Delightfully Entertaining Based on Kevin Kwanâs satirical novel of the same name, âCrazy Rich Asiansâ is the story of the Chinese-American Rachel Chu, a New York University professor of economics whoâs persuaded by her Singapore-born boyfriend, fellow NYU professor Nick Young, to accompany him to his family home in Singapore to attend the wedding of his best friend.What Rachel doesnât know is that Nick is the scion of Singaporeâs wealthiest and most powerful family, and that his best friendâs wedding is Singaporeâs social event of the century. Rachel already suspects that Nick will use the occasion to propose to herâ¦but doesnât expect that in Singapore Nickâs proposal will be an occasion reminiscent of Prince Charmingâs fitting the glass slipper to Cinderellaâs foot.âCrazy Rich Asiansâ sets a playful tone early in the picture when a snappy new version of the old Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford rock ân roll standard âMoney (Thatâs What I Want)â plays over the opening credits and establishing shots with its familiar lyrics performed in Chinese. The movie then segues smoothly into a pleasant enough social comedy-slash-travelogue, as the American Rachel is introduced to local Singapore locations, customs, and cuisine.But before long the picture dissolves into a more familiar triangulation of affection: Nickâs influential and traditionalist mother Eleanor, a society maven whose personality resembles that of the Dragon Lady without that characterâs endearing qualities, strongly disapproves of Nickâs American girlfriend. Eleanor prefers that her son sacrifice romantic happiness in America in favor of a life of misery in Singaporeâreturning to his homeland to assume his ancestral obligations as the heir to the family fortune.âCrazy Rich Asiansâ benefits strongly from the casting of the almost impossibly attractive Constance Wu and Henry Golding as Rachel and Nick. Individually Wu and Golding are physically stunning, but together they resemble the figurines atop a wedding cake, if those figures were modeled on Venus and Adonis.Fortunately, both performers possess the acting chops to not only match their appearances, but also to make their characters sympathetic and genuinely likable. Which is no small feat, especially considering that the Cambridge University-accented Golding has no previous acting experienceâthe Malaysian-born performer was cast in the coveted role on the strength of his personality and experience as the host of the BBCâs âThe Travel Show.â Golding also produced and appeared in the Discovery Channel documentary âSurviving Borneo.ââCrazy Rich Asiansâ also features good performances from a supporting cast of performers which includes pop star and rap artist Awkwafina as Rachelâs best friend and former college roommate, comedian and actor Ken Jeong as the wealthy father of Awkwafinaâs character, and Lisa Lu as Nickâs grandmother and matriarch of the family. Michelle Yeoh, familiar for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film âTomorrow Never Diesâ and the Academy Award-winning âCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonâ from 2000, appears in the showcase role of Nickâs manipulative mother.The dramatic emotional climax of âCrazy Rich Asiansâ occurs during a game of mahjong, played by Rachel and Eleanor with the solemn-faced gravity of the baccarat game between James Bond and his arch-nemesis Largo in 1965âs âThunderball.â With its click-clack precision of colored playing tiles, the scene might contain considerably more significance to the mahjong enthusiasts in the audience, and concludes dramatically when one of the two opposing rivals for Nickâs affection snatches victory away from the other by revealing what appears to be the mahjong equivalent of a straight flush. If youâre able to guess which character prevails in the game, it might be an indication of the predictability of the rest of the picture.Adapted from Kwanâs comic novel by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and directed by Jon M. Chu, âCrazy Rich Asiansâ has been on the receiving end of some grouching by two sides of the discrimination debate. Some find fault with the picture for not including enough authentic Singapore-born Chinese in the principal cast, and others complain that the film doesnât accurately portray Singaporeâs colorful racial diversity, meaning that no roles were filled by the cityâs Malay, Eurasian, and Indian populations.But you canât have everything. Some observers have noted that similar criticisms were made prior to the release of âThe Godfatherâ by individuals of Italian-American descent, who eventually came around when the accolades and awards began to roll in. You might not notice the ethnic diversity problems in âCrazy Rich Asians,â though, so much as you come away with the revelation that Chinese families can be as goofy, eccentric, and unmanageable as anyone elseâs. Thatâs probably the point.The critics apparently donât mind…
Fun and not at all offensive
Delightfully Entertaining Based on Kevin Kwanâs satirical novel of the same name, âCrazy Rich Asiansâ is the story of the Chinese-American Rachel Chu, a New York University professor of economics whoâs persuaded by her Singapore-born boyfriend, fellow NYU professor Nick Young, to accompany him to his family home in Singapore to attend the wedding of his best friend.What Rachel doesnât know is that Nick is the scion of Singaporeâs wealthiest and most powerful family, and that his best friendâs wedding is Singaporeâs social event of the century. Rachel already suspects that Nick will use the occasion to propose to herâ¦but doesnât expect that in Singapore Nickâs proposal will be an occasion reminiscent of Prince Charmingâs fitting the glass slipper to Cinderellaâs foot.âCrazy Rich Asiansâ sets a playful tone early in the picture when a snappy new version of the old Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford rock ân roll standard âMoney (Thatâs What I Want)â plays over the opening credits and establishing shots with its familiar lyrics performed in Chinese. The movie then segues smoothly into a pleasant enough social comedy-slash-travelogue, as the American Rachel is introduced to local Singapore locations, customs, and cuisine.But before long the picture dissolves into a more familiar triangulation of affection: Nickâs influential and traditionalist mother Eleanor, a society maven whose personality resembles that of the Dragon Lady without that characterâs endearing qualities, strongly disapproves of Nickâs American girlfriend. Eleanor prefers that her son sacrifice romantic happiness in America in favor of a life of misery in Singaporeâreturning to his homeland to assume his ancestral obligations as the heir to the family fortune.âCrazy Rich Asiansâ benefits strongly from the casting of the almost impossibly attractive Constance Wu and Henry Golding as Rachel and Nick. Individually Wu and Golding are physically stunning, but together they resemble the figurines atop a wedding cake, if those figures were modeled on Venus and Adonis.Fortunately, both performers possess the acting chops to not only match their appearances, but also to make their characters sympathetic and genuinely likable. Which is no small feat, especially considering that the Cambridge University-accented Golding has no previous acting experienceâthe Malaysian-born performer was cast in the coveted role on the strength of his personality and experience as the host of the BBCâs âThe Travel Show.â Golding also produced and appeared in the Discovery Channel documentary âSurviving Borneo.ââCrazy Rich Asiansâ also features good performances from a supporting cast of performers which includes pop star and rap artist Awkwafina as Rachelâs best friend and former college roommate, comedian and actor Ken Jeong as the wealthy father of Awkwafinaâs character, and Lisa Lu as Nickâs grandmother and matriarch of the family. Michelle Yeoh, familiar for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film âTomorrow Never Diesâ and the Academy Award-winning âCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonâ from 2000, appears in the showcase role of Nickâs manipulative mother.The dramatic emotional climax of âCrazy Rich Asiansâ occurs during a game of mahjong, played by Rachel and Eleanor with the solemn-faced gravity of the baccarat game between James Bond and his arch-nemesis Largo in 1965âs âThunderball.â With its click-clack precision of colored playing tiles, the scene might contain considerably more significance to the mahjong enthusiasts in the audience, and concludes dramatically when one of the two opposing rivals for Nickâs affection snatches victory away from the other by revealing what appears to be the mahjong equivalent of a straight flush. If youâre able to guess which character prevails in the game, it might be an indication of the predictability of the rest of the picture.Adapted from Kwanâs comic novel by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and directed by Jon M. Chu, âCrazy Rich Asiansâ has been on the receiving end of some grouching by two sides of the discrimination debate. Some find fault with the picture for not including enough authentic Singapore-born Chinese in the principal cast, and others complain that the film doesnât accurately portray Singaporeâs colorful racial diversity, meaning that no roles were filled by the cityâs Malay, Eurasian, and Indian populations.But you canât have everything. Some observers have noted that similar criticisms were made prior to the release of âThe Godfatherâ by individuals of Italian-American descent, who eventually came around when the accolades and awards began to roll in. You might not notice the ethnic diversity problems in âCrazy Rich Asians,â though, so much as you come away with the revelation that Chinese families can be as goofy, eccentric, and unmanageable as anyone elseâs. Thatâs probably the point.The critics apparently donât mind…
One of the worst movies we have ever seen!