If you’re looking for movies to watch for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, marked now through May 31, start here. We’ve compiled a list of five films that, to be honest, are great watches any time of the year.
Our recommendations include a romantic comedy, a stoner comedy, a documentary, and a couple of dashes of sci-fi. So, yup, you could say they’re as diverse as the AAPI communities whose talents are featured in them.
Ready to celebrate? Then let’s get to it. Every film here is streaming now on Paramount+. Note: Where indicated, a title requires a subscription to the Paramount+ Premium plan to stream.
1. The Wedding Banquet (2025)
What it’s about: This film, a remake of Ang Lee’s same-titled, 1993 breakout film, is a romantic comedy of manners about two couples in Seattle: Min (Han Gi-chan), a Korean student, and his boyfriend, Chris (Saturday Night Live alum Bowen Yang); and, Angela (Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Oscar®-nominated Killers of the Flower star Lily Gladstone), who jointly dream of becoming parents via IVF. When Min proposes to financially help out Angela and Lee, he also aims to fix his own problems (he’s got an about-to-expire U.S. visa, and a family he fears wouldn’t accept him marrying Chris) by popping the question to Angela.
Why you should watch it: The cast is first-class. The intricate plot is immaculate. The movie’s heart is unmatched.
WATCH NOW: The Wedding Banquet (Paramount+ Premium plan)
2. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
What it’s about: Well, the title doesn’t lie. In this 2004 comedy hit, buzzed friends Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) set out in search of White Castle. Misadventures across the state of New Jersey ensue.
Why you should watch it: One, it’s arguably historical – it’s the film that launched the Harold & Kumar franchise. Two, it’s definitely relatable to children of immigrants – it’s about Harold and Kumar cutting loose in the face of their respective families’ lofty expectations. And, three, Neil Patrick Harris – that’s it, that’s the reason.
WATCH NOW: Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
3. Bruce Lee, The Legend
What it’s about: This 1984 documentary, itself a document of its time, made only about a decade after Bruce Lee’s death, follows the San Francisco-born, Hong Kong-raised Enter the Dragon icon as he leaves his mark on film, martial arts and pop culture.
Why you should watch it: The archival footage will introduce you to the person; the interviews with contemporaries will help you understand the legend – a force who refused to be boxed in by Hollywood.
WATCH NOW: Bruce Lee, The Legend
4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
What it’s about: In the final Star Trek movie to star the ensemble cast of the original Star Trek series, Federation-Klingon peace talks are threatened by a political assassination aboard the Enterprise. Good thing for Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) that Capt. Sulu (George Takei) and the U.S.S. Excelsior are around to help out.
Why you should watch it: George Takei – and Sulu – are seminal figures. “It broke the stereotypes,” Takei said of his Star Trek role to CBS News. “I mean, I was a regular, visible, talking, walking, fencing presence!” While you can (and should!) stream all of Takei’s work in the original series and the first six Star Trek movies on Paramount+, the home of Star Trek, the recommendation here is Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country because, c’mon, how cool is it to see the former lieutenant captain a starship?
FYI: Want more Sulu? Check out John Cho as he brings the iconic son of San Francisco to the Kelvin timeline via the Chris Pine-led Star Trek movies of the 2000s and the 2010s, also now streaming on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
5. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
What it’s about: This made-for-TV sci-fi movie reunites much of the cast of the iconic, 2004-2009 Battlestar Galactica series. In it, the events of the show are told from the perspective of the sentient AI humanoids known as the Cylons – among them, Number Eight (Grace Park).
Why you should watch it: From the time George Takei’s Sulu helmed his first mission on Star Trek, the sci-fi genre has helped the Asian-American actor defy Hollywood stereotypes. Grace Park’s breakout role in the Battlestar Galactica franchise of the 2000s – a precursor to her starring roles in Hawaii Five-0 and A Million Little Things – is a continuation of that thread.
FYI: Fans of Park (and Cylons!) should know that you can also now stream the complete Battlestar Galactica series of 2004-2009 on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Bonus picks: More movies and shows to watch for AAPI Month
Looking for more AAPI Month options? We’ve got more. Check out the Watch Us Rise Collection on Paramount+, and explore Asian and Pacific Islander stories. Stream episodes of the CBS comedy hit Ghosts, starring Utkarsh Ambudkar, Why Women Kill Season 1, starring Lucy Liu, and, the new CBS reality-competition show America’s Culinary Cup, created and hosted by Padma Lakshmi, or settle in for a family movie, like the joyous original musical Blue’s Big City Adventure, starring Josh Dela Cruz.
Availability of titles is subject to change.
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