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Front Cover

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for Front Cover Released Aug 5, 2016 1h 27m Romance Comedy Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A growing friendship between a gay New York fashion stylist (Jake Choi) and a rising Beijing actor (James Chen) turns into romance.
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Front Cover

Critics Reviews

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Stephanie Merry Washington Post The film's examination of the first-generation American experience feels fresh. The delivery, however, is hardly original. Rated: 2/4 Sep 29, 2016 Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times It's a root-worthy picture with its share of warm, amusing moments, an attractive pair of leads and a vivid use of Big Apple locales. Aug 11, 2016 Full Review Dennis Harvey Variety If there isn't much subtlety or surprise in Yeung's screenplay, his direction is graceful enough to make this a pleasant if unmemorable bittersweet love story. Aug 5, 2016 Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter Combining a hip insider's take on fashionistas with a two-worlds-collide, cute-boys implosion, Front Cover is as current as tomorrow's headlines. Jun 10, 2020 Full Review Tricia Olszewski Washington City Paper These good intentions never translate into a good movie. Jan 2, 2017 Full Review Edmund Lee South China Morning Post For all its awkwardness in bridging the personal and the cultural, Front Cover does deliver as a nice little romantic comedy with a pair of endearing leads. Rated: 3/5 Oct 25, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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PridePosterStudios *Fairy Godmother from Shrek* No, no, no, no, no! Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/26/24 Full Review Audience Member Was impressed by the compelling dramatic storyline. I so wanted Ryan and Ning to finish together. Really sad this didn't happen. The picture is beautiful though! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member It's no secret that there is a lack of Asian-American representation in LGBT-related films, so watching Front Cover felt like a breath of fresh air. The story is predictable, and many of the film's comedic beats fall flat, but watching Ryan and Ning's relationship grow is heartwarming and insightful. I like that the film makes an effort to comment on the desexualization of Asian-American men in our media, as well as the microaggressions Asian-American men face in the queer dating scene. The film finds its voice when it is focusing on the relationship between these two men, following them around the city as they talk about family, fashion, sexuality, culture, and more. It stumbles in its story, which feels cliche and awkward at points, but altogether, it succeeds because of the strength of its script and the themes that it dares to explore. Hopefully we'll see more films exploring queer, Asian-American folks in the future. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member There isn't much subtlety or surprise in Yeung's screenplay, but his direction is graceful enough to make this a pleasant if unmemorable bittersweet love story. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The characters were believable, and the plot was plausible. And the spaces in between were filled by sweet moments and realistic outcomes. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Whatever nuance can be found in Front Cover, the story of an openly gay fashion stylist and a seemingly homophobic Chinese movie star, belongs chiefly to the performances of Jake Choi and James Chen. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Ray Yeung

Director

Jake Choi

Ryan

James Chen

Ning

Jennifer Neala Page

Janet

Sonia Villani

Francesca

Elizabeth Sung

Yen Fu

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Front Cover

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Front Cover

James Chen as Ning in "Front Cover." (L-R) Jake Choi as Ryan and James Chen as Ning in "Front Cover." (L-R) James Chen as Ning and Jake Choi as Ryan in "Front Cover." Jake Choi as Ryan in "Front Cover." A scene from "Front Cover." Jake Choi as Ryan in "Front Cover." Jake Choi as Ryan in "Front Cover." James Chen as Ning in "Front Cover." (L-R) Elizabeth Sung as Yen, Ming Lee as Ba, James Chen as Ning, Jake Choi as Ryan and Fan Shut Zhen as Mama in "Front Cover." (L-R) James Chen as Ning, Jake Choi as Ryan, Elizabeth Sung as Yen and Ming Lee as Ba in "Front Cover." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A growing friendship between a gay New York fashion stylist (Jake Choi) and a rising Beijing actor (James Chen) turns into romance.
Director
Ray Yeung
Producer
Ray Yeung, Kaer Vanice
Screenwriter
Ray Yeung
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Production Co
NewVoice
Genre
Romance, Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 5, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 18, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.3K
Runtime
1h 27m
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