Chang Can Dunk – A Solid Sports Coming-Of-Age Story

Those looking for simple and unchallenging family-friendly fare need not look elsewhere. The most resonant films are ones that audiences could see themselves in. In an age of increased representation in media, more and more representative stories are being told as film and television continue to branch out in terms of underrepresented groups. When it comes to Chang Can Dunk, the film is pretty self-explanatory and the story may not bring all that new to the table but remains resonant in spite of that. This decent coming-of-age story hits the right notes but is perhaps a touch too long and has some slight tonal issues. Suffice it to say that there is plenty of basketball and plenty of dunking, however, it’s everything else around it where it truly delivers. Though it does dip at times, it is also predictable for the most part as it checks off every item off the genre list. Nevertheless, Bloom Li shines in his feature film debut, bringing charm in a likable performance that gives the film heart as the titular Chang. The film only works if it has a main character that audiences can root for. While flawed, Li very much succeeds as Chang.

As mentioned, Chang Can Dunk, follows a 16-year-old Asian-American named Chang (Li), an outcast high school student with a love of basketball. Underlooked and underestimated by his schoolmates, Chang and his best friend Bo (Wang) mostly flew under the radar while in their school’s marching band. Vowing to evolve and to finally be seen, he found himself challenging his school all-star to a bet that he could dunk by homecoming. From there, the need to dunk became an obsession for Chang as a means to gain the respect of his schoolmates and new arrival Kristy (Renee). It was through this journey that Chang learned a lot about himself. Enlisting the help of a trainer named Deandre (Dexter Darden), he was put through the test both physically and mentally. Trying to balance his training with personal life as a high school student and his home life and his complicated relationship with his single mother Chen (Mardy Ma), the former took over. As his journey became viral, yet another level of pressure was added as his notoriety grew larger. Because of the nature of the internet, he had as many doubters as people inspired by his quest to defy the odds.

While the coming-of-age aspect of the film was strong, the dunk was far from the whole story though some will surely argue that the story should have ended there. Either way, trying so hard to have others care about him, Chang was arguably blind to the people in front of him. With every rise comes a fall and getting up from that proved to be a much more valuable lesson that he shouldn’t be so preoccupied on what other people thought of him. The dunk was simply a metaphor for his evolution as a person and in order to move forward, he would need to do it for the right reasons. That transition wasn’t necessarily seamless but it still garnered some powerful moments as it allowed for some deep introspection about the kind of person he was and the kind of person he wanted to be moving forward as he finally felt empowered to pursue his dream of becoming a basketball player like his idol Kobe Bryant.

The best part of Chang Can Dunk was the aforementioned performance from Li as Chang. His likable and relatable performance makes Chang a character to root for. He may not be perfect but he’s a dreamer and it was easy to connect with that. Life as a high school student, let alone an immigrant one, is tough and many will see themselves in him. Though his story may not be new, it was still fun to watch and surprisingly emotional. On both ends of that was his great chemistry with Darden as Deandre as well as with Wang and Renee as Bo and Kristy and Ma as his mother Chen.

At the end of the day, Chang Can Dunk is another case of a simple title underselling the narrative. Though it may not bring anything new to the table, it will more than hit the right spot.

still courtesy of Disney

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.