‘The Paper Tigers’ Trailer: Acclaimed Feel-Good Martial Arts Comedy Arrives In May

I love my martial arts flicks as dirty and brutal as the next, but sometimes it’s just as good to just have a fun time. After a successful run on the festival circuit last year, feel-good comedy The Paper Tigers arrives in May delivering Grumpy Old Men meets Cobra Kai action and heart in equal measure.

The film stars Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins as three martial arts prodigys and longtime friends known as “the Three Tigers.” But over the last 25 years they’ve not only grown old and slacked on their skills, they’ve drifted apart. The one thing that could bring them back together is the death of their old master, and now this out-of-practice trio need must reunite to get revenge and hopefully rekindle their bond.

Tran Quoc Bao both directed and wrote the script. Response has been exceptional, with the film currently holding a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Paper Tigers hits theaters and VOD on May 7th. Can’t wait.

As teenagers, kung fu aficionados Danny (Uy), Hing (Yuan), and Jim (Jenkins) were inseparable, but drifted apart after graduation due to a mysterious fallout at an overseas tournament. Fast forward 25 years, and each has grown into a washed-up middle-aged man seemingly one kick away from pulling a hamstring—and not at all preoccupied with thoughts of martial arts or childhood best friends. But when their old master is murdered, the trio will reunite after decades of silence, soon learning that avenging their sifu will require conquering old grudges (and a dangerous hitman still armed with ample knee cartilage) if they are to honorably defend his legacy.

 

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.