White Frog

With a highly-recognizable cast—including stars from the Twilight series, plus television's Glee, Teen Wolf and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as actress Joan Chen—White Frog should have been a more accomplished film. Nick (Booboo Stewart) is the autistic younger brother of Chaz (Harry Shum Jr.) in a well-to-do Asian-American family in Beverly Hills. When protective Chaz is killed, Nick and his parents go into a tailspin, with Nick seeking clues to Chaz's secret life, which involved a group of poker buddies, and his work as a volunteer and cash supporter of a threadbare community center for needy kids. Chaz also was gay, and mostly kept it to himself. Nick's odyssey to uncover the truth collides with the controlling impulse of his parents (Chen and BD Wong), but ultimately softens the seeming disinterest of one of Chaz's closest friends (Gregg Sulkin). Unfortunately, there's just a little too much going on in director Quentin Lee's ever-shifting story, making it hard for a viewer to latch on emotionally, although the strong performances help offset the narrative drawbacks. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)