The story is about a Chinese immigrant named Ming, who lives in New York City and works as a bicycle deliveryman for a low-rent Chinese take-out joint. He's deep in debt to loan sharks, who kick off the film by attacking him with a hammer and informing him that he has until midnight to come up with $800 or the remainder of his sizeable debt will be doubled--as, presumably, will be his hammerings. He is able to borrow some from friends, but the rest he must make in tips delivering egg rolls, chow mein, and the like--and we learn that in order to reach his $800, he'll have to earn about twice as many tips as he's ever earned before in a single day.

It's a compelling set-up, but unfortunately Ming is anything but. The filmmakers really managed to cast 99% of this film really well. Too bad the remaining 1% was their star. The actor who plays Ming, Charles Jang, is animated and amiable in interviews, so it's a mystery to us why he chose to play this character with all the pluck of a catatonic mental patient. He conveys no sense of urgency and nary a hint of personality. His character is entirely impossible to empathize with, as he goes from delivery to delivery, not so much as bothering to utter a single word to any of his customers. When a colleague of his explains that he'll need to up his customer service to earn bigger tips, he flat out refuses.

Maybe it's just me, but I'd never tip someone who didn't even say a single word to me during a delivery. In fact, I'd kinda' want to punch them in the face. And I basically wanted to punch Ming in the face for the entire film. I didn't care whether he earned his $800 or not, and I didn't buy any of the friendships that his colleagues seemed to have with him. His contemptuous attitude and total lack of effort to solve his own problems was simply repellent. This is a guy that no one in real life would lift a finger for, because he certainly wouldn't return the favor. And simple every-day occurrences seem to baffle and sideline him--a bicycle deliveryman in New York City shouldn't be completely thrown out of orbit when he gets a flat tire. That kind of thing would happen several times a week, if not daily.

Are the filmmakers trying to imply that Ming is actually retarded? Because if not, his actions make no sense. Either way, it's not surprising that he's behind on his loan payments, because he doesn't even seem to possess the requisite mental capacity to put on a pair of slippers. Luckily, even though Ming is an emotional no-show, some of his delivery customers offer up some fantastic performances while he stands awkwardly silent in their doorways.

But enough ranting about Ming. The main reason that this film actually works is all the footage that was shot at the restaurant. The film was made on an amazing budget of only $3000, so they couldn't afford to create their own restaurant set or shut down the one they filmed in. All the footage was shot while the restaurant was operating, using some ingenious trickery (that you don't suspect while watching) to pull off the illusion that the actors are running the place. I really can't gush enough about the restaurant footage, because it's all pure gold. The cooking, the chefs joshing around, the simultaneously sweet and sour lady working the counter, and the all too familiar parade of self-important, penny pinching customers who would argue for five minutes to save an additional quarter at this already bargain-basement eatery.

This filthy, anonymous hole in the wall is the backdrop to an endless carnival of bizarre human interaction that will absolutely delight any fan of this crazy species of ours. When the restaurant closes down at the end of the day and the staff go their separate ways, it's almost impossible to believe that this was just one random day in their lives, and that tomorrow will bring even more of the same.

I very highly recommend giving this film a watch for its fantastically energetic restaurant scenes, but be prepared to be patient any time Charles Jang is onscreen. But heck, some of you are bound to enjoy his Ming character even though I couldn't. And if you do, I envy you, because then this may just be your perfect film.