Review: ‘Why Am I Doing This?

It’s a safe bet the world wasn’t clamoring for another indie film about scrappy wannabes in Hollywood, but writer-director Tom Huang (“freshmen”) whipped one up anyway. And yet, “Why Am I Doing This?” does try to address the prejudicial challenges non-whites face trying to make it in showbiz. Tony (Huang) is a perpetually broke actor struggling against stereotypical Asian-accented roles, while his best pal/roommate Lester (a winning Anthony Montgomery) is a soft-spoken, observational African American comedian facing pressure to do edgier, coarser, Def Jam-ready material.

Their travails include family pressures, girl problems and the one-that-got-away gigs that, in an especially funny moment, have them taking turns hurling their cellphones across the room. As a comedy, it’s too slapdash for any lasting zing, and the cutesy, overlaid graphics feel amateurish rather than visually hip. But elsewhere, the microbudget aesthetic charms. Be it Tony’s Ferris wheel date with romantic prospect Katie (Lynn Chen), the growing intimacy between Lester and longtime chum Nira (Sheetal Sheth), or a peaceful accord between Lester and his divorced, boy-crazy and hopelessly self-centered mother — played to the vivacious hilt by Valerie Pettiford — it’s the more subdued moments that, for Huang at least, answer the titular question.

— Robert Abele

“Why Am I Doing This?” MPAA rating: Unrated. Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes. Playing at Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills.