'Blockbuster' star Randall Park reflects on what video rental stores meant to his immigrant family
Randall Park’s new show, which centers around the last remaining video rental Blockbuster store, is — in many ways — a perfect project for the actor.
Randall Park’s new show, which centers around the last remaining video rental Blockbuster store, is — in many ways — a perfect project for the actor.
The Netflix series — aptly named “Blockbuster” and released Thursday — conjures up nostalgia for a time when viewers brought home VHS tapes to watch big-budget action films and cozy rom-coms. At the time, most were without a single Asian in the cast, but Park said his immigrant family’s experience was still very much tied up in this culture.
“Video rentals in immigrant families and communities were kind of an essential element of the American experience,” Park told NBC News. “It was a way to learn about America.”
In the series, Park plays manager Timmy Yoon, who attempts to keep his Blockbuster store in Michigan afloat amid a new era of thriving streaming services and social media apps that have increasingly pulled customers into a virtual world. (And yes, there’s even a bold, uncomfortable reference to Netflix’s role in the chain’s demise). For Yoon, it’s a gargantuan task. But he’s up for the challenge in the name of preserving the camaraderie among his staff, and the human connection that the IRL service fosters.
There are also small nods to the way in which certain demographics would see the rental stores. At one point in the first episode, employee Carlos Herrera, played by Tyler Alvarez, points out how he learned English from watching an iconic critic’s film recommendations.
Rating: 5