Taking up residence in the wayward purgatory of pubescence, writer/director Michael Kang’s humorous debut (adapted from Ed Lin’s novel Waylaid) compassionately observes the taciturn struggles of “chubby” Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau), a perpetually misunderstood Chinese-American boy trapped under the stern gaze of his unsmiling mother (Jade Wu), owner of a fleabag motel whose patrons tend to pay by the hour. As such, Ernest is tasked with cleaning up after the customers’ coitus. One such guest, Korean-American rake Sam Kim (Sung Kang), befriends the fatherless “Ernie” between romps with a procession of prostitutes, filling a paternal void with misguided, drunken aplomb. His idea of wisdom: “Die at 12, you live a full life. Anything after that’s just an insult.” Ernest is insulted. Better advice arises from his friendship with the slightly older Christine (Samantha Futerman), an unrequited crush who pushes him closer to self-awakening. Modest, but not a bad place to check into for an hour or two.

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