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Shopping for Fangs
Shopping for Fangs
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Shopping for Fangs
DVD cover
Directed byQuentin Lee
Justin Lin
Written byDan Alvarado
Justin Lin
Quentin Lee
Produced byQuentin Lee
StarringRadmar Agana Jao
CinematographyLisa Wiegand
Edited byJustin Lin
Quentin Lee
Sean Yeo
Music bySteven Pranato
Distributed byMargin Films
Release dates
  • March 7, 1997 (1997-03-07) (CAAMFest)
  • April 18, 1998 (1998-04-18) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Canada
LanguageEnglish

Shopping for Fangs is a 1997 black comedy[1] film directed by Quentin Lee and Justin Lin, starring Radmar Agana Jao. The film marks the debut of actor John Cho.

Plot

[edit]

Housewife Katherine loses consciousness and loses her cell phone as a result. Lesbian waitress Trinh sends her sexually suggestive messages and pictures. Katherine's husband works with a man by the name of Phil.[2]

Payroll clerk Phil, who is confused about his sexuality, thinks that he is transforming into a werewolf because his hair grows so quickly that he has to shave every hour, he gorges on raw meat, and he is uninjured after being struck by a car.[3]

Cast

[edit]
  • Radmar Jao as Phil
  • Jeanne Chin as Katherine
  • Clint Jung as Jim
  • Lela Lee as Naomi
  • John Cho as Clarance
  • Peggy Ahn as Grace
  • Scott Eberlein as Matt
  • Daniel Twyman as Dr. Suleri
  • Jennifer Hengstenberg as Sammi
  • Dana Pan as May

Production

[edit]

The film's budget was less than $100,000 and had a filming schedule of 21 days in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.[4][5] The film was partially funded with a Canada Council grant.[5] Lee and Lin separated the filming between themselves, with Lee filming the part with Katherine and Lin filming the part with Phil.[4] The term "GenerAsian X" may have been coined because of this film's release, with the X later being removed.[6]

Lee said in a 2012 interview, "Shopping for Fangs is about finding connections, which is a theme that threads through all my movies." He also said, "It’s hard to quantify cultural impact, but certainly years after, scholars and critics are still talking about Shopping for Fangs."[7] He added, "In our culture now we tend to think of people as having fixed identities. We tried to use the myths in the film to make these identities fluid again and make us question what we’re really about."[5]

Release

[edit]

The film premiered at the 1997 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (CAAMFest) on March 7, 1997.[8][9] It also screened at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival.[5] The film was distributed by Lin's company Margin Films.[10][5]

Reception

[edit]

J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader commented, "Like so many other indie releases of its time, this 1997 comedy is a knockoff of Pulp Fiction, with oddball characters, intersecting story lines, and plenty of B-movie flash. But it’s got real energy, and its solid grounding in LA’s Asian community gives the laughs a genuine cultural point of view."[11]

David Noh, writing for Film Journal, said, "Under the circumstances, the actors manage to do rather nicely."[12] Edward Guthmann, of San Francisco Chronicle, wrote, "Despite some fresh ideas, attractive actors and a sly, surprising performance by Chin as the disaffected Katherine, this is a rough first effort."[13]

Home media

[edit]

The film was released on DVD on October 6, 2009 by Pathfinder Home Entertainment.[14]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
is a 1997 American independent co-directed by Quentin Lee and , serving as the feature-length directorial debut for both. The stars Radmar Agana Jao in the lead role, with supporting performances including an early appearance by , and follows the intersecting lives of unconventional characters in ' Asian immigrant enclaves, incorporating supernatural motifs such as vampires and werewolves amid explorations of and alienation. Filmed on a low budget in the , a hub of Southern California's Asian diasporas, it premiered at festivals including and , highlighting emerging Asian American cinematic voices through its blend of quirky humor and genre elements. The production's shoestring approach and thematic focus on hybrid identities underscore its significance as an early work by Lin, who later achieved mainstream success directing action franchises.

Synopsis

Plot Summary

Shopping for Fangs centers on the intersecting lives of three Asian-American protagonists navigating personal dissatisfaction in . Katherine, a married feeling trapped in her routine existence, starts receiving anonymous seductive phone calls from Trinh, a bold waitress at a local , which awaken her suppressed curiosities about her sexuality. Meanwhile, Phil, an unassuming payroll clerk harboring a secret crush, experiences excessive and unusual body hair growth, leading him to suspect he is metamorphosing into a and prompting erratic behavior to embrace what he perceives as his primal side. The plot escalates when Trinh misplaces her cell phone after initiating the calls to , setting off a series of mistaken identities and fortuitous encounters involving quirky secondary characters, such as Phil's misguided quest for transformation aids. These coincidences draw the trio's paths together, unraveling deceptions and fostering confrontations that expose their vulnerabilities and unspoken yearnings, blending comedic absurdity with introspective tension. Culminating in revelations that frame their crises as manifestations of psychological turmoil rather than verifiable phenomena, the narrative underscores themes of through a lens of ambiguous reality, resolving without affirming literal fangs or lycanthropy.

Cast and Characters

Principal Cast

Radmar Agana Jao stars as Phil, the film's protagonist, a lonely clerk harboring a secret crush who begins experiencing delusions of transforming into a . His performance anchors the indie comedy's exploration of personal alienation and self-doubt, drawing on Jao's background in smaller roles prior to this lead. Jeanne Chinn portrays Katherine, a suburban drawn into hidden desires through anonymous seductive phone calls from a . Chinn's debut in a central role highlights her ability to convey subtle emotional unrest, contributing to the film's intimate character-driven appeal. John Cho appears as Clarance, a in a supporting capacity, in what served as one of his earliest roles before wider recognition. The casting of Asian American actors like Jao, Chinn, and in principal positions emphasized the film's focus on identity and cultural displacement within a quirky supernatural framework, aligning with its independent production ethos.

Supporting Roles

Clint Jung portrays , a whose eccentric personality and interactions amplify the film's ensemble of Los Angeles oddballs, infusing scenes with a sense of urban absurdity that underscores the quirky group dynamic. His performance, marking an early feature debut in an ensemble setting, contributes to the portrayal of relatable yet offbeat figures navigating the city's fringes. Other minor roles, such as the flirtatious waitress Trinh—a diva-like figure perpetually in a blonde wig and —further populate the with flamboyant eccentrics, enhancing the film's playful weirdness through brief but vivid cameos that evoke the diversity of LA's underbelly. Actors like in such secondary parts help sustain the ensemble's lively, improvisational feel without overshadowing the core group. As one of the earliest Asian American indie productions, Shopping for Fangs emphasizes diversity in its supporting , drawing predominantly from Asian American performers to reflect underrepresented voices in cinema and foster authentic depictions of multicultural eccentricity. This casting approach, evident in roles filled by talents like Peggy Ahn and emerging actors such as in peripheral capacities, prioritized cultural resonance over mainstream stereotypes, aligning with the film's independent ethos.

Production

Development and Writing

Shopping for Fangs originated as the debut of co-directors Quentin Lee and , who co-wrote the script while still graduate students at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Lin's involvement represented an early milestone in his career, preceding his later mainstream successes in action franchises. The screenplay centered on parallel narratives of young Asian American protagonists grappling with , drawing on motifs of consumption and transtextual mimicry from horror genres to interrogate cultural and existential disconnection. Pre-production unfolded amid the constraints of independent , with the project budgeted under $100,000, necessitating resourceful among emerging Asian American talents. and Lin deliberately blended genres in a self-described "generasian X" style, transcending conventional thriller elements to prioritize relational dynamics and postmodern identity exploration tailored to urban youth experiences. This approach highlighted the filmmakers' intent to challenge stereotypes through an all-Asian cast, crew, and creative team, a rarity for U.S. features at the time. The script's development emphasized offbeat humor intertwined with serious undertones of self-discovery, reflecting the directors' shared vision for a genre-hopping that critiqued assimilation pressures on second-generation immigrants. Resource limitations fostered a lean process focused on conceptual innovation over technical extravagance, aligning with broader indie trends in Asian American cinema.

Filming and Direction

The principal photography for Shopping for Fangs took place in 1996 on a shoestring budget in the , the hub of Asian immigrant communities in . This setting grounded the film's in authentic suburban locales, contrasting everyday immigrant life with surreal supernatural intrusions like vampire seductions and werewolf bites to evoke a gritty, hyper-real urban edge without relying on studio sets. Quentin Lee and co-directed the feature as recent UCLA film school collaborators, dividing responsibilities to infuse the production with dynamic, overlapping viewpoints that shaped its genre-blending pace. Their approach emphasized handheld camerawork and rapid, crisscrossing edits to mirror the protagonists' chaotic self-discoveries—one involving nocturnal phone lures from a , the other a full-moon affliction—heightening tension through abrupt cuts between mundane routines and horror-tinged absurdity. To maintain the indie ethos amid fiscal constraints, the filmmakers incorporated non-professional performers alongside emerging actors like in his debut role, fostering raw, improvisational energy in intimate seductive sequences. elements, including transformations, relied on practical effects such as makeup prosthetics and low-tech , eschewing expensive digital enhancements unavailable or unaffordable for a 1997 micro-budget project. Cinematographer Lisa Wiegand's naturalistic lighting further amplified the tonal shifts, using available street and household sources to blur lines between realism and the film's "Generasian X" hops.

Themes and Analysis

Identity and Self-Discovery

In Shopping for Fangs (1997), the Phil, a clerk in suburban , grapples with his self-conception through a fixation on lycanthropy, interpreting physical changes like excessive growth as signs of transformation into a . This delusion serves as a psychological for his underlying dissatisfaction with a mundane and perceived inadequacies in asserting traditional , reflecting a crisis rooted in unfulfilled ambitions rather than literal occurrence. 's consultations with a doctor and interactions with his sister's partner, an amateur lycanthropy expert, underscore his internal turmoil over identity, where the externalizes repressed frustrations without resolving them through fantastical means. Katherine, Phil's eventual counterpart, embodies a parallel amid marital routine, receiving anonymous seductive phone calls that awaken latent desires and expose the monotony of suburban domesticity. Her tremulous responses to these encounters highlight a complacency in her , critiquing the ennui of unexamined middle-class life where personal agency erodes into passive routine. Unlike overt elements, Katherine's arc emphasizes empirical self-confrontation, as the calls prompt into suppressed yearnings without ideological overlays, grounding her discovery in relational and emotional realism. The film's treatment of these crises prioritizes character-driven revelations, portraying as an incremental, psychologically plausible process amid everyday pressures like career stagnation and relational inertia. Directors Quentin Lee and employ oblique metaphors—Phil's and Katherine's telephony—to depict self-discovery as emerging from causal links between personal history and present discontent, eschewing fantasy for a focus on verifiable human . This approach aligns with the narrative's empirical lens, where protagonists' intersections catalyze awareness without contrived resolutions, emphasizing authentic introspection over external validation.

Queer and Supernatural Motifs

In Shopping for Fangs, lesbian undertones manifest primarily through anonymous seductive phone calls received by the Katherine, a married , which serve as a psychological trigger for her amid personal dissatisfaction and unresolved trauma, rather than as a vehicle for affirming fluid or . These calls, originating from a character like the promiscuous waitress Trinh, introduce tension without culminating in romantic resolution or normalization of orientation change, emphasizing instead Katherine's rooted in cultural repression and relational stagnation. The film's handling avoids didactic endorsement, portraying the encounters as disruptive catalysts that highlight and self-doubt over narratives. The elements, centered on the delusion afflicting Phil, a frustrated suppressing rage from workplace and immigrant family pressures, subvert traditional horror tropes by grounding them in mundane psychological realism rather than literal monstrosity or sympathetic victimhood. 's imagined transformation—manifesting in impulsive behaviors like howling or aggression—functions as comedic for bottled emotions in second-generation Asian , with the film deploying lo-fi effects and genre nods (e.g., to action thrillers) for satirical effect without committing to fantastical horror. This approach critiques identity crises through exaggeration, underscoring how fantasies mask real-world banalities like professional drudgery and familial duty, as 's arc resolves not via monstrous embrace but confrontation of human frailties. Horror-comedy integration achieves subtle subversion of audience expectations, blending intrigue with to satirize Gen-X ennui and cultural in Southern California's Asian , evident in hip intertextual references and offbeat pacing that prioritize relational absurdities over fidelity. However, the representation remains underdeveloped, with elements confined to peripheral provocation and lacking depth in character exploration, potentially appealing to niche indie audiences through surface-level edginess rather than substantive engagement, as noted in critiques of the 's loose structure and thematic fragmentation. This balance yields clever twists but risks superficiality, prioritizing satirical detachment over immersive motif development.

Release

Premiere and Distribution

Shopping for Fangs premiered at the International Asian American Film Festival (CAAMFest) on March 7, 1997. Its international premiere followed at the (TIFF) in September 1997, where it screened as part of the Perspective Canada program. Distribution was handled through self-release by Margin Films, the production company founded by director Quentin Lee in 1997. The film received offers primarily from foreign distributors rather than domestic theatrical outlets, leading to a nontraditional rollout focused on arthouse and circuits. It achieved a limited U.S. theatrical release on April 18, , consistent with constraints faced by independent films of the era lacking major studio backing. No comprehensive figures are available, reflecting its niche audience and absence from wide commercial tracking.

Festival Screenings

Shopping for Fangs received its international premiere at the on September 8, 1997, marking an early showcase for the film's blend of generational immigrant experiences and vampire lore in an independent production. This appearance introduced the work of co-directors Quentin Lee and to global programmers and audiences, facilitating connections within indie cinema networks prior to mainstream theatrical releases. Subsequent 1997 screenings included the , where the film competed in shorts and features categories aimed at emerging filmmakers, and the inaugural Reel Asian Film Festival in , emphasizing Asian Canadian and diasporic narratives. These events, alongside a presentation at the Asian American International Film Festival, positioned the movie within circuits dedicated to underrepresented voices, drawing attention to its low-budget innovation amid a wave of Asian American indie output. Such festival placements, without immediate wide distribution, underscored the film's role in amplifying diverse, non-Hollywood perspectives on youth alienation and cultural hybridity, though attendance figures remained modest compared to commercial blockbusters of the era.

Reception

Critical Response

Shopping for Fangs garnered mixed critical reception upon release, with a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes aggregated from six reviews. Critics frequently praised its originality and energetic debut qualities, particularly the inventive blend of comedy, horror, and identity exploration in a low-budget "Generasian X" framework. Variety highlighted the film's lively offbeat take on relationships with a clever supernatural twist, positioning directors Quentin Lee and Justin Lin as emerging talents capable of appealing to youth audiences, especially Asian-American viewers. Conversely, reviewers critiqued its execution, citing uneven pacing and diffuse narrative arcs that undermined its ambitions. The Connecticut Post characterized it as loose and colorful but ultimately too unfocused to make a lasting impact, despite strong photography. Such assessments pointed to amateurish elements in production, including rudimentary effects suited to its $125,000 , which occasionally disrupted the humor-infused examination of self-discovery and cultural hybridity. The Singapore Film Society echoed this balance, deeming it a solid but not exceptional foundational work in Asian-American cinema, valuing its thematic boldness while noting inconsistencies in tonal shifts and resolution. Some commentary dismissed the film's edgy motifs—such as undertones intertwined with lore—as contrived attempts at provocation rather than substantive depth, arguing that the genre-hopping diluted genuine insight into identity struggles. This perspective aligned with broader reservations about indie films prioritizing stylistic flair over narrative coherence, though no major conservative outlets reviewed it extensively at the time. Overall, the reception underscored the film's promise as a humorous fresh lens on personal reinvention amid cultural alienation, tempered by technical and structural limitations inherent to its debut status.

Audience and Commercial Performance

Shopping for Fangs experienced minimal commercial success, grossing just $2,194 at the domestic due to its as an independent production. The film's shoestring and experimental style constrained its distribution, preventing wider audience reach beyond circuits and niche screenings. Audience reception reflected its specialized appeal, with an user rating of 5.9 out of 10 based on 263 votes, underscoring divided opinions among viewers drawn to its quirky and Asian American themes rather than mainstream entertainment. On , it holds an average of 3.3 out of 5 from 615 user ratings, further evidencing a modest, dedicated following built through word-of-mouth in indie and communities rather than broad popularity. The picture's underperformance highlights the inherent risks of low-budget experimental indies, where innovative storytelling often fails to translate into financial viability without significant marketing or studio backing, as seen in its reliance on festival premieres like for initial visibility. This outcome aligns with patterns in independent cinema, where many such projects prioritized artistic expression over commercial prospects, fostering cult status over returns.

Legacy

Career Impacts

Shopping for Fangs (1997) marked the feature film debut for director Justin Lin, who co-directed and co-wrote the black comedy with Quentin Lee while still a student at UCLA. Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Lin directed Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), an independent drama that premiered at Sundance and earned critical acclaim for portraying complex Asian American youth experiences, grossing over $3.8 million domestically despite a modest budget. This success propelled Lin into Hollywood, where he helmed multiple entries in the Fast & Furious franchise from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) to F9 (2021), contributing to the series' global box office exceeding $7 billion. Actor John Cho appeared in a supporting role as a photographer in Shopping for Fangs, one of his earliest credited film performances after minor television work. The exposure from this and subsequent Asian American indie projects, including Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), helped establish Cho in the industry, leading to breakthrough roles in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) and the Star Trek reboot series (2009–2016), where he portrayed Hikaru Sulu, amassing over $2 billion in franchise earnings. By 2018, Cho reflected on these early indies as foundational to his mainstream transition, crediting them for building a foundation amid limited opportunities for Asian American actors at the time. Quentin Lee, who co-directed, produced, and co-wrote Shopping for Fangs, continued focusing on independent cinema, directing Drift (2000), a romantic drama about underground club culture, and Ethan Mao (2004), a thriller exploring family and identity tensions. Through his production company Margin Films, Lee supported other Asian American projects, such as The People I've Slept With (2009), maintaining a niche in low-budget, character-driven narratives rather than mainstream blockbusters. The film contributed to the 1997 "Asian American New Wave," a cohort of debuts including works by and others that challenged and gained traction, inspiring subsequent generations of filmmakers to prioritize authentic representations over tropes. Panel discussions in 2017 and 2023 highlighted its role in fostering a pipeline for Asian American talents into broader industry roles, though systemic barriers persisted, with successes like Lin's often cited as exceptions rather than the norm.

Restorations and Modern Recognition

In 2017, marking the film's 20th anniversary, a new digital restoration of Shopping for Fangs was completed and world-premiered at the Asian Film Festival, enhancing its visual and audio quality for contemporary audiences while preserving the original low-budget aesthetic. This restoration effort, tied to the "Class of 1997" cohort of Asian-American independent filmmakers, facilitated renewed screenings and trailer updates, including a 2018 version of the promotional trailer uploaded to platforms like , which highlighted the film's enduring quirky narrative on immigrant identity and supernatural tropes. Subsequent legacy screenings underscored the film's archival role in Asian-American cinema history. In July 2018, it received a dedicated legacy screening at Outfest, ' LGBTQ+ film festival, recognizing its early exploration of queer motifs within an indie vampire comedy framework co-directed by Quentin Lee and . Further, on January 17, 2023, the Asian Film Archive in screened Shopping for Fangs as part of the "Constellating Histories: Encountering Asian American Diasporas Onscreen" program, positioning it alongside other diaspora-focused works to illustrate evolving representations in U.S. . Modern recognition often frames the film as an early milestone for its directors' careers, with Justin Lin's involvement preceding his mainstream breakthroughs in action franchises like The Fast and the Furious series, and Lee's contributions signaling his trajectory in boundary-pushing indie projects. These revivals highlight its value as a document of Asian-American indie experimentation, though without broader cultural canonization, emphasizing technical preservation over widespread reevaluation.

Availability

Home Media Releases

A VHS videotape edition of Shopping for Fangs was distributed by Vanguard Cinema, with a release date of , 2001, reflecting the transitional period for independent films from analog tape to formats. This format offered basic accessibility for home viewing but lacked the durability and supplemental features increasingly expected in the early digital era. The film's DVD edition followed concurrently from the same distributor on , 2001, in region 1, rated R, and running 90 minutes, marking a step toward greater preservation longevity for low-budget productions like this 1997 . Subsequent printings, including out-of-print copies noted in secondary markets, have emphasized its status as an early work featuring debuts by director and actor , though without documented special editions containing commentary or restored visuals at the time. These physical releases preserved the original film's episodic structure and low-fi aesthetic amid the decline of infrastructure, enabling archival access before broader digital shifts, yet their limited production runs have rendered copies scarce and prone to degradation without institutional safeguarding.

Streaming and Digital Access

As of October 2025, Shopping for Fangs is available for free streaming with advertisements on and . Digital purchase or rental options exist on Amazon Video, typically priced from $0.99 for ownership. These ad-supported platforms have enhanced the film's reach to niche audiences seeking independent cinema from the late 1990s, without reliance on subscription-based services like or . No significant digital remastering efforts beyond a 2018 2K restoration for select screenings have been reported, preserving the original 35mm aesthetic in streaming versions. Availability remains limited to on-demand free tiers and VOD purchases, reflecting the film's cult status rather than widespread mainstream distribution.

References

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