White Frog

2012

1 hr. 33 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

Reviews

69%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

After his older brother dies, a teenager (BooBoo Stewart) with Asperger's syndrome is invited into his late sibling's circle of friends.

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Audience Member

This movie is so understated that it requires full attention to its nuances. If you do not shed a tear at the end: watch it again. The love of two brothers: one secretly gay and the other with Asperger's syndrome in a very strict Asian family overcoming grief and struggling with their culture. Well done!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

This is an excellent film.to generate discussion about people who are different than what may be considered "the norm" and appropriate reactions toward them. I loved this film, and thoight performances by Booboo Stewart and Gregg Sulkin were right on the money! B. D. Wong, cast against type, also delivered a commendable performance, but the real star here is the screenplay!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

Being a tender and warm message from the coming-of-age, 'White Frog' is a gentle and moving attempt to provide a message that prompts unity for families, encourages tolerance, gives a clear message of love and implies that diversity is key to understand new societies. The story positions Nick (Booboo Stewart) as a young, autistic boy who lives with his older brother Chaz (Harry Shum Jr.) and their two parents in a well-off home in Beverly Hills. After Chaz's death, Nick has to face himself alone and without the protection of his brother to live as a student, exposing himself to the common problems that adolescence brings. After a series of adventures, Nick will find all the secrets of his brother, so he will seek to honor his memory as the great person he meant for him. In the first instance, the film is risky from the moment its protagonist is autistic. The character is poorly built and this is due to Lee's limited ability to direct this story. He really does not seem to know the behavior of a real autistic, so Nick is not only incomplete, but also tremendously false at times. His parents are completely detestable characters and this kept an intention, however Lee forgot that to be a bad character, he or she must have qualities to be that, and in this case, they are terrible being bad parents. The gay theme is approached in a gentle and discursive way. Reactions to this by the characters are different, but at the same time unconvincing and quite predictable. Even so the cast seems to have an adequate acquisition of characteristics that makes them differentiate between them. However, the tale does not favor them, since it is full of unnecessary moments like the meeting of Nick with the homeless people or the sudden hatred of Chaz's ex boyfriend towards Nick, which are actions that present holes. Without firm guidance, the emotional and psychological transitions of the characters are fast and inexplicable, practically imperceptible, reducing the seriousness and credibility of the plot. Film resources are also limited. I was not expecting a great picture of Los Angeles but at least something more of Beverly Hills. Although the direction and the production are a disaster and it does not manage to eliminate the annoying and melancholy kitsch tone in all the narration, the story is very original. It manages to get rid of many frequent clichés and focuses on showing different faces of a story that we rarely imagined would be possible. The fable is charming, it fulfills its objectives and it does not wander. It finishes as it began: in a sweet and enlightened way. 58/100

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Well done all around, and a refreshing change!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

This movie will really pull at your heart strings. Great movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Audience Member

This was the WORST movie i ever saw in my life. the characters sucked and everybody was annoying as crap. i had to stop watching because i couldn't bear it anymore. i'd rather gouge my eyes and dangle 20 feet in the air than watch this horribly written+directed+acted shit excuse for a NETFLIX movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Quentin Lee

Director

Booboo Stewart

Nick Young

Harry Shum Jr.

Chaz Young

Joan Chen

Irene Young

BD Wong

Oliver Young

Gregg Sulkin

Randy

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

The opulent Beverly Hills setting, in which every character lives in a mansion and drives a luxury car, is offered up without comment or, oddly enough, any sort of visual style to complement it.

May 16, 2013

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Like getting a half-dozen undercooked after-school specials at once, Quentin Lee's "White Frog" serves up a medley of messages and themes while generating no discernible dramatic heft.

Rated: 2/5

May 9, 2013

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Synopsis

After his older brother dies, a teenager (BooBoo Stewart) with Asperger's syndrome is invited into his late sibling's circle of friends.

Director: Quentin Lee
Executive Producer: David Henry Hwang, Kevin Iwashina
Screenwriter: Ellie Wen, Fabienne Wen
Production Co: Chris Lee Productions
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016

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