_All's Fair in Love & Mahjong_ is a sweet and pleasant romance movie, with the novelty of the mahjong angle. Of course it's a game anyone can play, but many have taken offense that the game and the history of the game is being taught by a white woman. The movie tries to make up for this in the smallest way possible by having Shelley (played by the one actress of Asian descent) work in the historic Chinese district of town in a Chinese heritage center where, at an annual event, she gets to walk people through the center and give the slightest bit of history about the game, such as the word meaning 'sparrows' in English, because of the clicking sounds of the tiles. Any other questions? Ask the white lady. Here's a question for the casting people -- why not cast Janel Parrish as Ronni since she's actually half-Chinese? Was it because the movie was scheduled too close to _Two for Tee_ in which she actually got to embrace her heritage? Either way, it just seems curious and the network should have prepared for some 'whitewashing' backlash to the casting. The issue is only made worse because May is AAPI Month, so having just one person of Asian descent in the main cast is rubbing people the wrong way. (Technically there are two, with Ben's pal Gary showing up later in the story, catching some sparks from ... Shelley, so the two Asian characters in the story _have_ to connect, right?)
In the end, _All's Fair in Love & Mahjong_ is just fine. The story is okay, the cast does the best job they can with the material, and if it spurs an interest in people learning how to play mahjong, Hallmark might just sell a few of those $350.00 "as seen in the movie" mahjong sets (and that seems a steep price for acrylic tiles).
Full review on HOTCHKA
