Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Directed by: Jon M. Chu | 120 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Harry Shum Jr., Ken Jeong, Sonoya Mizuno, Chris Pang, Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, Remy Hii, Nico Santos, Jing Lusi, Carmen Soo, Pierre Png, Fiona Xie

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is the film adaptation of the first book in Kevin Kwan’s successful trilogy. The romantic comedy was already a milestone in cinema history before its release: it had been more than two decades since a major Hollywood studio released a film with an all-Asian-American cast (“The Joy Luck Club” came out in 1993). Representation of Asian actors is therefore still far below par, so it’s nice that with ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (as well as, but to a lesser extent, with ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’, released a little later on Netflix) change is brought about.

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ starts in the nineties. After a long flight from Singapore, a mother arrives with her children, sister and her children in a rain-soaked London at a luxurious hotel, where they are treated scandalously first by the receptionist and later by the hotel manager. They are refused a suite, despite the mother, Eleanor Young, indicating that she has reserved. Young, of course, is not a surname that the hotel manager associates with an Asian family. That she has reserved under that name is correct, but nevertheless he refers them to Chinatown. With a phone call to her husband, Eleanor puts an end to the debacle. The owner of the hotel comes to welcome the family in the lobby and introduces them to his staff as the new owners, to immediately fire those same employees. The message is clear: you can’t mess with the wealthy Eleanor Young.

Fastforward to the present time: in New York we meet Rachel Chu, who grew up in America. Her boyfriend for a year: Nick Young, Eleanor’s well-dried son from the opening scene. With his best friend getting married in Singapore, Nick says it’s the ultimate opportunity for him to introduce Rachel to his family. Rachel knows nothing about Nick’s background, but she soon finds out on the plane. Her college friend, who has since returned to Singapore, also lets her know in no uncertain terms what to expect when she learns that Rachel’s boyfriend is the Nick Young.

The central conflict of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ revolves around Nick’s mother (and the rest of the family)’s unwillingness to accept Rachel. It’s tradition versus modernization: Rachel has a good career in the US as a professor at a university, Eleanor says that her family always comes first. Of course that clashes. But the younger generation also struggles with Rachel’s arrival in Singapore; during a bachelorette party, Rachel discovers exactly how much effort it takes.

Although the story of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is actually superficial, and the main characters are barely developed, the film is still worth watching. That’s in large part due to the sets and props; the decoration of, for example, the wedding is really breathtaking and you can hardly imagine that there are people who actually spend so much money for a wedding. Constance Wu and Henry Golding make a cute couple, but the show is stolen by Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor and Awkwafina as Rachel’s crazy girlfriend. In addition, there is a good chance that Singapore will end up on your list of ‘countries you want to visit’, because the popular travel destination is shown from its most beautiful side in the film. However, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is in no way representative of life in Singapore, at most the scene where Rachel and Nick are having dinner with Nick’s friends on a terrace. Entertaining, a little too long, and not a film that you will remember for a long time, but certainly not a wasted effort.