Review: Jo Koy Brings Filipino Culture To Big Screen With ‘Easter Sunday’

Director: Jay Chandrasekhar

Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar (who also directs), Tia Carrere, Lydia Gaston, Brandon Wardell, Tiffany Haddish, Elena Juatco, Jimmy O. Yang and Eva Noblezada.

If you’ve seen Jo Koy’s stand-up routines then you know he loves his Filipino family. So it’s no surprise the veteran comedian is bringing his culture to the big screen with his new film Easter Sunday.  In the film, Koy plays a down on his luck actor who returns home to celebrate Easter with his riotous, bickering but  fun-loving family.

Pros: The film, which was greenlit and produced by Steven Spielberg after he saw his Netflix special, Comin’ In Hot, is an intimate love letter to Filipino-American culture. Everything from the food, to the fighting to their love of karaoke is on display and Koy couldn’t be prouder.

“It’s not even about me,” Koy told Hiphollywood. “I always tell myself that. It’s like, this isn’t [about] me. This is [about] everyone. And not just Filipinos. Specifically, everyone’s winning right now. We all get to win, and we all deserve to win. And we all deserve that light.”

Cons: The family comedy falls flat when the family isn’t together. The car chase scenes and menacing loan shark after Koy and his cousin Eugene (Cordero) looking for his valuable stolen item gets tedious and tiring very quickly.

Emoji Rating: 6 out of 10 Easter eggs

Release Date: August 5th.