Striking comparisons stand out in two recent films, Luca and Boogie.
Recently, Disney and Pixar released the new movie, Luca. It’s a coming-of-age story about a group of Italian sea monsters who visit the land where they are feared and hunted by humans to compete in the Portorosso Cup–a triathlon consisting of biking, swimming, and pasta-eating. The goal is to win prize money and a trophy and, then, to win a Vespa so they can explore the world. Jacob Tremblay, Maya Rudolph, and Jim Gaffigan–all familiar names–star in the film.
Some people have said the film compares to Call Me By Your Name, another film set in Italy. But I think Luca is the PG version of the film released earlier this year, Eddie Huang’s Boogie. That film is a story about Chinese basketball star, Boogie Chin, who dreams about going into pro basketball but has to deal with obstacles, including an on-court rival Monk, played by the late, great Pop Smoke.
Five similarities link these two films.
First, the main protagonists–Luca and Alberto in Luca and Boogie Chin in Boogie–face discrimination as they seek to be the best in a sport. Second, both protagonists team up with a love interest (Giulia in Luca and Eleanor in Boogie) to help them succeed. Third, feuds get in the way. In Boogie, the feud is with Monk and, in Luca, it is with five-time Portorosso Cup champ, Ercole. Fourth, parents are unsupportive in both films because, in each case, they want the protagonist to do what they feel is best. (In both films, it’s refreshing to see that protagonists succeed in ways they prefer.)
And, finally, each film uses a metaphor to convey an important message. In Luca, the phrase, ‘Silencio Bruno,’ means silencing messages in your head that say you can’t do great things.
https://youtu.be/v4WpO3zMUXU
In Boogie, Boogie Chen uses ‘the beef and broccoli’ metaphor to talk about how to deal with conflicting ethnic identities and expectations.
The only thing I would’ve done to make Luca better is to have had Pop Smoke voice ‘Ercole’ before he passed away. After all, Pop is the Monk of Luca.
Still, these are two great movies. I encourage you to check them out.
