Watch I'm the One That I Want

I'm the One That I Want is a self-deprecating and wryly funny comedy film written and performed by Margaret Cho. The 2000 movie chronicles Cho's life in the entertainment industry leading up to her heart-wrenching breakdown and subsequent redemption. The movie begins with Cho joking about her family’s Korean restaurant in southern California which was not considerably successful. Cho's "mom and pop" operation was a disappointment, to say the least, but it becomes clear that the life in Los Angeles isn't much better for a young and untested comedienne.

Cho's history in the industry is appropriately lampooned throughout the movie, as the actress mockingly reenacts audition after audition where she is told she needs to lose weight or be less offensive if she wants to succeed. Later in life, she discovered through her work in comedy that it’s usually the comedian's job to purposely be offensive.

Throughout the film, Cho tells funny (and often unashamedly vulgar) jokes about her own race and body type, clearly taking no shame in poking fun at herself. Cho takes audiences through her beginnings in the comedy clubs in San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, meeting her manager, and her reaction to the failed sitcom "All-American Girl.”

The story takes an unexpected turn when Cho's personal life takes a downswing, coinciding with a huge dip in her career. She is suddenly confronted with a harsh intervention to seek rehabilitation for addiction and depression, and it is clear that the actress is burdened with an enormous emotional weight.

Cho's recovery is a major turning point in the film, as she talks candidly about the positive changes necessary for her to reinvent herself in the industry, and the mental health issues that she had to deal with. At the time, Cho was one of the few Asian-American performers in the United States, and her being confronted with the behind-the-scenes racial issues that were going on in the industry was quite a revelation and highly enlightening.

The movie has an engaging and infectious energy to it, as Cho's zany side is always on display. The outlook is frequently positive, even when Cho is confronting her own insecurities, as she jokingly professes that she doesn't care what people think of her, as long as they are laughing.

It's worth noting that the movie's success partially paved the way for Cho's continued and highly influential career in the happenings of the entertainment industry. Her openness about societal issues and the importance of mental health, especially for comedy performers, were highly relevant and appreciated by the audience who saw her film.

Cho's energy as she strides around the stage in the beginning of the movie is highly infectious, and this atmosphere carries throughout, culminating in a punchy and satisfying conclusion. For anyone who has ever felt like an onlooker in their own life, or who aspires to more significant representation in media and comedy, I'm the One That I Want has been an essential and highly entertaining watch since it was first released.