Margaret Cho and Joel Kim Booster Announced in Upcoming Dark Comedy, “Better Life”

In an exclusive with Deadline, Margaret Cho and Joel Kim Booster were announced alongside Randall Park (Fresh off the Boat), Ming-Na Wen (Mulan), Anirudh Pisharody (911), and Yao (Sinners) in Jessica Liu‘s debut feature, “Better Life.”

“Better Life” tells a story that we all know too well! The film features an AAPI family focused on an immigrant father who wants to finally achieve the “American Dream” through his underachieving daughter. The story introduces a Sci-Fi element that makes this possible with a drug that enables “slackers to become overachievers.” Jessica Liu has stated that the film is based on her own experiences with her immigrant father. A struggle that I’m sure many of us can relate to. The narrative exploring the pressures that first-generation immigrants and their children experience are universal truths that should be told more often. Sharing this experience in mainstream media opens doors to more genuine conversation, as well as overcoming generational trauma. Stories like this allow the healing to begin. We can’t wait to see how this project unfolds!

To bring some levity to the situation, comedians Margaret Cho, Joel Kim Booster, and Randall Park are included in the roster. Margaret Cho and Joel Kim Booster have shown remarkable chemistry in Andrew Ahn’s Fire Island. We’re hoping for plenty of screen time between the two, as well as with the rest of the cast. Nobody does dark comedy and parental disappointment like the gaysians, and that completely fits the bill for this story! The film, in itself, presents a great stride in representation with an Asian-led cast. The addition of notable LGBT AAPI comedians brings a necessary nuance that we’re sure audiences will thoroughly enjoy.

The dark comedy was green-lit from its proof-of-concept short that played at Oscar-qualifying festivals. The writer-director has brought on Annie Huang and Samantha Gao as producers to help bring the film to life from its original proof, with production set to start this September in Los Angeles. Liu has built rapport with the film community through a 2023 fellowship with Frieze, a 2024 Rising Director fellowship with the Alliance of Women Directors, and a 2025 fellowship with Stowe Story Labs.