Adapted from the hugely popular novel of the same title* by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians is the first movie released in 2018 I’ve reviewed that isn’t a sequel or spin-off. I’m sensing a pattern here and I’m not that keen on it. Moving on. The story centres around the relationship between our protagonist Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) who is an “econ professor that’s lactose intolerant” and her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) who happens to be crazy rich and the perfect specimen.

He invites her back to Singapore with him to attend his best friend’s wedding and at the same time meet his family. She agrees without really knowing what she’s really agreeing to and off to Singapore they go. Even though they’ve been dating for over a year (of course she’s never Googled him), she only finds out that he’s from a family with a “comfortable” fortune when they’re on the plane in first class.

It’s the classic story of boy brings girlfriend home, mum disapproves of girlfriend and various attempts are subsequently made to break them up. I’d liken it to Monster-in-Law without the slapstick and crassness in a Singaporean high society setting. Just to emphasise how well off Nick’s family is, his cousin Astrid (Gemma Chan) is shown casually spending $1.2 million on a pair of earrings. Maybe in my next life. Nick’s mother Eleanor is played perfectly by Michelle Yeoh. She exudes the ‘don’t mess with me or my son’ vibe very intensely with just one look. Awkwafina was a scene stealer as Rachel’s close friend and supporter Goh Peik Lin. She has impeccable comedic timing and I’m hoping to see more from her.

I absolutely loved the use of Asian covers of English songs in this movie. It’s an ingenious way to emphasise the Asian-ness of the movie but with the familiarity of classic pop songs known worldwide. The Cantopop version of Madonna’s Material Girls and the Mandarin cover of Coldplay’s Yellow really struck a cord with me.

As a person from a Chinese Malaysian background, growing up in an English speaking country and having largely lost the ability to speak my native languages, it’s really nice and different to finally watch a decent movie, with decent acting but with actors who look somewhat like me (I wish I were that pretty) without having to read subtitles. It’s really nice to know what they’re saying is actually what they mean and nothing is lost in translation. Don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate subtitles, especially when watching foreign movies and Christopher Nolan movies but for the life of me I cannot hear the mumbled lines coupled with an overbearing Hans Zimmer deep brass score.

I am proud to call myself an Australian and to be raised in a country where ethnic diversity is something we celebrate in our society. But nevertheless, I remember from a young age of wanting to fit in by whitewashing myself. There’s definitely a double standard in how people are portrayed in the media. In Western media, if an Asian person or any immigrant for that matter speaks broken English or English with an accent, we’re taught to laugh at them, not with them. When I watch Asian dramas, any foreigner that even attempts to speak the local language is instead applauded and encouraged. What’s up with that? 

When I watch Australian TV, it’s almost exclusively caucasian actors and personalities in the ads, the TV series and the reality shows, except maybe Masterchef where Asians really represent. When I walk around the streets of Melbourne there’s people of all different backgrounds and heritage. Why is our media not a reflection of that? Even in America where a large portion of their population are made up of African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, and Asians, these groups are extremely underrepresented in the media. The only time anyone of colour appears on TV seems to be the news or on current affairs programs, or as the sidekick, rarely in a leading role. This is why representation is so important and why this movie is a step in the right direction.

I’m rating it 3½ stars purely based on the plot, the script and the acting just like I have for all the movies I’ve reviewed before. I don’t want to rate this movie based on its casting choices even though it is something near and dear to me. I had a lot of fun watching it, the scenes were beautifully shot and it ticks a lot of boxes as a romantic comedy but I personally found some scenes a bit too cheesy for my liking. There’s definitely room for improvement and hopefully it does in the newly announced sequel, Rich China Girl.

What are your thoughts?

 

*No, I haven’t read the books.