Film Review: Crazy Rich Asians
A Long-awaited Milestone
Crazy Rich Asians, the long-awaited film based on the 2013 novel of the same name by author Kevin Kwan, is a milestone in Asian-American filmmaking and representation. The film works best not as a romantic comedy, but as an exploration Asian and Asian-American identity in ways not often seen in mainstream media. Despite a sometimes uneven script and a reliance on genre tropes, Crazy Rich Asians is a vital stepping stone for Asians in Hollywood, elevated by a sprawling cast led by a charming Constance Wu. Mild spoilers ahead...
The new guard of Hollywood wokeness has another champion in director Jon M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians, the first major studio release led by a predominantly Asian cast since 2005’s Memoirs of a Geisha, and the first one to feature Asian-Americans as leads since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club. In today’s freshly born era of culturally significant filmmaking, it fits right in with the likes of Black Panther, Get Out, Coco, and The Big Sick as a recent mainstream film looking well beyond the stereotype to say something meaningful about the culture being depicted, while also wrapping up its message in a popular genre story. For Crazy Rich Asians, that genre happens to be a rom-com, and as a rom-com, it's...fine: a light and fun romp that occasionally struggles to rise above overplayed tropes. Asians shines much more brightly, however, as a saga of opulence and an exploration of classism, entitlement, and the generational divide present in many Asian cultures. As an Asian-American myself, I've longed to see my own heritage represented on the silver screen, and because of the media attention it has been receiving, Crazy Rich Asians is the first film to feel like the bridging of a gap in show business - the start of an open-minded expansion where studio executives can look at Asian actors and actresses to not only fill niche parts, but lead roles as well. In a refreshing change of pace, the film also avoids delving too deeply into model minority stereotypes to which the American consciousness has grown accustomed (quite deftly explored in Justin Lin’s 2002 film Better Luck Tomorrow). Instead, Asians succeeds in depicting Asians in ways not often seen on screen: strong, sexy, and successful.
Crazy Rich Asians follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu, ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat), an NYU economics professor who has been dating the handsome Nick Young (Henry Golding, in his first acting role) for over a year. When Nick is due back in Singapore for his best friend Colin’s (Christopher Pang) wedding, he feels serious enough about Rachel to bring her as a plus one to the upcoming nuptials and to have her meet his family. When the two fly first class, it’s quickly revealed that Nick’s family is quite wealthy and that he is the heir apparent to Singapore’s largest real estate empire. When confronted about his family’s wealth, Nick simply deflects, “We’re comfortable.” What follows is a typical fish out of water story as Rachel adjusts to her new surroundings as well as Nick’s intimidating family and friends, namely his icy and disapproving mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh, in a subdued yet powerful performance). Crazy Rich Asian’s fantastic cast carries the film nicely, with Constance Wu’s earnest charms and easy chemistry with the rest of the roster grounding the story. Other standouts include Awkwafina as Peik Lin, Rachel’s best friend from college who delivers the film’s biggest laughs, and Gemma Chan (AMC’s Humans) as Nick’s extravagant yet kindhearted cousin Astrid, who takes part in the film’s surprisingly moving B-plot.
Crazy Rich Asians is a lot of fun, but it isn’t a perfect film. It sticks a little too closely to formula, with its rom-com clichés inducing more than a few eyerolls - if you’ve seen any romantic comedy from the 80s or 90s, you could most likely paint the broad strokes of the film’s plot and even some of the dialogue ahead of time. Adele Lim and Peter Chiarelli’s script is also quite uneven in places, despite its charms. The biggest culprit of this lopsidedness is Astrid’s storyline; Gemma Chan is fantastic in the role, but the plot is severely undercooked. Astrid’s marital troubles with her husband, who is also a “commoner” in the film’s parlance, is teased as a fascinating parrallel to Rachel’s relationship with Nick, but ends up being nothing more than a tangent. Astrid’s story is moving, emotional, and heartbreaking - it’s a disappointment to see it simply disappear into the aether without fulfilling its potential as the perfect emotional throughline for the film.
Despite the film’s flaws, however, when Crazy Rich Asians works, it fires on all cylinders. Any scene with Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor Young is absolutely electric. In a role that easily could have been an antagonistic tiger mom stereotype, Yeoh imbues her performance with emotion, pathos, and duty - her conflict with Rachel is sympathetic, if not downright justifiable. Asians reaches beyond the class divide in a clash that is much more than just rich vs. poor; it is a thoughtful and true-to-life exploration of East vs. West, young vs. old. This is what resonated with me the most, and I suspect a lot of the film's Asian and Asian-American audience will be able to not only relate to the struggles of Rachel and Nick, but of Eleanor as well. There is an interesting dichotomy at work, where the older generation's rigid and oftentimes unreasonable adherence to family values and sacrifice clashes directly with our generation's wanton selfishness and entitlement, and the film balances both sides of the coin deftly.
And while Crazy Rich Asians gets a lot of mileage exploring family ties and drama, it also doesn't forget to enjoy itself. Director Jon M. Chu and cinematographer Vanja Cernjul paint a colorful portrait of extravagant wealth in Singapore, and its depictions are as fun as they are ridiculous - lavish and over-the-top parties, million-dollar jewels, and insane sports cars are just some of the excess on parade. With that being said, lower-key pleasures are also given a moment to shine, with a visit to a local street food market being one of the highlights.
Crazy Rich Asians is without a doubt a vital piece of filmmaking when it comes to Asian and Asian-American representation in Hollywood. It may not be perfect, but it's a fun summer film that gets it right where it counts. Buoyed by a stellar cast, the film rises above its rom-com center with a unique perspective on the Asian experience that is sure to resonate with its intended audience. The film industry, and American society as a whole, still has a long way to go when it comes to recognizing Asian talent, but Crazy Rich Asians is one hell of a first step.
