this is an excellent drama about human relationships. It is typically categorized as a "Gay Movie" but the gay element is not really primary in this film. Much the same story could have been told if Ethan had been kicked out for drug use or religious views and had met a girl on the streets. The power of the story is in its exploration of character, relationship, and family. The script and direction are very good. The acting by its small cast is excellent. I would recommend it to anyone. See more 08/09/2011 This is a weird screenplay and a silly plot. "Ethan Mao" is kicked out of his house by his homophobic father and holds his family hostage to retrieve his dead mother's necklace. First, Ethan Mao (played by limited Jun Hee Lee who's sulks too much) should be more worried about finding a job and then hustling where he gets fucked all the time. His BFF who's secretly in love with him, Remigio (played by Juan Hernandez who steals this movie) but it's hard to believe that he would leave his drug dealing to get involved in this messy family hostage drama. Julia Nickson, as the bitchy stepmom, adds some spice to the movie but she's a pale version of "Mommie Dearest." I didn't feel any empathy towards Ethan Mao so I didn't buy into his dilemma so the movie didn't work at all for me. Another problem is that nothing's accomplished at the end. The characters remain the same as they started. His younger brother Josh (played as a cute wimp by David Tran) seems like he's on the brink of revealing some secrets himself but that's not the case. When Remigio and Ethan surrender at the end and head into the sunlight, we wonder why? The family could save them from the cops. See more Read all reviews
Ethan Mao

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Movie Info

Synopsis Kicked out of his house because he is gay, a hustler returns home to steal and ends up holding his family hostage on Thanksgiving Day.
Director
Quentin Lee
Producer
Stanley Yung, Quentin Lee
Screenwriter
Quentin Lee
Production Co
Paramount, Margin Films
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 10, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 24, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.8K
Runtime
1h 29m
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