Watching TV with the Red Chinese

Watching TV with the Red Chinese is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Shimon Dotan, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Luke Whisnant. The film follows a trio of Chinese exchange students who arrive in New York City in 1980, eager for what America has to offer. They make friends including a literature teacher named Dexter and his girlfriend Suzanne. As they try to adjust to the New York city atmosphere, they become disillusioned with America, eventually buying a firearm for self-defense.

Cast

James Chen as Tzu
Keong Sim as Wa
Leonardo Nam as Chen
Gillian Jacobs as Suzanne
Ryan O'Nan as Dexter Mitchell
Michael Esper as Billy
Peter Scanavino as Czapinczyk
Idara Victor as Antigone

Reception

The film received positive reviews, with critics mostly praising the leads' performances and including minor critiques of the script. Variety, for example, called the acting "solid, particularly by O'Nan, Nam and Jacobs. But the conversations feel artificial, overly concerned with re-creating period detail." Daniel Gold of The New York Times adds that the film "nicely captures the grad-student vibe: beer-fueled bull sessions... fragile, self-absorbed egos preening even as confidence wavers." Paste Magazine states that "overall, the film rises above the usual trappings of low-budget productions and succeeds with a smart script and able performances from the cast of unknowns, whether you're looking for sociopolitical commentary or just a small tale well told."