Review: Take Out Girl

Release date: March 06, 2020
Running time: 99 minutes
Starring: Hedy Wong, Ski Carr, Lynna Yee 

Brought to you by director / writer / producer Hisonni Johnson, Take Out Girl is the story of  21 year old Tera Wong (Wong), a fearless, intelligent, and courageous hustler. And with her fiery, hostile, determined personality she is set to make a difference within her family.  She delivers Chinese food for her mother, Wavy Wong (Yee)'s struggling restaurant located in the projects of Los Angeles.  Wong's mother, however, is dealing with both financial troubles but also the toll that this work is taking on her physical health as she is in need of recovery from an accident.  But while making a delivery she meets neighborhood drug kingpin, Lalo (Carr) whose lifestyle provides hope for her situation. Tera is tasked to move his drugs inside her takeout orders. She hopes to use the money from this endeavor to move her family restaurant to the suburbs and go legit. But will she be able to keep her hopes and dreams alive with a plan built on misdoings and lies?

For starters, I was impressed by the diversity of the cast and crew of this film; it is truly the definition of diverse: Asian Americans, Latino, Caucasian, and African Americans all coming together to get this project done.  Not to mention that the majority of the crew are women. And although Hedy Wong, Ski Carr, and Lynna Yee did phenomenal jobs, others such as J. Teddy Garces, Lorin Alond Ly, and Dijon Talton were amazing as well.  It is easy to buy into their performances, which helps to elevate each scene and really get invested in the plot.  On top of this, each character has aspects that are relatable, truly helping the viewer buy into each characters of this film.  Being a big fan of music let alone hip hop, this soundtrack is legit and an added to the overall feel of the film.

With a film centered around family, loyalty, respect, and hustling, the film can't help but expose life lessons the viewers can get from all of these.  When it comes down to the glam and attraction of drug dealing, it exposes the good, the bad, and and the ugly aspects of this trade, while making sure not to glorify it.  This is important to make sure viewers see real aspects of the lifestyle: the fast money and then the dangers that come from the quick rise.  They take these lessons and create practical scenarios that are relatable regardless of the viewer's background.  The third act of this movie doubles down on all aspects of the film, with intense scenes, emotional performances, surreal plot points, and an epic cliff hanger!

Take Out Girl hits on all cylinders and delivers a satisfying film.  From the amazing acting, well written plot, amazing production, relatable characters, and the accompanying soundtrack, this film is both a beautiful and important piece of cinema.  The only bad thing to take from this film is there is no telling when viewers maybe able to see with the wake of the nationwide quarantine. But best believe when it does be sure to order this one; it truly delivers the goods!

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