Stand-up comedian Jo Koy steadily grew his career through a set of stand-up comedy specials, several of which appeared on Netflix, and a long-standing guest appearance on Chelsea Handler‘s late-night talk show. Koy is known for comedy that reflects his Filipino-American background, and now he’s expanding that footprint with the movie EASTER SUNDAY.
Yes, this is an Easter-themed movie coming out in August, but the true takeaway is that this is a funny movie about family dynamics. The reason for Koy's on-screen family to get together doesn't really matter — what you'll remember is the laughs.
Like the Filipino Superbowl
The EASTER SUNDAY trailer makes it clear that Jo Koy is keeping to his comedy roots, which is a good thing. He plays a comedian trying to make it as an actor whose not-entirely understanding mother pulls him back home for Easter. (A holiday which, the trailer notes, is like "the Filipino Super Bowl.")
Koy's comedy has often centered on his Filipino background and this movie clearly follows suit. That's great, too, because there has never been another major studio movie with a core cast of Philipino-American actors.
The Cast of Easter Sunday
In addition to Jo Koy, EASTER SUNDAY features a cast of excellent comedians and character actors. You'll see Jimmy O. Yang ("Silicon Valley"), Tia Carrere (WAYNE'S WORLD), Brandon Wardell ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Tony nominee Eva Noblezada, Lydia Gaston (Broadway’s "The King and I"), Asif Ali ("WandaVision"), Rodney To ("Parks and Recreation"), Eugene Cordero ("The Good Place"), Jay Chandrasekhar (I LOVE YOU, MAN), Tiffany Haddish (GIRL'S TRIP) and Lou Diamond Phillips.
Seeing this cast play off one another in a big ensemble comedy is the biggest promise of EASTER SUNDAY.
Easter Sunday Is Directed By a Comedy Legend
You might have seen Jay Chandrasekhar's name in the cast list above, and he also directed EASTER SUNDAY. After making a big mark in comedy as part of the Broken Lizard troupe — and specifically his acting and directing work for their movie SUPER TROOPERS — Chandrasekhar split his time between movies and television. He has directed big runs of episodes for some of our favorite comedy series, from "Community" to "Chuck," "The Goldbergs," and "Psych." Here, he's working from a script by Kate Angelo and Ken Cheng. They both have extensive television writing experience as well — Angelo on "Becker," "Will & Grace" and "The Bernie Mac Show" and Cheng on "Wilfred" and "Betas." As a producer, Jo Koy had a big hand in the script development as well, ensuring that it stays true to his comedy sensibilities as it projects his own observations about family.
EASTER SUNDAY opens on August 5.
All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.