Tom Jolliffe on a childhood idol making a long-awaited, triumphant return...
Growing up in the 80's I was blessed with great movies. I loved all kinds of movies, from kid-oriented adventure movies to movies likeTerminatorjHard to killthat really shouldn't be seen. Many of my idols growing up were adult characters. They were Indiana Jones or Han Solo, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone in various guises, or Dolph Lundgren (yes, you heard me... he was He-Man!).
What about young people that I may have felt more connected to? Well, not so much. Maybe it was a bunch of favorites with a young female leadLabyrinth. Contrary to feeling like Jennifer Connelly was an imaginary girlfriend I'd like to have, she was my first crush. There were other children, but sometimes they were too precocious or didn't have that insightful vibe. In fact, it would be Macaulay Culkinhome alone,or a cursory acknowledgment of the Coreys, which later as a movie kid I thought was cool.
However, before I connected with Mac, there was a movie boy. I'll tell you who was the coolest kid in the mid 80's...
In isolation, both could have been the case, but Ke Huy Quan (aka Jonathan Ke Quan) wasn't just DataLos GooniesShe was short roundIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. For me, growing up and watching these movies and probably knowing both of them in a very short time, this guy was the coolest. He was my favorite goonie. He was also a youth channel for this angelic kid here (or potential new Damien) for Indiana Jones, the worst hero of the day. Kids didn't usually have adventures with the likes of Indy, but Short Round was an exception.
Looking back, there's always a danger that what was once amazing can now be annoying. Especially the idea of the children's helper in an adventure film. the boy insidethe golden child, or Ernie Reyes Jr. periodred sonja... yes, a bit annoying. In thethe temple of doom, Short round is great. He is also blessed with immunity from harassment. This shot of the vaccine comes in the form of Kate Capshaw's character howling and screaming throughout the film. Any idea that Ke Huy Quan is an annoying kid dragging the movie down is thrown out the window. Then there's the young Emperor, who is a total jerk (played as such, of course).
Short Round knew how to drive a car. He knew kung fu. He saw action and indeed proved to be a valuable aid to Indy's missions. Let's face it, Short Round is an improvement over Marcus (brilliantly played by Denholm Elliot) who stumbled and stumbledthe last crusade, which time and again prove inconvenient when searching. Short Round was a childhood hero to me, so imagine what an icon he could have been to growing up Asian Americans.
While the film itself is dated for many of its racial stereotypes, Short Round manages to sidestep many of them (because some of the Indian stereotypes are deplorable, to say the least), but ultimately its actual impact on the film and involvement in heroics trumps it such claims. for your mistakesTemple of Deathstill a nice breezy ride.
noLos Goonies, a childhood staple, played Quan Data. Look, I loved all the goonies. I always liked Corey Feldman in the '80s, partly because he appeared in so many cult films so often. Each character had their unique quirks. The two funniest characters were of course Data and Chunk. I've always been in love with Data's crazy inventions, as are of course many children. I was intrigued by the mechanics and amused by its inevitable flaws.
It was about a kid with a snapping tooth hook, a long-distance retractable boxing glove, powerful 5-second flashlights ("the only problem is the batteries don't last that long"), and a gift for the comic book entry. Again, Data gets off easy in a time of really old-fashioned clichés, but as with many things from the period, the context of the time needs to be taken into account.
But once again, Data proves its worth. He, like the rest, has his sunny moment. He has these heroic moments. Such actions would also be accompanied by a particular data theme and constructed as special. Part of it was about developing the use of his devices before often inevitable failure, but what's so appealing about Data, especially for an impressionable boy at this time, was his willingness to keep trying and never giving up on his skills to believe. .
What happened to Quan after that? For me I never saw him again untilEncino-Mannand then for a time that seemed to have marked the end of his career. The parts didn't come. As with many child stars, success at such a young age didn't automatically mean success later, and it would have been even harder for a non-white actor. withEncino-Mann, Quan played an archetype that felt hollow, the guy who probably represented most of what was on offer to him at the time (the hardworking, socially awkward Asian students, for example).
It was when I saw the huge success ofcrazy rich asiansthat Quan felt compelled to return to acting. With only a small part in 1997 and another in 2002 after thatEncino-Mann, finally returned with Netflixfind ohana, a solid comeback, but it was the next film that proved important for Quan;Everything everywhere at once.
First and foremost, it is, at its core, a story of Chinese immigrants coming to America to earn a living and the struggles and hard work that goes with it. It's also a screwball comedy and sci-fi multiverse play with butt-plug jokes. He provided an important lead role for an actress so often neglected because she least deserves to be a leading lady. Michelle Yeoh has proven to be a revelation and she's been rocking it all throughout awards season. It is a testament to decades of ongoing and perpetually neglected great work.
Then there's Quan. For many, it marked Data/Short Round's first triumphant return to the big screen. In fact, it's the first major role he's had in something as big as Data since 1985. Quan was a revelation. It caught my attention even when I saw it in the cinema. This is Hollywood at its finest. It's the boy coming back, the joyful resurrection story.
Despite Waymond's humbleness and emotional arcs as a character, I felt my heart ache that Data had returned. That a former child icon was back in the game, getting his share at (now) 50. Best of all, he still had a certain exuberance and youthful charm in many scenes (a few little Data/Short Round nuances) that were offset by emotional maturity. Like his triumphant heroes from childhood adventure stories, Quan continues to play the character unabashedly well. An unchanging character of positivity (which becomes a key point ofeverything everywhere).
When Ke Huy Quan finally took the stage to accept his Golden Globe (admittedly, it brought a tear or two to his eyes), it marked the feel-good moment of awards season. Now it just needs to be recognized by the academy. Maybe it looks like an admission. For years this fine actor was either forgotten or confined to background decoration. Hollywood may have admitted they wronged Ke Huy Quan in the years since their split. It will not happen again.
Tom Jolliffe is an award-winning screenwriter and avid film buff. He has a number of films around the world including When Darkness Falls and several forthcoming releases including screen releases for Renegades (Lee Majors, Danny Trejo, Michael Pare, Tiny Lister, Nick Moran, Patsy Kensit, Ian Ogilvy and Billy Murray). and The War of the Worlds: The Assault (Vincent Regan). Check out the best personal site you've ever seen for more informationon here.