Wasabi Tuna
Encyclopedia
Wasabi Tuna is a 2003
independent
Cafe Entertainment Studios action
comedy
motion picture
starring Jason London
, Barney Cheng
, Tim Meadows, Antonio Sabàto, Jr.
, Alanna Ubach
, Guillermo Díaz, Alexis Arquette
, and Arturo Gil
. Anna Nicole Smith
is featured as herself.
Directed
and produced
by Lee Friedlander, the screenplay
was written by Celia Fox, who also executive produced
.
Wasabi Tuna premiered
on August 20, 2003. It was issued on DVD
on October 28, 2005, by Indican Pictures.
The movie is rated R by the MPAA
for sexual content.
screwball comedy
of errors, which is full of over-the-top stereotype
s, is set at Halloween
against the backdrop of West Hollywood, California
.
Five friends, interior design
er Evan (played by London); interior designer Harvey (played by Cheng); African American
stock broker
Dave (played by Meadows); Latino
spinning
instructor Fredrico (played by Sabàto); and Emme (played by Ubach), a sassy young woman obsessed with style and classic movies, have all been anticipating the West Hollywood Halloween Parade on Santa Monica Boulevard, which is the biggest and brashest block party of the year. Their annual tradition of joining the festivities in outrageous costumes has become part of local legend.
It is the night before Halloween, however, and they still have not decided what to be. Evan and Harvey, who are femme
gay
boyfriends and business partners, have come up with food-themed sushi
costumes that everyone refers to as "wasabi
tuna." Emme offers another suggestion — that they all dress up as gang
members.
They all opt for the gang theme, but are unable to find the appropriate attire at the local stores. They then decide to seek out real life
gang members in order to achieve the authentic, straight-from-the-hood look they want.
While doing interior design work for an extremely wealthy Armenian
woman who is actually in the illegal drug trade
, Harvey and Evan become unwitting drug couriers. After they are arrested, there is a comic scene at the WeHo
sheriff's station
with them attempting to talk their way out of trouble.
Dave goes to East L.A.
, where he comes across a real gang member named Romeo (played by Díaz). He makes a deal with Romeo to loan him his Porsche
in exchange for his lowrider
gang car. A case of mistaken identity makes a vengeful, rival gang get after them. There is a comic drive-by shooting
scene. Also, by driving Romeo's lowrider they are unknowingly carrying an illegal cache of weapons.
Reality TV
actress Anna Nicole Smith's (appearing as herself) pet dog, Sugar-Pie, is kidnapped. All is havoc, as a group of drag queen
s who dress like Smith, Santa Ana Anna (played by transgender
ed Arquette), Eenie Anna (played by Gil, who is a dwarf
), Brown Sugar Anna and Hot Spicy Anna, believe that Harvey stole their idol's dog and band together to get Sugar-Pie back for Smith.
A wild chase ensues as gang members, drug dealers, drag queens, and the police force are after the partygoers. They end up in Chinatown, where an old Chinese
man, Mr. Ling (also played by Cheng), is in partnership with the Armenian drug shrew. Everything culminates with the clash of personalities colliding in a feisty showdown. A free-for-all street fight
, involving the gang members, drug dealers, undercover DEA
detectives, a trio of female martial arts
gymnast
s and the Santa Ana Annas, erupts and everyone battles it out with flying fists, feet and wigs.
Anna Nicole Smith herself arrives and saves the day. As she shamelessly mocks herself, Smith clears up the Sugar-Pie mess, hands the drugs over to the police and invites the group to her Halloween party, where they change into their "wasabi tuna" costumes.
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Cafe Entertainment Studios action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Jason London
Jason London
Jason Paul London is an American actor, best known for his role as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused.-Personal life:...
, Barney Cheng
Barney Cheng
Barney Cheng is a Chinese-American actor.He was born in Taiwan, and speaks Mandarin and Taiwanesefluently. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 12-years-old and he grew up in Brea, California. After graduating from Brea Olinda High School, Cheng attended Stanford University and...
, Tim Meadows, Antonio Sabàto, Jr.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr. is an American actor and model. Born in Italy and raised in the U.S., Sabàto first became known as a Calvin Klein model and for his role on the soap opera General Hospital. He continued appearing in films and television series throughout the 1990s and 2000s.-Early life:Sabàto...
, Alanna Ubach
Alanna Ubach
Alanna Noel Ubach is an American actress and voice actress. She is known for her roles in Legally Blonde as Serena and Meet the Fockers as Isabel Villalobos...
, Guillermo Díaz, Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette is an American trans woman, actress, musician, and cabaret performer.-Early life:...
, and Arturo Gil
Arturo Gil
Arturo Gil is an American dwarf actor who has appeared in many films, television programs, and commercials including Spaceballs, Monkeybone, The Fantasticks, Dirty Work, The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas, Silent Tongue, and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.- Filmography :* Agent One-Half * Estudio 2*...
. Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
is featured as herself.
Directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by Lee Friedlander, the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
was written by Celia Fox, who also executive produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Wasabi Tuna premiered
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
on August 20, 2003. It was issued on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on October 28, 2005, by Indican Pictures.
The movie is rated R by the MPAA
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
for sexual content.
Plot
This campCamp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
screwball comedy
Screwball comedy film
The screwball comedy is a principally American genre of comedy film that became popular during the Great Depression, originating in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1940s. It is characterized by fast-paced repartee, farcical situations, escapist themes, and plot lines involving...
of errors, which is full of over-the-top stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s, is set at Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
against the backdrop of West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
.
Five friends, interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
er Evan (played by London); interior designer Harvey (played by Cheng); African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
stock broker
Stock broker
A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...
Dave (played by Meadows); Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
spinning
Indoor cycling
Indoor cycling, as an organized activity, is a form of exercise with classes focusing on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity and recovery, that involve using a special stationary exercise bicycle with a weighted flywheel in a classroom setting.- History :Group indoor cycling was...
instructor Fredrico (played by Sabàto); and Emme (played by Ubach), a sassy young woman obsessed with style and classic movies, have all been anticipating the West Hollywood Halloween Parade on Santa Monica Boulevard, which is the biggest and brashest block party of the year. Their annual tradition of joining the festivities in outrageous costumes has become part of local legend.
It is the night before Halloween, however, and they still have not decided what to be. Evan and Harvey, who are femme
Butch and femme
Butch and femme are LGBT terms describing respectively, masculine and feminine traits, behavior, style, expression, self-perception and so on. They are often used in the lesbian, bisexual and gay subcultures...
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
boyfriends and business partners, have come up with food-themed sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
costumes that everyone refers to as "wasabi
Wasabi
, also known as Japanese horseradish, is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which includes cabbages, horseradish, and mustard. Its root is used as a condiment and has an extremely strong flavor. Its hotness is more akin to that of a hot mustard rather than the capsaicin in a chili pepper,...
tuna." Emme offers another suggestion — that they all dress up as gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
members.
They all opt for the gang theme, but are unable to find the appropriate attire at the local stores. They then decide to seek out real life
Real life
Real life is a term usually used to denote actual human life lived by real people in contrast with the lives of fictional or fantasy characters.-Usage online and in fiction:On the Internet, "real life" refers to life in the real world...
gang members in order to achieve the authentic, straight-from-the-hood look they want.
While doing interior design work for an extremely wealthy Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
woman who is actually in the illegal drug trade
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, Harvey and Evan become unwitting drug couriers. After they are arrested, there is a comic scene at the WeHo
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
sheriff's station
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
with them attempting to talk their way out of trouble.
Dave goes to East L.A.
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
, where he comes across a real gang member named Romeo (played by Díaz). He makes a deal with Romeo to loan him his Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
in exchange for his lowrider
Lowrider
]A lowrider is a style of car originated by Chicano communities that sits lower to the ground than most other cars. Many lowriders have their suspension systems modified so that their ride can change height at the flip of a switch...
gang car. A case of mistaken identity makes a vengeful, rival gang get after them. There is a comic drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
scene. Also, by driving Romeo's lowrider they are unknowingly carrying an illegal cache of weapons.
Reality TV
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
actress Anna Nicole Smith's (appearing as herself) pet dog, Sugar-Pie, is kidnapped. All is havoc, as a group of drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
s who dress like Smith, Santa Ana Anna (played by transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ed Arquette), Eenie Anna (played by Gil, who is a dwarf
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
), Brown Sugar Anna and Hot Spicy Anna, believe that Harvey stole their idol's dog and band together to get Sugar-Pie back for Smith.
A wild chase ensues as gang members, drug dealers, drag queens, and the police force are after the partygoers. They end up in Chinatown, where an old Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
man, Mr. Ling (also played by Cheng), is in partnership with the Armenian drug shrew. Everything culminates with the clash of personalities colliding in a feisty showdown. A free-for-all street fight
Street fighting
Street fighting is a colloquial term used to denote unsanctioned, illegal in some countries, hand-to-hand fighting in public places, between individuals or groups of people....
, involving the gang members, drug dealers, undercover DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
detectives, a trio of female martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
s and the Santa Ana Annas, erupts and everyone battles it out with flying fists, feet and wigs.
Anna Nicole Smith herself arrives and saves the day. As she shamelessly mocks herself, Smith clears up the Sugar-Pie mess, hands the drugs over to the police and invites the group to her Halloween party, where they change into their "wasabi tuna" costumes.
External links
- Wasabi Tuna at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Wasabi Tuna at Yahoo! MoviesYahoo! MoviesYahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...
- Wasabi Tuna Photo Gallery
- Screenwriter's Utopia - Celia Fox Talks WASABI TUNI
- DVD Verdict Review - Wasabi Tuna