Warning: This post contains spoilers for Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday ending explained. Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar from a screenplay by Ken Cheng and Kate Angelo, Easter Sunday is a comedy about a man rekindling the love he has for his family. Led by real-life stand-up comedian Jo Koy, who plays Jo Valencia, Easter Sunday marks his first major starring role in a feature film.

Easter Sunday ends with a heated confrontation between Jo Koy’s family and Dev Deluxe, who arrives at Susan’s home in a bid to collect on the debt Eugene owes him. There is a lot of shooting involved, as well as coaxing Dev to calm down before things truly get out of hand. While no one is fatally wounded and Dev is arrested by Vanessa (Tiffany Haddish), who arrives just in the nick of time, Jo has a panic attack and passes out. In the hospital, Jo gets a call from Hollywood executives telling him that, while he doesn’t get the part in Great Scott, they want him to star in his own series about him and his Filipino American family.

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Easter Sunday is a fairly straightforward comedy, sprinkled with family drama and a subplot that somehow brings them together. Here is the film’s ending explained in detail, including why Jo avoids going to see his family at first and how the request for Jo to have an accent highlights an ongoing Hollywood problem.

Why Jo Valencia Is Hesitant To See His Family In Easter Sunday

Jo Koy in Easter Sunday

Jo is in a bad place at the start of Easter Sunday. He’s trying really hard to land an acting job that would finally give him some stability and financial security. While Jo is already dealing with a lot, he tries to avoid his overbearing family at first because he feels like he has nothing to show for his efforts. Returning home, even for a brief amount of time, is a reminder of his mother’s disappointment with his career and life choices. Susan wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer, but an actor was not in the cards. At the beginning of the comedy film, all Jo really has to show for his success are a series of beer commercials he filmed that became popular. Jo is feeling pretty lousy with his prospects, especially when he’s so close to landing a job that he’s no longer sure he wants anymore. Facing his family, despite not having seen them for so long, dredges up all the emotions and anxiety Jo has been trying to manage.

How Eugene Ended Up In So Much Debt

Eugene Cordero and Jo Koy in Easter Sunday
Eugene Cordero and Jo Koy in Easter Sunday

One of the biggest plot elements in Easter Sunday is Eugene’s debt problem. He owes $40,000 to loan shark Dev Deluxe, who gave Eugene money to buy his products and suddenly wants the entirety of the loan paid in full. However, Eugene’s biggest predicament, and how he ended up in so much debt to begin with, is his deviation from the original plan. Jo loaned Eugene $20,000 for his food truck business, but Eugene’s bad decision-making, switching from the food truck idea (which likely would have worked a lot better) to having a Hype Truck is what ultimately led him down a bad path. What’s more, the Hype Truck items he intended to sell aren’t exactly products that would bring a lot of people to his business, which means he couldn’t recoup the money he borrowed from Dev fast enough.

Is Easter Sunday Based On Jo Koy’s Real Family?

easter sunday movie ending explained

The comic has told stories about his mother in his stand-up comedy acts before and some of that finds its way into the film. So while Easter Sunday isn’t an exact replica, the comedy does take aspects of Jo Koy’s real life and family experiences, bringing them to life onscreen. What’s more, Koy, like his onscreen character, is a single dad and stand-up comic who struggled for a long time to get Easter Sunday made. To that end, the character’s personal journey in the film is a reflection of the journey and moments in Koy’s own life. The comedy also brings to life the specifics of Filipino culture and what it means to grow up a Filipino American, which has its own nuances and depth. It’s yet another aspect of the film that borrows from Koy’s personal life.

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How Jo Koy Accent Request Reveals Hollywood Problem

easter sunday ending explained jo koy

Throughout Easter Sunday, Jo gets phone calls from his agent explaining that the studio execs loved his audition. However, the only way they would hire him is if he agrees to do a fake Filipino accent. Jo is rightly offended and highlights an ongoing Hollywood problem, one that stereotypes and humiliates minorities for a laugh. The fact that Jo was passed over for the role because he refused to lower himself and do a fake Filipino accent suggests the issue is with Hollywood execs and not with the actor. Hollywood has a history of doing such things and other actors, including Aziz Ansari, have spoken up about being asked to do stereotypical accents in auditions. It showcases the racism that is still prevalent throughout the film and TV industry and how it adversely impacts underrepresented groups from landing jobs.

The Real Meaning Of Easter Sunday’s Ending

jo koy easter sunday ending explained

Easter Sunday is all about the love of family through thick and thin, while highlighting Filipino culture specifically as well. In the film, Jo mentions that family is “complicated,” and that is on display throughout, especially with Susan and Theresa fighting. But while there are always going to be disappointments, frustrations, and conflicts with family members, the love and care they have for one another will always come out on top. Easter Sunday shows this best in the penultimate scene, with Jo’s family putting their lives on the line in a bid to prevent Dev and his friends from shooting Eugene or harming any of their other relatives. Their disagreements mean nothing at that moment because the love prevails above all else. Jo and his family are protective of each other no matter what, so while Susan may never understand why Jo decided to be a stand-up comedian and actor, she is going to fight for him nonetheless. Ultimately, Easter Sunday’s message about the love and closeness of family despite everything is a heartwarming one.

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