REVIEW | CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Based on the books by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians is an outrageously funny and heartfelt love story set in Asian culture. Crazy rich versus poor. Traditional worldview versus modern. Westernised children of immigrants versus those born and raised in the East. These complex issues and the judgements from people that go with them are explored superbly in the best romantic comedy I have seen in years.
Given the larger than life characters and events in the book, the wrong director could have pushed this movie over the thin line between funny and cheesy. However, right from the start director Jon Chu struck the right note. My friend and I (both Asian, but from different backgrounds) roared with laughter as the onscreen effects showed news that Nick had a girlfriend travelling to every Singaporean around the globe within seconds, because, I swear, that’s exactly how it happens in real life among any Asian community.
However, the beauty of this film is also that while it is set in Singapore and highlights Asian culture, you don’t have to be Singaporean or even Asian to enjoy it and relate to some of the universal themes. The cinema was packed with people of all different ages, ethnicities and genders, laughing and wiping away tears together.
The casting for the film was perfect. Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor Young and Awkwafina as Peik Lin gave standout performances. Yeoh’s portrayal as the stately, regal matriarch of the Young family was at times so quietly intimidating that when she walked towards the protagonist, Rachel, and towered over her I felt like recoiling into my seat as if it were me she was concentrating that steely gaze on. CRA was my first introduction to Awkwafina and she was a real scene-stealer. One of the most memorable and funny scenes in the film for me was Peik Lin running up the stairs of the Young’s mansion to snap millions of selfies like she at Disneyland.
Personally, I don’t really read the books for Nick and Rachel. I read the books for all the other colourful, mad characters. I read the books for Astrid and Charlie. However, the playful and genuinely sweet chemistry between the actors Constance Wu and Henry Golding really brought Nick and Rachel to life.
There are two scenes that stayed with me after the movie ended because of how brilliant they were. The first is the opening scene in London when Nick is a child. The Young family, despite having made a reservation at a fancy hotel, are met with racism and the concierge suggests they find somewhere to stay in Chinatown. It is a shocking, awful moment of discrimination because to the concierge not even their money is enough to get past their ethnicity. A couple of my European friends told me how this scene shocked them, but, alas, it shocked none of my Asian friends at all.
The second scene was when Rachel and Eleanor faced off in a cleverly symbolic and layered game of mah-jong. If you knew how to play the Chinese game, you immediately recognised what Rachel’s position was when she picked up her last tile with only a cursory glance at her hand. It was a tense, emotional moment – the final showdown. There are many in the film, but that scene made my heart skip a beat.
Mah-jong, the music, the familial dynamics, the loud night markets packed with street vendors shaking their flaming woks, all the Asian foods and delicacies I grew up with – I loved seeing it all. I never thought I would see it all in a mainstream Hollywood film.
Being Chinese, I was nervous about whether the movie would live up to my expectations, and in terms of representation for Asians on the big screen the stakes were sky high. It is rare for me to see an Asian actor onscreen period, never mind as a lead. I get so happy when I see one, and then sad because I realise I only feel that way because it is like spotting a unicorn. While black face onscreen was deemed offensive long ago, it seems yellow face and whitewashing of Asians is still accepted in Hollywood. Even when there are roles for Asian characters, a white actor can be cast with relatively little fuss or consequence. Try to tell me that Emma Stone looks believably half-Chinese/half-Hawaiian in Aloha and I will fight you.
Probably the most infamous recent example of this was Scarlett Johansson’s casting as a Japanese character in Ghost in the Shell. The producers reportedly commissioned special digital effects to make the film’s actors “look more Asian”. Let that sink in. They were so averse to casting actual Asians that they would rather cast white actors and spend extra money to alter their ethnicity.
When Gemma Chan, who plays Astrid in CRA, was asked by The Guardian who would play her in a biography, she cheekily answered, “Scarlett Johansson. Just kidding”. And I applauded.
The usual pundits popped out of the woodwork to make the excuse that lead Asian actors just do not make money for blockbuster films. But, as was the case for Marvel’s Black Panther, they’re eating their prejudices. CRA is breaking records and showing Hollywood executives that diversity in lead roles is bankable and desired by audiences. It has been the most successful rom-com in the US in a decade, and is the first major Hollywood studio film starring a majority Asian cast in 25 years. The past few months have felt like a pivotal moment for Asian representation onscreen. While CRA and Searching (starring John Cho) received rave reviews from movie audiences, To All The Boys I’ve Loved (starring Lana Condor) has been a huge hit for Netflix. Long may these successes continue.
Movie tickets are expensive these days if you don’t have a discount. When I got back to New Zealand and the guy at the ticket counter said, “$18.50 please.” I almost choked and replied, “Would you prefer to just take one of my organs or perhaps my first born child by way of payment?” I never watch a film twice, because sadly I’m just crazy and not also rich. CRA was so enjoyable I made an exception. I laughed and cried just as much as I did the first time.
A culturally significant and hysterical rom-com with real heart, memorable characters and a modern take on a classic love story. CRA is an instant favourite.
