yes, this movie is racist

Rating: 1/10 (10 April 2008)

Much of white America just does not understand the systemic racism that Hollywood has committed over the years. Let's get one thing straight. The way people of different races are portrayed on film/TV DOES make a difference. It does affect the way people think. For example, after Bruce Lee made all those movies, it was assumed that Asian people were all kung fu masters even though it's obviously not true. So this refrain from people that "it's just a movie" has got to stop. Movies/Film help CREATE REALITY.
So given that film creates reality, the systematic exclusion of Asian Americans from film does make a big difference. It means that Asian Americans continue to be made invisible and marginalized here in America. When people think of America, they don't think of Asians and a large part of that has to do with the fact that they aren't seen on film/TV. Asian Americans are 5% of the US population (over 10% in places like California and New York) and growing and somehow they are rarely shown on TV/film. And when they are, it's almost always in a secondary role or a role that emphasizes how "odd" or "strange" they are. Asian Americans are often shown as foreigners and this is insulting. Asian Americans are real Americans.
Hollywood has tried to justify their casting of white characters by saying that they are "bankable" and that they would like to cast more Asian Americans, but they cannot because they are not bankable. This is circular reasoning. Asian Americans cannot become "bankable" because Hollywood studios refuse to cast them! Lastly, let's take a scenario where there's a movie about George Washington. Let's say that he is played by an Asian American. There would be a firestorm of controversy and all of a sudden white people would be clamoring that only a white man could play the role convincingly. All of a sudden the racial integrity of the actor would be essential. So hypocritical.