Crazy Rich Asians

By: Arlene Allen

Crazy Rich Asians is a rom-com like no other! It’s the story of Rachel Chu, professor of economics (played brilliantly by Constance Wu) whose boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) turns out to be the son of a Chinese real estate mogul. He’s not just rich, but crazy rich – the kind that can afford a first-class sleeper suite on a commercial airline (who even knew this was a thing?). He’s the most eligible bachelor in all of Singapore and he wants to bring Rachel home to meet his family.

Trouble starts right out of the gate when Nick announces he is bringing Rachel home with him while he attends his best friend’s wedding. Rachel is immediately deemed a gold digger, not good enough for Nick. If you’ve seen the trailers, you know Nick’s mom, Eleanor Young (played by a steely Michelle Yeoh), discounts her right away. She is pranked in a horrible way by the bride’s awful, spoilt friends. Her only encouragement comes from her best college friend Peik Lin (Awkwafina). One of the best things about the film is the way Wu plays Rachel – nice, polite and amenable, but with a spine of steel. Rachel isn’t going down without a fight.

There’s also a subplot about Nick’s sister Araminta (Sonoya Mizuno) and her cheating husband, which is meant to illustrate the pitfalls of marrying someone insanely rich. This leads to one of the best one-liners in the film, which I won’t give away. It elicits one of the top audience reactions of the film and there are quite a few good ones.

Did I mention how crazy rich they are? Director Jon M. Chu goes all out with locations as the bachelorette party takes place on a private island and the bachelor party on a barge in the middle of the ocean. The wedding itself is one of the most insane ones you will ever see (forget the British Royals, they look positively boring in comparison). I could describe it but it’s something you need to see for yourself. The cinematography is spectacular, not just for the wedding or the gorgeous shots of Singapore, but for every shot in the Youngs’ house to Araminta’s lonely shopping experience.

The music is wonderful, as it is all done in Chinese; American hits sung in the language as well as traditional music and Asian pop standards.  It is not the usual soundtrack fare, which works out for the best. The movie feels Asian all the way around, as it should. It provides a great taste of Asian culture; even their “crazy rich” are different. It’s a peek into a whole different universe. We are completely able to identify with Rachel as she feels like a fish out of water.

I’m trying hard not to give away too much of the plot or describe any of the iconic scenes. This is definitely worth seeing for yourself. The trailers give away a lot, but not all of; that’s just a taste of this delightful movie. The ending is a perfect one for this charming film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s uplifting. If you’ve ever felt “not good enough” for a partner or spouse, this film will inspire. Based on the novel by Kevin Kwan (which I have to read now), with an entirely Asian cast, this is a breakout film that could shape future rom-coms coming down the pike.