Director: Jon M. Chu Writer(s): Peter Chiarelli, Adele Lim Cast: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Nico Santos, Lisa Lu, Ken Jeong, Michelle Yeoh
‘Rachel Chu is happy to accompany her longtime boyfriend, Nick, to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. She’s also surprised to learn that Nick’s family is extremely wealthy and he’s considered one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. Thrust into the spotlight, Rachel must now contend with jealous socialites, quirky relatives and something far, far worse — Nick’s disapproving mother.’
Director Jon M. Chu has had a very mixed bag of movies during his 17 year career so far, ranging from the past 4 ‘Step Up’ movies (2008-2014) all the way to G. I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013, so when he was announced as director of 2018’s ‘biggest romantic comedy’, I was left feeling a bit wary to say the least! Although I haven’t read the book that Crazy Rich Asians is based on, I have seen constant onslaught of trailers, massive marketing campaign and the hype this has caused following the film’s American release. So does Chu’s latest offering live up to all the hype that has preceded the UK release? Or have they bought more they can afford? Read on to find out…
Based on the 2013 novel, written by Kevin Kwan, the movie also follows the lives of a Chinese-American Professor and her long term boyfriend, Rachel Chu and Nick Young, as they travel to Singapore for a close friend’s wedding. As the title suggests, this isn’t just going to be a normal wedding as Rachel finds out when she arrives in Singapore, Nick’s family and friends are amongst the wealthiest in the country! And Jon M. Chu goes a long way to ensure audiences know just how rich these families are, with all the glitz and glamour you’d expect to see associated with being ‘Crazy Rich’. But this movie also has another important statement to make, as this is not only the first major Romantic-Comedy, but the first studio movie in the past 100 years to feature an almost entirely Asian cast.
Over the past few years, there has been a slow by constant increase in on screen diversity in Western cinema, with possibly the biggest and best example being Marvel’s Black Panther. A movie which has gone on to become one of the highest grossing super-hero movies of all time, and broken many other box office records since its release earlier this year! But we aren’t here to talk about Black Panther, as Crazy Rich Asians has enough to shout about. Boasting a cast list that includes over 70 speaking roles for Asian actors, and some of the biggest names in Asian cinema, this is a movie we haven’t really seen the likes of before.
But it doesn’t throw this in the audiences face. The fact that the majority, if not all, is Asian is not pointed out in the movie, it is treated as the norm rather than something strange and new. While it may seem that the main theme of Crazy Rich Asians is to showcase the grandeur and luxury of Nick’s family, and believe me it is distracting! Word of warning: do not go into this movie on an empty stomach. The sheer amount of amazing food and drink on display here is near pornographic! So much so, I could practically taste it! Marks and Spencer eat your heart out, this is how you advertise food!
The movies true theme is family, and how much our background and culture can influence the way we live our lives, in this case specifically Asian culture. This is most apparent in a particular scene that emphasises the differences between Rachel and Nick’s upbringing as the different generations of family come together to make dumplings. This also showcases the strength of Rachel’s character as she doesn’t envy the wealth Nick’s family has, but the time they share together.
Constance Wu and Henry Golding play Rachel and Nick respectively, and are the main focus of the movie’s plot. The chemistry the couple share on screen is palpable, which is a large part of what makes this movie so enjoyable to watch. Both characters are clearly in love with each other, but Wu’s Rachel is never portrayed as dependant on Nick. She is fiercely independent, showing that she loves Nick for who he is and not what he is worth financially, despite what the other characters may think of her.
While the main focus may be on Wu and Young, this is definitely an ensemble piece. While not every single character we get to meet gets their time to shine, as can sometime happens when adapting from a source novel, the important characters are certainly given interesting and believable story arcs. Nick’s mother Eleanor, played by Michelle Yeoh, has an overbearing presence that threatens to tear the couple apart, but it is Gemma Chan’s Astrid. Playing Nick’s favourite cousin with such grace and kindness, you can’t help but emphasise with her.
If this movie has one main fault, it is how predictable the plot becomes as it enters the final act. If you are a fan of Romantic-Comedies, then you will easily figure out how this movie ends, but that doesn’t ruin the fun. There is enough happening to distract from the predictable ending to allow you to enjoy the ride! In particular, the wedding the movie has been leading up to is spectacular to witness, if slightly impractical. I won’t spoil it here, but it does feature a beautifully sung cover version of ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, this time by Kina Grannis (which I’m not afraid to say brought many a tear to my eyes, even if I did try to pass it off as something in my eye at the time).
This is just one small part of a great soundtrack that features many songs (and cover versions of well-known songs) that I and a large majority of the audience probably would never have heard if not for this movie. And this is what makes Crazy Rich Asians so important. While the movie’s plot may be something we have seen countless times over, and come across as difficult to believe, it does open the door for difficult questions to be asked, like ‘Why is it only now that we are getting a major studio movie with an Asian cast?’ and pave the way for many more films like it to come. And I for one cannot disagree with that!
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