Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Happy Cleaners’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Happy Cleaners’.
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Something that is truly fascinating about American culture in general, is how we tend to romanticize and simplify outdated and incredibly complex ideas. Such as The American Dream for instance. For this near century old concept is one that we still preach to citizens and immigrants alike, and we still promise them that hard work and determination will pay off with them enjoying a lavish home life in the suburbs, where their 2.5 kids will admire and respect them at the dinner table when they come inside from playing in a yard surrounded by a white picket fence. Which is in fact, quite the lovely way to view life in America but it really is a skewed and outdated view, one that we hold to tightly when we should be discussing the harsh reality of said Dream.
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Such as the fact, that hard work alone won’t get someone rewarded with all kinds of merits and riches. Now, that’s not to put down a hard day’s work and the personal reward that comes from that. But in 2021, ingenuity comes into play if one wants to be truly successful in America and that includes learning how to market one’s self and assemble an audience that will help propel you to new heights when you finally want to make your move. Plus, we don’t talk at all about the fact that The American Dream, isn’t for everyone, anymore. Sure, we preach that, but xenophobia and systemic racism have created a culture, where those who come to America to chase the Dream are looked down upon or are deemed undeserving of it, making their climb toward the pursuit of happiness all the more difficult. But while the masses aren’t ready to have these types of conversations yet, filmmakers certainly are and recently a motion picture was released that tackles the harsh reality of The American Dream in Happy Cleaners.

Now in this particular film we are introduced to the Choi family, who are led by a pair of Korean immigrants who came to America in pursuit of that all-important dream. But despite owning their own dry cleaning shop for the past decade, they’re struggling on a consistent basis. For business isn’t always steady and rising costs and maintenance are making their quest to own a successful business difficult. Which means they often turn to their daughter Hyunny to help with the bills around the house and they have high hopes that their son Kevin will finish college and find his own path free from their daily strife. But when the new landlord of their building decides the time has come for Happy Cleaners to close, and Kevin decides that school is not for him, this proud family will face some incredible challenges. The kind that will force them to re-evaluate what The American Dream means to them. 

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So, the first thing you’ll notice when it comes to this movie, is that it really does offer up a shocking and stunning look at how The American Dream has changed in 2021 and how our continued push to romanticize it and reinforce its outdated notions, does more harm than good for those who come here thinking hard work will accomplish wonders. Because while mom and dad are indeed dedicated to their craft and their business, they don’t understand the nuances of technology and social media and how that could save their business and bring in the dough and that makes for some heartbreaking moments as we watch them suffer and fret over paying the bills when there are options for them to succeed. But while that alone makes for a supremely powerful story, where this motion picture truly shines… is by taking the time to show us how the Dream has gatekeepers surrounding it now and how immigrants are viewed and treated in modern America

Which are feats that this story accomplishes by way of some poignant moments within the walls of Happy Cleaners. Such as when an uppity woman comes in and demands two-thousand dollars for a mistake the Choi’s likely did not make. But she doesn’t care about such facts because she clearly looks down upon them as dumb and to blame for her woes. Because they’re nothing more than ‘lowly immigrants’ that she can take advantage of, or else they’ll face the wrath of her privilege. Which was powerful and poignant and sobering for certain and as for the gatekeeper aspect, well that was handled by the Choi’s scuzzy new landlord. For he’s quick to view the Choi’s as imperfect immigrants, the kind that don’t fit his vision for the property, and that’s devastating and powerful since it speaks volumes to the fact that there are people, who do indeed believe in this day and age, that only certain immigrants should be allowed into the country and afforded opportunity and if they don’t fit a particular mold or vision, then oh well. 

But while that produces some heartbreaking and infuriating moments, it is necessary to go through this experience with the Choi family. Since the loss of their shop forces them to re-evaluate what they actually want out of life and what really matters to them, and that leads to some beautiful segments for certain. The kind that challenges the audience to ponder upon what The American Dream should mean in 2021 and really, in the end, all of these elements make this a brilliant and downright powerful motion picture. One that holds nothing back in its commentary on modern America and family life and how the time has come to stop viewing immigrants as inferior and instead see them as equals. Simply because we are all human beings, and we all deal with similar struggles and the sooner we realize that and the sooner we hold one another up, the sooner we can all make our dreams, a reality.

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