Angela Yang (Karin Anna Cheung) is so promiscuous that the only way she can remember her lovers is by taking photos of them with her cell phone after making love. And the happily-in-heat hedonist has accumulated quite an impressive collection lately, scribbling a nickname on the picture of each of her conquests.
Unlike her very conventional sister (Lynn Chen) who has already settled down and started a family, Angela has no plans to marry anytime soon. After all, she doesn’t see herself as a slut, but merely as a female version of a testosterone-driven male with an insatiable sexual appetite.
However, Angela’s free love philosophy comes apart at the seams when a visit to the obstetrician (Sherry Weston) confirms her suspicion that she’s pregnant. With no idea who the sperm donor is, she consults those headshots from her one-night stands to narrow down the list of potential fathers.
She soon settles on four viable candidates: “Five-Second Guy” (Danny Vasquez), a smooth-talking Latino who turned out to be a disappointing premature ejaculator; “Mystery Man” (Archie Kao), an image-conscious, Chinese-American politician running for city council; “Mr. Hottie” (Chris Zylka), a barely-legal, Caucasian college kid whose bones she’d jumped in a dormitory; and “Nice but Boring Guy” (Randall Park), an awkward nerd of Korean extraction she’d slept with more out of sympathy than lust.
So, with the help of her best friend, Gabriel (Wilson Cruz), Angela dreams up a variety of creative ways to obtain DNA samples without triggering any baby-daddy drama. The tension builds along with her swelling belly as the once-wanton sexaholic suddenly finds herself feeling marriage-minded.
But not only does she need to find her fetus’ genetic match first, she’s hoping for a whirlwind romance and a wedding, too, all before the arrival of their little bundle of joy. That’s an awful lot of dominoes that need to topple before that storybook ending.
Directed by Quentin Lee, The People I’ve Slept With takes an alternately jaw-dropping and lighthearted look at 21st Century mating habits. Accolades are in order for the attractive and talented Karin Anna Cheung for rising to the challenge of the demanding role of Angela with an admirable gusto, whether she’s shedding her clothing to assume a compromising position or convincingly conveying the emotional arc of her rapidly-maturing character.
A two-fisted female who takes responsibility for her own orgasm (ala Teri Garr in Tootsie), as well as for its sobering consequences (ala Ellen Page in Juno).
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 89 Minutes
Distributor: Maya Entertainment
DVD Extras: Alternate openings, an alternate ending, and “The Making of” documentary.
The People I’ve Slept With Trailer from People Pictures on Vimeo.
~Kam Williams
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