I’m Not Phil

Everybody knows three things about white people: 1) they can't jump, 2) they can't dance, and 3) they can't tell Asians apart.

This is a problem that Ray Garcia, a Filipino-American college student, has faced the entirety of his life. Since infancy he has been mistaken for Phil Aquino, an incredibly popular Asian American on campus. But here's the thing: Whenever Ray accomplishes something good, Phil takes credit for it. Whenever Phil does something bad, Ray gets blamed. As a result, Ray constantly finds himself telling people, "I'm Not Phil."

One day, Ray meets the girl of his dreams, Rachael. She's incredibly beautiful but incredibly white, so she thinks Ray is Phil. Since this is the first time something good has come out of being mistaken for Phil, Ray takes advantage of it and pretends to be Phil. He asks her out, and they soon start dating.

However, it shortly becomes clear to Ray that he can't live up to Phil's reputation. After all, Phil is the starting point guard on the school's basketball team, he's the best dancer on campus, and he rocks at karaoke. Ray, on the other hand, can't dribble a ball, has two left feet, and is tone deaf.

So Ray enlists two of his friends, Paul and Manny, both Filipino, to pretend to be him pretending to be Phil on dates where he lacks the skills to be Phil. All goes well since, of course, Rachael can't tell them apart.

Unexpectedly, a chink appears in their plan: Phil has caught on to their scheme. And to make matters worse, each of the friends starts to develop feelings for Rachael. As Ray, Paul, and Manny fight one another for her affections, Phil swoops in and steals the girl.

Now the guys have to get their shit together in order to defeat Phil. But how can they win Rachael back when she thinks they’re all Phil Aquino?

Click here to meet the cast of “I’m Not Phil” who appeared at the Asian American Film Lab’s Unfinished Works reading.

Phil Aquino

Phil Aquino

Phil Aquino

Phil Aquino