I'm confused by the criticism of this movie by other users - this wasn't made for people who want to be rich & glamorous, it literally showed how shallow & void the overly-rich & indulgent were. You were supposed to feel disgusted by them at many points in the film. But it was less about the flashy cars & parties, & more about the relationship between a girl & her boyfriend's family, as well as the identity crises that arise for an immigrant in America.
1,257 Reviews
Don't overthink it
HippieMoon9412 December 2020
Why all the hate? This movie is purely escapism and it doesn't pretend to be anything deeper than that. It showcases exotic scenery and lots of shiny expensive things. There's also a "Cinderella-esque" love story that serves to move the story along sweetly.
The characters aren't super deep and they don't do any switching up halfway through the film so the plot is easy to follow. Charming boy is secretly rich with a heart of gold, and eyes for only our lead lady. Successful girl is comfortable and naive, and fights a battle of wits to be with her man.
I see a lot of people complaining about racism and the movie promoting bad values. Yeah, the movie primarily showcases East Asians as opposed to every single Asian people, but why the pressure??? Finally, a movie that features Asians whose entire character identities aren't math experts or Kung fu masters (which is the stereotypes mainly presented in American television), but people with varied goals and backstories that can be understood to a certain extent by their audience regardless of race. As for the bad values about gold digging and backstabbing. Literally every rom-com has a gold digger or backstabber thrown in the mix for a little razzle dazzled added drama.
All these "far stretched" complaints are clearly based in some people's discomfort with a movie presenting any race other than white but still being celebrated on a large scale level. This is a standard modern fairytale type romance. It's not meant to be complicated. It's just fun. Don't overthink it, just enjoy.
The characters aren't super deep and they don't do any switching up halfway through the film so the plot is easy to follow. Charming boy is secretly rich with a heart of gold, and eyes for only our lead lady. Successful girl is comfortable and naive, and fights a battle of wits to be with her man.
I see a lot of people complaining about racism and the movie promoting bad values. Yeah, the movie primarily showcases East Asians as opposed to every single Asian people, but why the pressure??? Finally, a movie that features Asians whose entire character identities aren't math experts or Kung fu masters (which is the stereotypes mainly presented in American television), but people with varied goals and backstories that can be understood to a certain extent by their audience regardless of race. As for the bad values about gold digging and backstabbing. Literally every rom-com has a gold digger or backstabber thrown in the mix for a little razzle dazzled added drama.
All these "far stretched" complaints are clearly based in some people's discomfort with a movie presenting any race other than white but still being celebrated on a large scale level. This is a standard modern fairytale type romance. It's not meant to be complicated. It's just fun. Don't overthink it, just enjoy.
Basic, but well done.
greggs_nbacon17 September 2018
As I was going to the movies the other night to see BlackkKlansman, a woman stopped me. She was an Asian woman. She looked at me sheepishly and said, "Pardon me, I've never been to the movies before. Would you help me buy my ticket?" I assisted her on the machine. She was so grateful, smiled, and shook my hand as she walked into her showing of Crazy Rich Asians. This is why minority representation in Hollywood is important.
Crazy Rich Asians tells the classic Cinderella story and takes it to modern times. Boy meets girl, girl falls in love with boy, boy turns out to be rich as hell. The film indulges in all of the luxuries from Kevin Kwan's novel, on which the film is adapted. There's the first class flights, the expensive weddings, and other various obvious showings of that great Asian wealth that Yeung family has procured. The real twist here is that the film features the first all Asian cast in a Hollywood film in over 25 years.
Crazy Rich Asians opens brilliantly with the perfect middle finger to all of the racism and backlash it has received. A racist hotel manager refuses to believe that the Yeung family has enough money to stay in the hotel. It shows the family scared, all huddle in the phone booth outside as rain falls upon them. When the family returns, entirely drenched, they are now the owners and proprietors of the hotel, as Eleanor Young (Micheel Yeoh) smiles to the audience. It is the perfect opening to a film that takes on such a difficult yet amazing task of inclusion and diversity.
The film has its moments of absolute brilliance as previously mentioned. Seeing Asian culture and sensibilities portrayed in such an honorable and non-stereotypical way is refreshing. However, the film failed to escape from the classic romantic comedy tropes that we have seen time and times again as viewers. The leading lady is pretty, but not gorgeous. She is insecure about how she presents to her boyfriend, who is ungodly attractive and has been with tons of beautiful, yet interpersonally unappealing women. He finds the one he wants, despite their differences in social class and standing. All along the way, the girl is increasing her external beauty, as a total loss of complete feminism. This tells the female viewer that if you aren't wearing the right clothes, and look the part, you have no success at love. All along the way, the oddball, yet humorous and encouraging friend steals every scene as the far more interesting and in-depth character. This isn't to say that Awkwafina isn't absolutely brilliant at her role, and doesn't have one of the brightest young futures of anyone in show business, but it feels overplayed.
The madcap insanity of this movie, followed by its basic poignancy is something to be appreciated. The film has been a smash hit at the box office, proving that diversity really does sell. Pay attention, Hollywood! Overall, Crazy Rich Asians is an enjoyable movie, but no great feat to write home about.
Grade (7.5/10)
Crazy Rich Asians tells the classic Cinderella story and takes it to modern times. Boy meets girl, girl falls in love with boy, boy turns out to be rich as hell. The film indulges in all of the luxuries from Kevin Kwan's novel, on which the film is adapted. There's the first class flights, the expensive weddings, and other various obvious showings of that great Asian wealth that Yeung family has procured. The real twist here is that the film features the first all Asian cast in a Hollywood film in over 25 years.
Crazy Rich Asians opens brilliantly with the perfect middle finger to all of the racism and backlash it has received. A racist hotel manager refuses to believe that the Yeung family has enough money to stay in the hotel. It shows the family scared, all huddle in the phone booth outside as rain falls upon them. When the family returns, entirely drenched, they are now the owners and proprietors of the hotel, as Eleanor Young (Micheel Yeoh) smiles to the audience. It is the perfect opening to a film that takes on such a difficult yet amazing task of inclusion and diversity.
The film has its moments of absolute brilliance as previously mentioned. Seeing Asian culture and sensibilities portrayed in such an honorable and non-stereotypical way is refreshing. However, the film failed to escape from the classic romantic comedy tropes that we have seen time and times again as viewers. The leading lady is pretty, but not gorgeous. She is insecure about how she presents to her boyfriend, who is ungodly attractive and has been with tons of beautiful, yet interpersonally unappealing women. He finds the one he wants, despite their differences in social class and standing. All along the way, the girl is increasing her external beauty, as a total loss of complete feminism. This tells the female viewer that if you aren't wearing the right clothes, and look the part, you have no success at love. All along the way, the oddball, yet humorous and encouraging friend steals every scene as the far more interesting and in-depth character. This isn't to say that Awkwafina isn't absolutely brilliant at her role, and doesn't have one of the brightest young futures of anyone in show business, but it feels overplayed.
The madcap insanity of this movie, followed by its basic poignancy is something to be appreciated. The film has been a smash hit at the box office, proving that diversity really does sell. Pay attention, Hollywood! Overall, Crazy Rich Asians is an enjoyable movie, but no great feat to write home about.
Grade (7.5/10)
First the basics
joweenee3 September 2018
There are three complaints:
1. Celebrates perversity - romance and materialism are too intimately tied together (i.e. gold-digging) that both end up being expounded in their superficiality and unreality
2. Limited representation - only "Chinese" Asians and only extremely wealthy individuals are portrayed, undermining the efficacy and diversity of true "asianhood"
3. Shallow plot and characters - overused story-line about romance and familial tensions, a pure imitation of Western desires with a lack of oriental authenticity, leading to a paper-thin plot protracted by stereotypes
Three responses:
1. If you actually consider how the movie plays out, the elements that supposedly celebrate exuberance and materialistic romance are either dismissed in their possible retention of worth or confined to brief stylistic moments which throw the more intractable experience of love without materialism into stark relief. There is so much evidence of this throughout the film - every point of excess ingrains in us, as an audience, a sense of disgust or doubt - is that not then the point? Plus the title literally spells the theme out for you "Crazy Rich", so yeah. What did you expect?
2. Now the second part of the title"Asians". I agree, the film does not cover every individual that would be qualified under the term in an ethnic or otherwise geographic sense. But why did it have to? It is not a documentary. It does not aim for absolute objective authority, it tells a story with insight into a limited persona with limited struggles and limited breadth. The assertion that the movie is inaccurate or "bad" because it does not show us every type of Asian is extremely unfair - at least they showed us some (where most do not show any) and they did it in a way where the central aspects of being Asian are still on display (e.g. filial guilt, patriarchy).
3. This then leads me to my next point. What is the big picture? Sure we could convert this movie to have an all white cast and the general story-line and characters would not have to be completely revised, I concede that. But, to me the appearance of an all Asian cast in big budget Hollywood - twenty-five years after "The Joy Luck Club" - means a lot. I think even if you take the plot at its worst - dreary, old garbage - and the inclusion of Asians as mere tokenistic market-pandering, I still stand by this film. Because to me this film is a gateway to all the things that people have been so frustrated and disappointed about, it is a film that in its very existence can forge the path for much broader and deeper representation or discussion. You will not be able to overturn all Asian stereotypes or perfectly represent all Asians overnight, it is an ongoing process that begins by giving the "asian-face" more airtime. Plus I thought the way females were portrayed in this film has been misconstrued and under-evaluated. Just saying.
Watch the film and see what you think.
1. Celebrates perversity - romance and materialism are too intimately tied together (i.e. gold-digging) that both end up being expounded in their superficiality and unreality
2. Limited representation - only "Chinese" Asians and only extremely wealthy individuals are portrayed, undermining the efficacy and diversity of true "asianhood"
3. Shallow plot and characters - overused story-line about romance and familial tensions, a pure imitation of Western desires with a lack of oriental authenticity, leading to a paper-thin plot protracted by stereotypes
Three responses:
1. If you actually consider how the movie plays out, the elements that supposedly celebrate exuberance and materialistic romance are either dismissed in their possible retention of worth or confined to brief stylistic moments which throw the more intractable experience of love without materialism into stark relief. There is so much evidence of this throughout the film - every point of excess ingrains in us, as an audience, a sense of disgust or doubt - is that not then the point? Plus the title literally spells the theme out for you "Crazy Rich", so yeah. What did you expect?
2. Now the second part of the title"Asians". I agree, the film does not cover every individual that would be qualified under the term in an ethnic or otherwise geographic sense. But why did it have to? It is not a documentary. It does not aim for absolute objective authority, it tells a story with insight into a limited persona with limited struggles and limited breadth. The assertion that the movie is inaccurate or "bad" because it does not show us every type of Asian is extremely unfair - at least they showed us some (where most do not show any) and they did it in a way where the central aspects of being Asian are still on display (e.g. filial guilt, patriarchy).
3. This then leads me to my next point. What is the big picture? Sure we could convert this movie to have an all white cast and the general story-line and characters would not have to be completely revised, I concede that. But, to me the appearance of an all Asian cast in big budget Hollywood - twenty-five years after "The Joy Luck Club" - means a lot. I think even if you take the plot at its worst - dreary, old garbage - and the inclusion of Asians as mere tokenistic market-pandering, I still stand by this film. Because to me this film is a gateway to all the things that people have been so frustrated and disappointed about, it is a film that in its very existence can forge the path for much broader and deeper representation or discussion. You will not be able to overturn all Asian stereotypes or perfectly represent all Asians overnight, it is an ongoing process that begins by giving the "asian-face" more airtime. Plus I thought the way females were portrayed in this film has been misconstrued and under-evaluated. Just saying.
Watch the film and see what you think.
Thoroughly predictable
pmailman29 August 2018
Not a bad movie, but you could have correctly written down 80% of the plot after the first 10 minutes. Points for some very good performances, absolutely stunning images of Singapore. Would have been fine to catch on TV than pay to see it in the theater.
Entertaining look at wealth, identity and cultural tradition
gerald-koh9930 August 2018
Let me say straight off the bat that this does not give an accurate representation of 99% of Singaporeans, such as myself, ordinary people with more modest, down-to-earth backgrounds. This didn't stop me from enjoying this movie, which featured terrific acting, a storyline that translated decently onto the screen and wonderful camerawork and production values.
Michelle Yeoh, acting as the stern, imposing mother of the male protagonist Nicholas gave the standout performance for me- I could sense the intensity of this character without going over-dramatic. Constance Wu, playing the female protagonist, also did terrifically as the girl thrust into a world she's totally unprepared to face. Everyone else, including Henry Goulding as the male protagonist, were also solid.
I found the character development in the movie impressive, not just with the two main characters but even the minor ones too, as their backstories and motivations for behaving the way they did unfolded effectively. The storyline does fall prey to corny moments typical of most rom-coms- indeed, on that note, the story itself unfolded in a manner very formulaic of a rom-com, but that isn't too big of a deal in a script which overall works well. And it's supplemented by interesting camerawork and beautiful production values, illuminating the story very nicely.
Many people seem to really detest this movie (and even the book it's based on), perceiving it as a shallow, silly, even offensive glorification of ultra-rich families and modern-day materialism. I'd say that's too simplistic of an overview, as the heightening of a mega-wealthy bubble that is presented in the story is simply to illustrate the issues and circumstances that someone in that scenario would face. It draws out themes such as the love of wealth, the desire to maintain a reputation before others, and how to manage cultural/social expectations and traditions when they conflict with your wishes. That is something I really appreciated in the film, and would recommend you disregard the negative reviews and give it a watch.
Michelle Yeoh, acting as the stern, imposing mother of the male protagonist Nicholas gave the standout performance for me- I could sense the intensity of this character without going over-dramatic. Constance Wu, playing the female protagonist, also did terrifically as the girl thrust into a world she's totally unprepared to face. Everyone else, including Henry Goulding as the male protagonist, were also solid.
I found the character development in the movie impressive, not just with the two main characters but even the minor ones too, as their backstories and motivations for behaving the way they did unfolded effectively. The storyline does fall prey to corny moments typical of most rom-coms- indeed, on that note, the story itself unfolded in a manner very formulaic of a rom-com, but that isn't too big of a deal in a script which overall works well. And it's supplemented by interesting camerawork and beautiful production values, illuminating the story very nicely.
Many people seem to really detest this movie (and even the book it's based on), perceiving it as a shallow, silly, even offensive glorification of ultra-rich families and modern-day materialism. I'd say that's too simplistic of an overview, as the heightening of a mega-wealthy bubble that is presented in the story is simply to illustrate the issues and circumstances that someone in that scenario would face. It draws out themes such as the love of wealth, the desire to maintain a reputation before others, and how to manage cultural/social expectations and traditions when they conflict with your wishes. That is something I really appreciated in the film, and would recommend you disregard the negative reviews and give it a watch.
Fluffy Romance
Hitchcoc2 September 2018
People seem to love or hate it. It is a simple plot with an awful lot of glitz. An attractive Chinese American woman falls for a handsome Chines man. After a while it is decided that she will meet his family. It turns out they are some of the richest people on earth. Of course, clashes with Asian tradition, mostly relating to family throw curves along the way. While it is interesting, it is pretty predictable and dull at times. What saves it is some information that comes in late that forces several issues.
It's closer to reality than you think
tjklaehn28 August 2018
I am a late middle aged, overweight, balding, white, male, American who worked in Singapore during the 1990's and then took my family there for the opening of the skypark in 2010. This was actually an advantage since I was always waived though immigration, customs, and the casino entrance (the casino is free for foreigners, $100/day for Singaporeans).
If anyone asks me what the major religion of Singapore is I just tell them that they worship money. It's true. Yes they have churches, temples, and mosques - but nothing can compete with money. Starting a conversation asking about investment options is normal.
Comments on the movie: It's a loooonnnngggg plane ride. I never got first class, business class was great on Singapore Air, barely tolerable on US airlines. You may die in economy and no one will care.
The "street food" scenes are accurate but a misnomer. You don't buy food off of vendors on the street - they are gathered together in strictly regulated food courts. Hawker centers are outdoor and usually visited at night. Food courts are air conditioned and connected to shopping malls, slightly more expensive than hawker centers but worth it for a fat white guy.
Speaking of air conditioning, Singapore is equatorial. It's hot. It's humid. The sun is directly overhead at noon and would melt lead on the sidewalk except that you would be arrested for littering the sidewalk with lead.
Speaking of being arrested in Singapore, if you are a reasonably well adjusted human being don't worry about it. Illegal drugs and violent crimes carry the death penalty. It is rarely imposed because people have learned not to do these things. Singapore posts a lot of laws because they are an amalgamation of many cultures. If you don't know whether it is acceptable to defecate in public there will be a sign to tell you not to.
Anyway I enjoyed the movie. Unfortunately my daughter will probably not have such a great wedding.
Love and laughs from literature
Brandon_Walker_Robinson10 August 2018
No, I'm not talking about Fifty Shades of Grey!
The romantic comedy genre is a flavor that gets a bad rap for being one-note and heavily playing on sappy/silly tropes, even if that is not always the case. I have learned to expand my horizons when it comes to the genre and fit more good titles in there that don't necessary hit that mark. Last year, we were graced with the best of the genre staple I've seen in a long time in The Big Sick because of its strong writing. I am pleased to say that we have a winner again this year, and a lot of it has everything to do with how the editing complements the writing and directing.
Crazy Rich Asians is an entry that treads lightly on both the romance and comedy (there are plenty of laughs to be had, I just never got an abs workout or fell out of my chair is all) and instead delivers a story built around culture, respect and trust, taking pages from Meet the Parents and The Devil Wears Prada. It is an absolutely accessible film for all audience members, even if they might have had *ehem* so good of a time that I couldn't hear some lines because of the overdrawn laughter from others. Through framing, editing and choice of music, director Jon Chu finds a way of bringing about action in a film that is entirely devoid of it. He really highlights Singapore as a character in the film full of vibrancy and vivacity, claiming set-pieces to dictate entire acts of the story. There is a lot of symbolism that is foreshadowed very subtly, and almost everything has a payoff instead of making the audience question what a certain setup was meant for. We get to see the crazy-rich invite us to their fantastical routines as side-characters like Awkwafina hilariously bask it all in and takes nothing for granted. We envy their possessions, even if we may not envy their lifestyle.
The first 1/3rd of the film is wide-open throttle on the gas pedal. There are colorful overlays to indicate locations and text messages that mesh with what is going on in the image, and they feel as if they want to arrive to the story about as fast as Get Out. Characters are introduced so fast that you will want to bring a pad and pen to web-diagram the whole thing, but Chu made a smart choice in having the audience remember characters less by their names and faces and more with their actions, like when you play a name game icebreaker with a large unfamiliar group. You start to figure out where people stand on the totem pole (us audience members are clearly at the bottom) and get to enter Rachel's mind while she's absorbing things as a "fish out of water" at a breakneck pace, and we have to do the same. This representation may be that of the 1% end of things, but the wealth is only in your face from a glamorizing perspective and is not too in your face with snobbery constructed from their wallet and purse sizes.
Once this is all enacted we reach the second 1/3rd of the film, which lets off of that gas pedal and coasts for quite a while. It hit me rather fast like brake lights and I wasn't expecting it, so I called the film out a bit on its inconsistent pace and didn't feel the typical story arc of "rising action." Thankfully, what was lost in that art was found in character chemistry and intensity. Our main protagonist couple is a duo worth rooting for as they yearn for a cathartic endgame with one another, despite what morals stand in their way. They drive the story's purpose, but they are on the bland end of personality when it comes to delivering the comedic goods, and this is totally okay; they let those around them bring us most of the character and laughs. A couple of them are thrown in for the cheap shtick, but there are nearly a dozen characters which get the limelight with their own romantic subplots. This ends up being more than just one love story, and normally I would consider this a detriment but this drawn out middle act of the film spends a lot of time establishing tangible and intangible values, and these characters' interactions are a big part of that. We get a lot of conversation regarding the betterment of characters from each side of the proverbial fence that separates rich versus not-rich, Chinese versus American cultures, and wants versus needs. In a movie that could have easily only stated messages for an elite class of individuals or specific ethnic group, they spend a long time catering to the other 99% so we can be a part of the journey and not just seeing it from a particular lens.
I am purposely leaving out the story's pulse of tension between Rachel and Nick's mother, because I would like for you to strap in and see it all for yourself. As the film puts it at one point: it basically starts to feel like the two characters are playing chicken and they want to see who swerves away first. It doesn't quite reach Stiller vs. DeNiro or Hathaway vs. Streep in their respective film roles, but these two characters have a lot more to say that speaks to us and possible predicaments that we may encounter, especially regarding the ideas of family and what it means to be a part of one beyond the surface level.
We transition into the final 1/3rd of the film where I feel the story arc had found its footing again. I was recognizing aspects of resolve taking place, affect brought personal emotions within me to rise more (I started to get the feels when a scene took place where the only thing you hear are the sultry echoes covering an Elvis Presley gem), and although this is a romantic comedy that may hit some of the stereotypes that other ones do, you don't dismiss it as a negative thing because the way we arrive at those points feels organic and validating. I could not predict where this story was going to go or what it wanted me to come home with earlier on, but by the time we hit the credits (there is one minor "mid-credits" moment thirty seconds in, in case you intend on leaving your chair immediately) I was completely understanding of Chu's conveyed intent that he displayed within the two-hour runtime.
Ironically, his statement exceeds that of the film reel and the novel that this film adaptation is based upon. He is playing chicken with Hollywood, and I think he will strike victory here. Like Black Panther earlier this year and The Big Sick last year, we are beginning to realize that 'serving the underserved' is a good business strategy when there is a story to be told that requires exactly that. I am excited that both this film and Searching (please give that a look in a couple of weeks) is garnishing Asian leads without it feeling like an intolerable offense. Yes, one film is based upon that culture and the other just so happens to utilize characters of that background, but it just goes to show that mainstream audiences are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and come out the other side with smiles on their faces, saying that the film is "good" and not needing to bat and eye over the fact that they were not graced on screen with a white male lead. I could have done my review without stating any of this, but I really think this is one part that separates this from many other romantic comedies.
From the earlier marketing, I did not expect this movie to win me over. It did, and I think you will feel the same if/when you decide to check this one out. Story-wise I felt some unevenness, but Jon Chu strikes enough visual flair to make a duvet out of a blanket. What could have been a tedious sitting was instead a raucously good time, and I really feel like there is something for everybody here. It is a recommended watch. Go check it out.
The romantic comedy genre is a flavor that gets a bad rap for being one-note and heavily playing on sappy/silly tropes, even if that is not always the case. I have learned to expand my horizons when it comes to the genre and fit more good titles in there that don't necessary hit that mark. Last year, we were graced with the best of the genre staple I've seen in a long time in The Big Sick because of its strong writing. I am pleased to say that we have a winner again this year, and a lot of it has everything to do with how the editing complements the writing and directing.
Crazy Rich Asians is an entry that treads lightly on both the romance and comedy (there are plenty of laughs to be had, I just never got an abs workout or fell out of my chair is all) and instead delivers a story built around culture, respect and trust, taking pages from Meet the Parents and The Devil Wears Prada. It is an absolutely accessible film for all audience members, even if they might have had *ehem* so good of a time that I couldn't hear some lines because of the overdrawn laughter from others. Through framing, editing and choice of music, director Jon Chu finds a way of bringing about action in a film that is entirely devoid of it. He really highlights Singapore as a character in the film full of vibrancy and vivacity, claiming set-pieces to dictate entire acts of the story. There is a lot of symbolism that is foreshadowed very subtly, and almost everything has a payoff instead of making the audience question what a certain setup was meant for. We get to see the crazy-rich invite us to their fantastical routines as side-characters like Awkwafina hilariously bask it all in and takes nothing for granted. We envy their possessions, even if we may not envy their lifestyle.
The first 1/3rd of the film is wide-open throttle on the gas pedal. There are colorful overlays to indicate locations and text messages that mesh with what is going on in the image, and they feel as if they want to arrive to the story about as fast as Get Out. Characters are introduced so fast that you will want to bring a pad and pen to web-diagram the whole thing, but Chu made a smart choice in having the audience remember characters less by their names and faces and more with their actions, like when you play a name game icebreaker with a large unfamiliar group. You start to figure out where people stand on the totem pole (us audience members are clearly at the bottom) and get to enter Rachel's mind while she's absorbing things as a "fish out of water" at a breakneck pace, and we have to do the same. This representation may be that of the 1% end of things, but the wealth is only in your face from a glamorizing perspective and is not too in your face with snobbery constructed from their wallet and purse sizes.
Once this is all enacted we reach the second 1/3rd of the film, which lets off of that gas pedal and coasts for quite a while. It hit me rather fast like brake lights and I wasn't expecting it, so I called the film out a bit on its inconsistent pace and didn't feel the typical story arc of "rising action." Thankfully, what was lost in that art was found in character chemistry and intensity. Our main protagonist couple is a duo worth rooting for as they yearn for a cathartic endgame with one another, despite what morals stand in their way. They drive the story's purpose, but they are on the bland end of personality when it comes to delivering the comedic goods, and this is totally okay; they let those around them bring us most of the character and laughs. A couple of them are thrown in for the cheap shtick, but there are nearly a dozen characters which get the limelight with their own romantic subplots. This ends up being more than just one love story, and normally I would consider this a detriment but this drawn out middle act of the film spends a lot of time establishing tangible and intangible values, and these characters' interactions are a big part of that. We get a lot of conversation regarding the betterment of characters from each side of the proverbial fence that separates rich versus not-rich, Chinese versus American cultures, and wants versus needs. In a movie that could have easily only stated messages for an elite class of individuals or specific ethnic group, they spend a long time catering to the other 99% so we can be a part of the journey and not just seeing it from a particular lens.
I am purposely leaving out the story's pulse of tension between Rachel and Nick's mother, because I would like for you to strap in and see it all for yourself. As the film puts it at one point: it basically starts to feel like the two characters are playing chicken and they want to see who swerves away first. It doesn't quite reach Stiller vs. DeNiro or Hathaway vs. Streep in their respective film roles, but these two characters have a lot more to say that speaks to us and possible predicaments that we may encounter, especially regarding the ideas of family and what it means to be a part of one beyond the surface level.
We transition into the final 1/3rd of the film where I feel the story arc had found its footing again. I was recognizing aspects of resolve taking place, affect brought personal emotions within me to rise more (I started to get the feels when a scene took place where the only thing you hear are the sultry echoes covering an Elvis Presley gem), and although this is a romantic comedy that may hit some of the stereotypes that other ones do, you don't dismiss it as a negative thing because the way we arrive at those points feels organic and validating. I could not predict where this story was going to go or what it wanted me to come home with earlier on, but by the time we hit the credits (there is one minor "mid-credits" moment thirty seconds in, in case you intend on leaving your chair immediately) I was completely understanding of Chu's conveyed intent that he displayed within the two-hour runtime.
Ironically, his statement exceeds that of the film reel and the novel that this film adaptation is based upon. He is playing chicken with Hollywood, and I think he will strike victory here. Like Black Panther earlier this year and The Big Sick last year, we are beginning to realize that 'serving the underserved' is a good business strategy when there is a story to be told that requires exactly that. I am excited that both this film and Searching (please give that a look in a couple of weeks) is garnishing Asian leads without it feeling like an intolerable offense. Yes, one film is based upon that culture and the other just so happens to utilize characters of that background, but it just goes to show that mainstream audiences are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and come out the other side with smiles on their faces, saying that the film is "good" and not needing to bat and eye over the fact that they were not graced on screen with a white male lead. I could have done my review without stating any of this, but I really think this is one part that separates this from many other romantic comedies.
From the earlier marketing, I did not expect this movie to win me over. It did, and I think you will feel the same if/when you decide to check this one out. Story-wise I felt some unevenness, but Jon Chu strikes enough visual flair to make a duvet out of a blanket. What could have been a tedious sitting was instead a raucously good time, and I really feel like there is something for everybody here. It is a recommended watch. Go check it out.
The untapped potential of all of these actors is INSANE.
jackgdemoss27 September 2018
Director Jon Chu was brilliant in Now You See Me 2, so naturally Crazy Rich Asians was a must see for me. What surprised me the most about the film was the phenomenal, and fairly untapped, acting talent from the entire cast. Constance Wu was absolutely perfect. It was difficult to praise any one performance besides hers because everyone was so genuinely great. I believe this speaks on the state of Hollywood and portraying Asians in primary roles. So many Asians actors and actresses are limited to supporting roles, so I hope that the break out cast of Crazy Rich Asians shows future movie makers that there is unbelievable untapped potential in the acting market. As the credits were rolling, I found myself feeling so happy and I could not quite put a finger on what was making me feel this way. Upon reflection, I believe that a well written, well directed, and well casted film is just bound to leave the viewer in some sort of awe. Crazy Rich Asians did just that.
Stupid boring and irritating
con-fan12 September 2018
How can this movie be rated 7.6 overall when most of the reviewers hated it? I thought it was irritating and boring. A bunch of shallow stupid mega-rich people with nothing interesting to say drinking champagne in gigantic houses and slithering around in slinky designer clothes. And really, how did her mother never know her boyfriend's family was that famous and rich after she dated him for a year and they were so 'close'? Predicable ending. Cute lead actress who is supposedly a brilliant professor but she hardly showed her brains to say anything clever during this movie. Jokes and gags fell flat. How has this stupid movie been so hyped up?
A feel good movie if you will
tinaamaasi22 April 2023
I quite liked Crazy rich Asians and I find myself rewatching it often. What I love most is that it represents both Asians succeeding and Asians struggling. In this movie it talks about struggling and succeeding economically, romantically and even socially. Rachel is being brought to a whole new world, a new class and a new part of the world. She struggles a lot to fit in and to act "right". The movie represents Chinese culture in such a beautiful way, for example with clothes, song and environment. Not only chinese culture but Singaporean and other ethnicities like of the hokkien people. The end of the movie can represent life with a simple game. Nice movie Overall.
a few flaws in the diamond
SnoopyStyle17 November 2018
NYU economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is dating Nick Young (Henry Golding). As the best man, he invites her to his cousin's wedding in Singapore. She does not know that he's the heir apparent to a family empire.
This mostly works as a romance and family soap opera. It does have a few flaws in an otherwise valiant effort. First, I don't love this couple. I like them enough but I don't love them. It's missing the meet-cute. The movie does open with a racism-cute and I don't propose to cut that out. The relationship is simply underdeveloped. The couple has only one scene together before the movie starts throwing the Oh-He's-Super-Rich stuff at her. It needs more and it may help to have a scene with him and her mother. Their lives in New York need more time. The one scene I could cut out is the poker scene. It's meant to connect with the climatic mahjong scene but that's the next flaw.
The mahjong scene is a high difficulty move. It has to solve the conundrum in the characters' relationship. Without giving spoilers, the scene isn't perfect. First, one needs to know how to play the game in order to understand what the characters are doing. Second, Rachel needs to show both perfect deference and perfect defiance. It's almost an impossible task which they try to do with the game. It may work in a book where the author can explain the concepts. A movie doesn't have the time to explain it all. I would do it differently but I must admit that I may not have it cracked either. Rachel should at least defend her mother in her speech.
What's great are the actors and the simple act of making this film. The characters are compelling if only Ken Jeong can hold back a little. Michelle Yeoh is a great dragon lady. The staging is impressive. For all the riches, this diamond does have its flaws.
This mostly works as a romance and family soap opera. It does have a few flaws in an otherwise valiant effort. First, I don't love this couple. I like them enough but I don't love them. It's missing the meet-cute. The movie does open with a racism-cute and I don't propose to cut that out. The relationship is simply underdeveloped. The couple has only one scene together before the movie starts throwing the Oh-He's-Super-Rich stuff at her. It needs more and it may help to have a scene with him and her mother. Their lives in New York need more time. The one scene I could cut out is the poker scene. It's meant to connect with the climatic mahjong scene but that's the next flaw.
The mahjong scene is a high difficulty move. It has to solve the conundrum in the characters' relationship. Without giving spoilers, the scene isn't perfect. First, one needs to know how to play the game in order to understand what the characters are doing. Second, Rachel needs to show both perfect deference and perfect defiance. It's almost an impossible task which they try to do with the game. It may work in a book where the author can explain the concepts. A movie doesn't have the time to explain it all. I would do it differently but I must admit that I may not have it cracked either. Rachel should at least defend her mother in her speech.
What's great are the actors and the simple act of making this film. The characters are compelling if only Ken Jeong can hold back a little. Michelle Yeoh is a great dragon lady. The staging is impressive. For all the riches, this diamond does have its flaws.
Apparently, the first of three...and quite enjoyable.
planktonrules21 December 2018
My daughter loved this movie...so much that she found the book from which the story was based. While she MUCH prefered the movie for many reasons, she also informed me that this is only a third of the story and that two follow-up films have been slated.
Constance Wu (from "Fresh Off the Boat") plays Rachel, an American Economics professor who doesn't realize she's dating a man whose family is among the richest in Southeast Asia. Oddly, he never mentioned this and his family only comes up when he announces, out of the blue, that he's returning to Singapore for a wedding and wants her to come along to show her off to his family and friends. Once there, she realizes she's in for a surprise....not only because they are so wealthy but because many of them are bigoted jerk-faces. Can she manage to deal with these vipers or is her relationship doomed?
While some might call this a rom-com, there isn't a lot of comedy in this movie. Instead, it's more an interesting lesson about wealth and Singaporan-Chinese culture. In this sense, I found it very interesting and I enjoyed watching it while occasionally yelling out "dump the boyfriend"...much to my daughter's annoyance, though, fortunately, we saw it at home and not in a theater! Worth seeing and cleverly written.
Constance Wu (from "Fresh Off the Boat") plays Rachel, an American Economics professor who doesn't realize she's dating a man whose family is among the richest in Southeast Asia. Oddly, he never mentioned this and his family only comes up when he announces, out of the blue, that he's returning to Singapore for a wedding and wants her to come along to show her off to his family and friends. Once there, she realizes she's in for a surprise....not only because they are so wealthy but because many of them are bigoted jerk-faces. Can she manage to deal with these vipers or is her relationship doomed?
While some might call this a rom-com, there isn't a lot of comedy in this movie. Instead, it's more an interesting lesson about wealth and Singaporan-Chinese culture. In this sense, I found it very interesting and I enjoyed watching it while occasionally yelling out "dump the boyfriend"...much to my daughter's annoyance, though, fortunately, we saw it at home and not in a theater! Worth seeing and cleverly written.
A Typical Rom-Com but a Fresh Take with an All Asian Cast
Yee_Reviews10 August 2018
Good: The scenery and setting are gorgeous filled with vibrant colors depicting the wealthy lifestyle of the families. For the most part, the acting is solid, but can get over the top in order to portray extravagantly rich family stereotypes. The film is well paced and the editing helps provide an upbeat and entertaining tone. There are some nods to Asian culture, and the film will resonate with younger as well as older generations.
Bad: There is minimal originality or creativity in the storyline. Some jokes try too hard and end up falling flat. The movie is generic and the story does not differ much from other romantic comedies.
Overall: The film does a solid job with an all Asian cast and provides eye pleasing scenes. The story line is common to other romantic comedies. The main thing making it fresh is the cast and cultural introductions. Asians will be pleased with the humorous winks and appreciate their REPRESENTATION within the movie.
3.3/5
Bad: There is minimal originality or creativity in the storyline. Some jokes try too hard and end up falling flat. The movie is generic and the story does not differ much from other romantic comedies.
Overall: The film does a solid job with an all Asian cast and provides eye pleasing scenes. The story line is common to other romantic comedies. The main thing making it fresh is the cast and cultural introductions. Asians will be pleased with the humorous winks and appreciate their REPRESENTATION within the movie.
3.3/5
Kept my wife awake until the end
alanthony3335 September 2018
My wife is the type of person who falls asleep if the movie is boring or uninteresting. With Crazy Rich Asians, she stayed awake until the end.
I have three insights on it: 1. Crazy Rich, Asians! 2. Live Action Asian Disney Princess (minus the powers) 3. Normal Asian Family Tradition
Overall, the movie was good. It was the generic princess type movie but the Asian theme made it unique (in my opinion). I had a few laughs on it. I recommend it. You'll have a good time.
I have three insights on it: 1. Crazy Rich, Asians! 2. Live Action Asian Disney Princess (minus the powers) 3. Normal Asian Family Tradition
Overall, the movie was good. It was the generic princess type movie but the Asian theme made it unique (in my opinion). I had a few laughs on it. I recommend it. You'll have a good time.
Asian Invasion
Wesley-Wang18 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Once upon a time, a film featuring an all-Asian cast was produced by a major Hollywood studio.
Crazy Rich Asians is certainly a breakthrough for racial representation in the American film industry. Since Wayne Wang's 1993 Joy Luck Club, no Hollywood studio movie has featured an all Asian or Asian-American cast. On top of that, Crazy Rich Asians posted the best rom-com box-office debut in three years, grossing an estimated 25.2 million dollars at North American theaters over opening weekend. Yet as impressive as it is commercially and culturally, is it good?
Essentially, what most rom-coms boil down to is whether or not they succeed in immersing the audience enough that they forget about the countless authenticity and conceptual flaws scattered throughout the film. They're silly, but you've got to admit, they're cute. But if the storyteller fails to hold your attention for just one second, just one, you'll realize, "Ok, what the hell am I watching."
Yet it's not the clichés (like the rich guy falls in love with a poor girl but doesn't care about her wealth, rather her "inner true self") that bother me, but rather the manner in which they are executed. I believe a cliché is only truly a cliché if you notice it. Some opinions identify the acting as the shortcoming, but I feel the cast did their job just fine. In reality, the problem lies in the script. Like the great Roger McKee once stated in his screenwriting manual, Story, "(Imagine) two attractive people sit opposite of each other at a candlelit table, the light glinting off the crystal wine-glasses and the dewy eyes of the lovers. Soft breezes billow the curtains. A Chopin nocturne plays in the background. The lovers reach across the table, touch hands, look longingly in each others' eyes, say, 'I love you, I love you' ... and actually mean it. This is an unactable scene and will die like a rat in the road."
It is simply impossible to act a scene so poorly written. In Crazy Rich Asians, there is a moment where Nick Young (Henry Golding) apologizes to Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) on a couch about how he screwed up or whatever. Rachel, at the beginning of the scene, is sobbing and won't even properly talk to Nick. Yet, in a matter of seconds, she forgives him, and life goes on as if nothing has happened. It's not the actors fault the scene felt fake. It's the screenwriter's.
As much as its comedy angered many critics, who emphasized the fact that most of the jokes were exploiting the Asian stereotype, I would disagree. The comedy was clearly not meant to be taken seriously, especially in such a light-hearted film. If anything, the humor calls attention to the stereotypes and how they relate to our society today. That's valuable.
On the other hand, Nick's mother, Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), is awfully flawed. She acts as the antagonist of the film, opposing Nick and Rachel's relationship. Since Eleanor is strongly against the relationship, Nick is presented with a dilemma of choosing love or family and money, the three primary motifs of the film. But before they even reveal his choice, we already know his choice. Love will triumph over family and money. It's too predictable. The reason for this predictability factor is that Eleanor simply doesn't provide a strong enough antagonist. She displays such a weak and powerless sense for family, so weak that it feels like there's no opposing force to the protagonist. She even seems to care more about money, boasting a mansion furnished with lavish chandeliers and paintings. And as we know from 99% of commercial movies, greed for money never prevails.
For the protagonist's victory to be marvelous and beautiful, the more menacing the antagonist has to be. The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph. For example, in great love stories such as Casablanca (1942) or La La Land (2016), we have no idea what the outcome will be because the conflicting values against the protagonist are so persuasive and dominant, so much so that victory for the protagonist seems impossible. Or is it?
Despite these faults, one of Crazy Rich Asians' greatest achievements is the beautiful production and costume design. From the extravagant sets to the luxurious clothing, this film does a magnificent job of producing an immersive and believable environment for the audience.
Overall, Crazy Rich Asians is a great start for Asians in Hollywood. The clichés and unconvincing characters are so typical in a modern rom-com that there's nothing really to criticize the film about. Originality and ambition is always encouraged, but it's ambitious enough already to feature an all-Asian cast. These flaws and imperfections should not worry us at all; they only serve as a reminder that we still have things to work on. After all, like Rachel finally stands up to Eleanor at the end, Asian filmmakers are finally challenging Hollywood for racial representation. "Bok Bok, Bitch!"
Crazy Rich Asians is certainly a breakthrough for racial representation in the American film industry. Since Wayne Wang's 1993 Joy Luck Club, no Hollywood studio movie has featured an all Asian or Asian-American cast. On top of that, Crazy Rich Asians posted the best rom-com box-office debut in three years, grossing an estimated 25.2 million dollars at North American theaters over opening weekend. Yet as impressive as it is commercially and culturally, is it good?
Essentially, what most rom-coms boil down to is whether or not they succeed in immersing the audience enough that they forget about the countless authenticity and conceptual flaws scattered throughout the film. They're silly, but you've got to admit, they're cute. But if the storyteller fails to hold your attention for just one second, just one, you'll realize, "Ok, what the hell am I watching."
Yet it's not the clichés (like the rich guy falls in love with a poor girl but doesn't care about her wealth, rather her "inner true self") that bother me, but rather the manner in which they are executed. I believe a cliché is only truly a cliché if you notice it. Some opinions identify the acting as the shortcoming, but I feel the cast did their job just fine. In reality, the problem lies in the script. Like the great Roger McKee once stated in his screenwriting manual, Story, "(Imagine) two attractive people sit opposite of each other at a candlelit table, the light glinting off the crystal wine-glasses and the dewy eyes of the lovers. Soft breezes billow the curtains. A Chopin nocturne plays in the background. The lovers reach across the table, touch hands, look longingly in each others' eyes, say, 'I love you, I love you' ... and actually mean it. This is an unactable scene and will die like a rat in the road."
It is simply impossible to act a scene so poorly written. In Crazy Rich Asians, there is a moment where Nick Young (Henry Golding) apologizes to Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) on a couch about how he screwed up or whatever. Rachel, at the beginning of the scene, is sobbing and won't even properly talk to Nick. Yet, in a matter of seconds, she forgives him, and life goes on as if nothing has happened. It's not the actors fault the scene felt fake. It's the screenwriter's.
As much as its comedy angered many critics, who emphasized the fact that most of the jokes were exploiting the Asian stereotype, I would disagree. The comedy was clearly not meant to be taken seriously, especially in such a light-hearted film. If anything, the humor calls attention to the stereotypes and how they relate to our society today. That's valuable.
On the other hand, Nick's mother, Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), is awfully flawed. She acts as the antagonist of the film, opposing Nick and Rachel's relationship. Since Eleanor is strongly against the relationship, Nick is presented with a dilemma of choosing love or family and money, the three primary motifs of the film. But before they even reveal his choice, we already know his choice. Love will triumph over family and money. It's too predictable. The reason for this predictability factor is that Eleanor simply doesn't provide a strong enough antagonist. She displays such a weak and powerless sense for family, so weak that it feels like there's no opposing force to the protagonist. She even seems to care more about money, boasting a mansion furnished with lavish chandeliers and paintings. And as we know from 99% of commercial movies, greed for money never prevails.
For the protagonist's victory to be marvelous and beautiful, the more menacing the antagonist has to be. The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph. For example, in great love stories such as Casablanca (1942) or La La Land (2016), we have no idea what the outcome will be because the conflicting values against the protagonist are so persuasive and dominant, so much so that victory for the protagonist seems impossible. Or is it?
Despite these faults, one of Crazy Rich Asians' greatest achievements is the beautiful production and costume design. From the extravagant sets to the luxurious clothing, this film does a magnificent job of producing an immersive and believable environment for the audience.
Overall, Crazy Rich Asians is a great start for Asians in Hollywood. The clichés and unconvincing characters are so typical in a modern rom-com that there's nothing really to criticize the film about. Originality and ambition is always encouraged, but it's ambitious enough already to feature an all-Asian cast. These flaws and imperfections should not worry us at all; they only serve as a reminder that we still have things to work on. After all, like Rachel finally stands up to Eleanor at the end, Asian filmmakers are finally challenging Hollywood for racial representation. "Bok Bok, Bitch!"
Crazy RACIST Asians
huey208822 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is so bad it is embarassing and I am Chinese. This movie shows the super rich Singaporeans going about in their daily lives of buying multi million dollar jewellery or ordering their house keepers around to hide their purchases or jetting off to private islands or container ship for bachelorette or stag do. Inserted in between these rub it in your face wealth scenes are what appears to be tourism ads. I get it, Singapore is exotic and hyper modern and Singaporeans LOVE their food but the world already knows that, it's nothing new. When some of these Asian actors demand that they want to be represented in Hollywood, how about bringing something fresh to the table that will make people sit up and listen?
Instead the opening scene is the race card being played in such a cringeworthy bogus way that paves for an unbelievable plot right to the end. Another incredible bombshell is that Rachel, the fermale protagonist (Constance Wu) has no idea that her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) comes from a super rich and famous family. It's 2018, she's a cool professor - go feminism but she's has never googled his family - surely a take down on her intelligence. Wu is in superb form in her comedy sitcom but here, she's a stunned deer who gets shoved around.
Then there's how Singaporeans are depicted. The women are all preened and dripping with brand labels. When they are not eyeing the commoner Rachel up and down and gossiping, they are shopping or having crazy parties. I have never heard of Singaporeans partying away into the night and causing scenes. They are one of the most ultra conservative Asians on earth.
The movie has another go at western culture in the dumpling making scene. Chinese parents pass down traditions or values as well as recipes so their children will never resort to microwaving macaroni cheese and feel so much resentment towards their parents to ship them off to nursing homes. A lot of bashing the west but ironically this movie is like Sex and City with a lot of European luxurious brand names dripped throughout. And not to forget these crazy rich Asians also act like westerners and party hard like they're in Magaluf. Spot on!
It's so sad to see my rich culture that already has an excellent film industry pander to Hollywood. Michelle Yeoh is South East Asia's screen legend even way before she ventured into the universally acclaimed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There are other notable Asians who have been given a platform in Hollywood - Jacky Chan, Gong Li, Ang Li, Lucy Liu. But it seems the complain still remains that Hollywood is whitewashing Asian stories. But if Crazy Rich Asians is what is on offer, I don't blame Hollywood for sourcing other talents.
It's 2018, people of all culture have so many opportunities than before so there's nothing really to complain about. That is if you are one of those people who expect to be rewarded just for turning up or just want to make a lot of money via Hollywood but use the cultural diversity cloak to get more attention.
Instead the opening scene is the race card being played in such a cringeworthy bogus way that paves for an unbelievable plot right to the end. Another incredible bombshell is that Rachel, the fermale protagonist (Constance Wu) has no idea that her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) comes from a super rich and famous family. It's 2018, she's a cool professor - go feminism but she's has never googled his family - surely a take down on her intelligence. Wu is in superb form in her comedy sitcom but here, she's a stunned deer who gets shoved around.
Then there's how Singaporeans are depicted. The women are all preened and dripping with brand labels. When they are not eyeing the commoner Rachel up and down and gossiping, they are shopping or having crazy parties. I have never heard of Singaporeans partying away into the night and causing scenes. They are one of the most ultra conservative Asians on earth.
The movie has another go at western culture in the dumpling making scene. Chinese parents pass down traditions or values as well as recipes so their children will never resort to microwaving macaroni cheese and feel so much resentment towards their parents to ship them off to nursing homes. A lot of bashing the west but ironically this movie is like Sex and City with a lot of European luxurious brand names dripped throughout. And not to forget these crazy rich Asians also act like westerners and party hard like they're in Magaluf. Spot on!
It's so sad to see my rich culture that already has an excellent film industry pander to Hollywood. Michelle Yeoh is South East Asia's screen legend even way before she ventured into the universally acclaimed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There are other notable Asians who have been given a platform in Hollywood - Jacky Chan, Gong Li, Ang Li, Lucy Liu. But it seems the complain still remains that Hollywood is whitewashing Asian stories. But if Crazy Rich Asians is what is on offer, I don't blame Hollywood for sourcing other talents.
It's 2018, people of all culture have so many opportunities than before so there's nothing really to complain about. That is if you are one of those people who expect to be rewarded just for turning up or just want to make a lot of money via Hollywood but use the cultural diversity cloak to get more attention.
Gorgeous and Entertaining, and Worth Seeing Again!
pandoraborrego11 August 2018
I was so excited when I first learned that Kevin Kwan's "Crazy Rich Asians" was going to become a film! The book was way more appealing than I had first imagined it would be, and I'm happy to report that Jon Chu's screen version has surpassed my hopeful-but-wary expectations. Not to make it sound too simplistic, the movie was beautiful and very, very funny. Go see it!
Yes, it is a romantic comedy - but this has such intriguing social and cultural undercurrents that it tempts even the fairly observant watcher away from taking the "Cinderella" story at its glitzy face value. While the numerous characters had to have their backstories compressed to fit into just two hours, we are given enough great dialogue, effervescent or slightly evil portrayals, and sumptuous visual clues to make the friends and family members in Singapore come alive. All the aunties, cousins and ladies-in-waiting may be slightly overwhelming for people who haven't read the book, but anyone with wacky friends and pompous relatives should get it, even if they are not Asian.
I liked film's especially clever use of graphics, as well as the smooth-to-rocking score, the lush and verdant locations, the perfect designer costuming, and pretty much everything else. One of my favorite lines was about having attended Cal State Fullerton; but you must to watch it for yourself. I honestly have not laughed out loud during a film this much in decades. Oh, and I rather liked Chris Pang, too. A totally hot actor, even though I'm old enough to be his mother.
As soon as Crazy Rich Asians officially opens, I'm going to catch it again. The preview was not enough, and there were so many little moments that deserve a second or third look. Now we must all hope that a sequel with the same talented cast and Chu in charge is coming our way before too long. Thank you all, you fabulous Asian actors, crew, writers and backers who made this possible. And no, I'm not of even a little bit Asian ancestry.
Yes, it is a romantic comedy - but this has such intriguing social and cultural undercurrents that it tempts even the fairly observant watcher away from taking the "Cinderella" story at its glitzy face value. While the numerous characters had to have their backstories compressed to fit into just two hours, we are given enough great dialogue, effervescent or slightly evil portrayals, and sumptuous visual clues to make the friends and family members in Singapore come alive. All the aunties, cousins and ladies-in-waiting may be slightly overwhelming for people who haven't read the book, but anyone with wacky friends and pompous relatives should get it, even if they are not Asian.
I liked film's especially clever use of graphics, as well as the smooth-to-rocking score, the lush and verdant locations, the perfect designer costuming, and pretty much everything else. One of my favorite lines was about having attended Cal State Fullerton; but you must to watch it for yourself. I honestly have not laughed out loud during a film this much in decades. Oh, and I rather liked Chris Pang, too. A totally hot actor, even though I'm old enough to be his mother.
As soon as Crazy Rich Asians officially opens, I'm going to catch it again. The preview was not enough, and there were so many little moments that deserve a second or third look. Now we must all hope that a sequel with the same talented cast and Chu in charge is coming our way before too long. Thank you all, you fabulous Asian actors, crew, writers and backers who made this possible. And no, I'm not of even a little bit Asian ancestry.
I enjoyed it
brandyjrobson29 January 2021
Sounds like the bad reviews are people who feel their Asian race was not represented in the movie, people who think just because a movie is set in a certain country in this case Singapore means everyone from that country is swimming in wealth, materialistic and shallow. Then Americans must love blowing up planes, buildings, cities based on the Die Hard movies I used to watch. Also Westerners who just can't stomach the fact that hey Asian people too can have it all and yes they don't all live in mud huts and speak bad English. If you just watch the movie and forget about the skin colour of the actors, who cares what country it was filmed in and accept it is all fantasy and Hollywood entertainment. Nobody is asking you to be crazy, materialistic and rich just like Die Hard is not asking you to take on terrorist groups and jump off burning planes. It's a romantic comedy with a poke at Chinese culture and the generation gap. People just read too much into it and you know it made an impact as haters bothered to hate.
wall-to-wall clichés - worst movie I've seen in years.
brian_dines26 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Let's see if I can tick off all the clichés in this film:
-poor, scrappy down to earth girl meets super rich guy -family disapproves of scrappy down to earth girl -family and friends try to sabotage relationship -Asians (as if they're all the same) disapprove of the "Americanize" girl's values -Let's sit around the table, learning lessons while making dumplings -Let's sit around the table, learning lessons, while playing mahjong -couple breaks up, man admits he was wrong, proposes marriage, but -she's so noble of character (guess 'cause she's Americanized) she turns him down rather can compromise her values. -eventually the family relents and accepts her ... wee!
It's been years since I've seen a more predictable, formulaic movie. There was nothing unique about this film except the "Asian" part. If the cast was Eurocentric, Afrocentric or anything else, this would not have been made. It's too stupid.
The actors did a fine job, given the stilted nature of the wall-to-wall clichés, and Singapore looked nice, but I felt like my intelligence was being insulted. Frankly, I was embarrassed. This is the equivalent of a movie featuring a family of African Americans sitting around talking about Jazz while eating fried chicken.
For God's sake, unless you think all Asians think and behave alike, don't see this film.
-poor, scrappy down to earth girl meets super rich guy -family disapproves of scrappy down to earth girl -family and friends try to sabotage relationship -Asians (as if they're all the same) disapprove of the "Americanize" girl's values -Let's sit around the table, learning lessons while making dumplings -Let's sit around the table, learning lessons, while playing mahjong -couple breaks up, man admits he was wrong, proposes marriage, but -she's so noble of character (guess 'cause she's Americanized) she turns him down rather can compromise her values. -eventually the family relents and accepts her ... wee!
It's been years since I've seen a more predictable, formulaic movie. There was nothing unique about this film except the "Asian" part. If the cast was Eurocentric, Afrocentric or anything else, this would not have been made. It's too stupid.
The actors did a fine job, given the stilted nature of the wall-to-wall clichés, and Singapore looked nice, but I felt like my intelligence was being insulted. Frankly, I was embarrassed. This is the equivalent of a movie featuring a family of African Americans sitting around talking about Jazz while eating fried chicken.
For God's sake, unless you think all Asians think and behave alike, don't see this film.
disappointed by simplicity
mymeister28 July 2020
I was really expecting more. This felt like a Cinderella story of sorts even though it doesn't match the plot exactly. It still had a weird "magic ending" to it. Ironically full of 2 dimensional characters and villains. A Hollywood story in Asian clothes. Are we to understand that super rich cultures are the same all over the world? The greatest irony was the opening scene when the family is rejected in London as not being "the right sort of people" and then the family does the same to Rachel. Was that the point of this? wait was it a comedy?
Boy meets girl. Girl falls for boy. Boy takes girl to Singapore to meet his ridiculously rich family at a wedding where they judge and berate her for being different!
johnplocar26 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"Crazy Rich Asians" is the story of when Nick Young takes his girlfriend, Rachel Chu, to Singapore for a wedding where she gets the chance to meet Nick's family for the first time. However, it turns out that his family is...well...'crazy rich'. When they arrive it becomes apparent that Nick's mother doesn't quite approve of his new girlfriend. So will they figure out how to put their differences aside or will this be the end of Nick and Rachel as we know it?!
So from the plot, it's fairly obvious that we have seen several times before; whether it be "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", "Meet the Parents", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", etc. Anyone could probably picture in their head how this film might play out and they would be exactly right. It has every cliche in the Rom-Com book. The characters are every stereotype we've seen before. The story is one-hundred percent predictable at every turn. Yet, somehow, this manages to be a very genuine and even sweet film. I was able to accept the constant cliches, the wildly familiar archetypes and the lack of ambition in narrative because I found most of the characters likable and even enjoyed the exploration of Asian culture. By all accounts, this was a rehash of a movie that has been made countless times in the past, but it was a good example of how to work with something that is familiar yet finding a way to make it still entertaining.
In the opening scene the film establishes everything that one needs to know about the Young family, specifically the character of Nick's mother, Eleanor. This family can make one quick phone call and they are immediately the brand new owners of a five star, high class hotel in London. This family has powerful connections and Eleanor is always at the ready to use that to vindictively strike at anyone who threatens them. This intro really does help set up the mother and why she is the way she is when Rachel comes into the picture. Eleanor is basically another iteration of Robert De Niro's character in "Meet the Parents"; she's quick to judge Rachel for being a mistake for Nick to be with, resulting in her trying to put a wedge between the two in hopes to break them up. Nick is pretty much golden child of the family, especially to his mother, and is in line to take up the mantle for the family business. He's smart, successful and completely responsible; practically the perfect guy with seemingly no flaws at all. And Rachel is an economics teacher at N.Y.U. who loves her job in benefiting youths' lives. Daughter of a single mother who raised her all of her life after her father passed away before she was born. She too is successful in her career, but not quite to the standards of the Young family.
A huge factor that held this film together for me and kept me from being irritated by the familiarity of it all is how much personality is interjected into these characters. I believe that to be heavily due to the terrific actors who do their best with their roles. I wouldn't say that there is anything groundbreaking or even Oscar worthy by any means, but the actors involved supply enough charisma and depth in character that I couldn't help myself from being somewhat invested in the story. Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor in particular gives a layered performance that is interesting and understandable, especially when the relationship between Eleanor and her mother-in-law is revealed. You get where her character is coming from and why she is as strict as she is when it comes to Nick and his decisions. On the other hand, you certainly don't agree with Eleanor interfering in Nick and Rachel's lives the way that she does. Instead, it is fairly easy to route for Rachel to persuade Eleanor, or at the very least prevail against Eleanor's efforts to cut her out of the picture. When Nick and Rachel share scenes together, their relationship is extremely cute, and was actually touching in one scene in particular involving the wedding that they were invited to attend. Plus, the acting on Constance Wu's part as Rachel is very solid work; it's near impossible not to feel a bit of emotion any time something stressful happens to Rachel to the point where it makes her eyes start to well up.
Like I've said, this is a story seen so many times before that it'd be insane if someone didn't know where this film was going. The boyfriend/girlfriend takes girlfriend/boyfriend to meet the family. The family, specifically one parental role, disapproves or is weary of the relationship. That parent does everything they can to sabotage the romance. The 'outsider' does everything they can to brush their efforts off and persevere. There's a number of quirky characters that add to the wackiness and stress of our main character. Once the third act hits, there's a big misunderstanding that leads to the two romantic leads to break up. They spend the next several minutes in heart break over the loss of their love. But in the last remaining moments, love concurs all. The romantic leads realize that they love each other and they have no reason to be apart while the judgmental parent finally learns the error of their ways and accepts the newcomer into the family. The end.
So what makes this a more enjoyable pill to swallow than say something like "Meet the Fockers"? Aside from the acting doing a good job at making the characters feel lively, the writing makes an effort to put its own unique spin on every event that happens in the movie. The misunderstanding is something that is something that goes beyond even the knowledge of our lead characters and there's no real way that it could have been cleared up prior to when it is brought up in the narrative. The rivalry between the girlfriend and the significant other's mother doesn't come across as naive on anyone's part, but rather it comes from a place of honor and tradition for the Young family.
Speaking of the Young family, there is a decent amount of care in detail provided with the extended family of Nick. Taking a peak into the lives of several of his cousins, showing several examples of what a significant fortune does to a large family. There's the ones living the care-free, rock star lifestyle. Others that just pour money practically into every aspect of their lives. The most interesting, however, is the cousin Astrid who is going through a sort of rough patch in her marriage with a man who also wasn't seen as a 'worthy' inclusion of the Young family. The dynamic between Astrid and how she tries to keep her family, as well as her money, completely separate from her husband because it somehow makes him feel inept. Again, it is a subplot that is predictable from the start, but I thought that the acting was good enough to support it and I also liked the character arc of Astrid.
The culture that all of this takes place in gives everything its own interesting context, as well as a unique flavor. This film is very stylish in how the scenes are lit and edited; I mean, it never hurts to supply some eye candy to the movie and with the Chinese aesthetics displayed all throughout the film, it does have some beautiful imagery. The most impressive of which has to be the wedding scene. In all honesty, the wedding sequence was possibly one of the most visually appealing weddings that I had ever seen in a movie; it was truly gorgeous to watch as it went along.
Another aspect about this movie that probably helps it stand strong is that it actually is relatively funny. The comedy here, for the most part, is handled very well. It doesn't feel like a string of juvenile or sophomoric humor being shoved into the movie, nor does it try to make the dialog into two hours worth sex puns. Thankfully it also doesn't take part in a modern trend I'm sick of with the actors providing line-o-rama the whole run time. The comedy is much more character based and feels natural from where the jokes stem from. With that said, however, there is one character where the comedy felt particularly forced. That, for me, was in the supporting character of Peik Lin Goh who is played by Awkwafina. I found her remarkably annoying. For some reason Peik felt like the least natural part of this whole film and could have undoubtedly been cut from the film with a simple rewrite. The actress's style of comedy was just obnoxious and constantly mugging to the camera, I found that grating to watch. Especially when everyone else is so good and is already funny on their own, so it feels pointless to include this supporting comic relief that doesn't match the tone for the rest of the cast. There were a couple of moments where she was 'fine', but any time she popped up on screen I wanted to chuck her out a window.
So my final thoughts are that...yes, this has been done before. But when it's done right, then why fight it? Just enjoy the ride. And that is exactly what I did. I sat back and enjoyed the ride. I delighted by the characters, I had my fair share of laughs, I admired the visual spectacle of the film's locations and aesthetics, I knew where the plot was going and I was okay with that. There was one character that I slightly hated and wished was dead, but if that's the worst thing that I can say about this movie then I declare this to be rather a success. If you would like to just have a date night and watch some cute movie fluff then this is pretty perfect for that. Check it out and turn your brains off.
So from the plot, it's fairly obvious that we have seen several times before; whether it be "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", "Meet the Parents", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", etc. Anyone could probably picture in their head how this film might play out and they would be exactly right. It has every cliche in the Rom-Com book. The characters are every stereotype we've seen before. The story is one-hundred percent predictable at every turn. Yet, somehow, this manages to be a very genuine and even sweet film. I was able to accept the constant cliches, the wildly familiar archetypes and the lack of ambition in narrative because I found most of the characters likable and even enjoyed the exploration of Asian culture. By all accounts, this was a rehash of a movie that has been made countless times in the past, but it was a good example of how to work with something that is familiar yet finding a way to make it still entertaining.
In the opening scene the film establishes everything that one needs to know about the Young family, specifically the character of Nick's mother, Eleanor. This family can make one quick phone call and they are immediately the brand new owners of a five star, high class hotel in London. This family has powerful connections and Eleanor is always at the ready to use that to vindictively strike at anyone who threatens them. This intro really does help set up the mother and why she is the way she is when Rachel comes into the picture. Eleanor is basically another iteration of Robert De Niro's character in "Meet the Parents"; she's quick to judge Rachel for being a mistake for Nick to be with, resulting in her trying to put a wedge between the two in hopes to break them up. Nick is pretty much golden child of the family, especially to his mother, and is in line to take up the mantle for the family business. He's smart, successful and completely responsible; practically the perfect guy with seemingly no flaws at all. And Rachel is an economics teacher at N.Y.U. who loves her job in benefiting youths' lives. Daughter of a single mother who raised her all of her life after her father passed away before she was born. She too is successful in her career, but not quite to the standards of the Young family.
A huge factor that held this film together for me and kept me from being irritated by the familiarity of it all is how much personality is interjected into these characters. I believe that to be heavily due to the terrific actors who do their best with their roles. I wouldn't say that there is anything groundbreaking or even Oscar worthy by any means, but the actors involved supply enough charisma and depth in character that I couldn't help myself from being somewhat invested in the story. Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor in particular gives a layered performance that is interesting and understandable, especially when the relationship between Eleanor and her mother-in-law is revealed. You get where her character is coming from and why she is as strict as she is when it comes to Nick and his decisions. On the other hand, you certainly don't agree with Eleanor interfering in Nick and Rachel's lives the way that she does. Instead, it is fairly easy to route for Rachel to persuade Eleanor, or at the very least prevail against Eleanor's efforts to cut her out of the picture. When Nick and Rachel share scenes together, their relationship is extremely cute, and was actually touching in one scene in particular involving the wedding that they were invited to attend. Plus, the acting on Constance Wu's part as Rachel is very solid work; it's near impossible not to feel a bit of emotion any time something stressful happens to Rachel to the point where it makes her eyes start to well up.
Like I've said, this is a story seen so many times before that it'd be insane if someone didn't know where this film was going. The boyfriend/girlfriend takes girlfriend/boyfriend to meet the family. The family, specifically one parental role, disapproves or is weary of the relationship. That parent does everything they can to sabotage the romance. The 'outsider' does everything they can to brush their efforts off and persevere. There's a number of quirky characters that add to the wackiness and stress of our main character. Once the third act hits, there's a big misunderstanding that leads to the two romantic leads to break up. They spend the next several minutes in heart break over the loss of their love. But in the last remaining moments, love concurs all. The romantic leads realize that they love each other and they have no reason to be apart while the judgmental parent finally learns the error of their ways and accepts the newcomer into the family. The end.
So what makes this a more enjoyable pill to swallow than say something like "Meet the Fockers"? Aside from the acting doing a good job at making the characters feel lively, the writing makes an effort to put its own unique spin on every event that happens in the movie. The misunderstanding is something that is something that goes beyond even the knowledge of our lead characters and there's no real way that it could have been cleared up prior to when it is brought up in the narrative. The rivalry between the girlfriend and the significant other's mother doesn't come across as naive on anyone's part, but rather it comes from a place of honor and tradition for the Young family.
Speaking of the Young family, there is a decent amount of care in detail provided with the extended family of Nick. Taking a peak into the lives of several of his cousins, showing several examples of what a significant fortune does to a large family. There's the ones living the care-free, rock star lifestyle. Others that just pour money practically into every aspect of their lives. The most interesting, however, is the cousin Astrid who is going through a sort of rough patch in her marriage with a man who also wasn't seen as a 'worthy' inclusion of the Young family. The dynamic between Astrid and how she tries to keep her family, as well as her money, completely separate from her husband because it somehow makes him feel inept. Again, it is a subplot that is predictable from the start, but I thought that the acting was good enough to support it and I also liked the character arc of Astrid.
The culture that all of this takes place in gives everything its own interesting context, as well as a unique flavor. This film is very stylish in how the scenes are lit and edited; I mean, it never hurts to supply some eye candy to the movie and with the Chinese aesthetics displayed all throughout the film, it does have some beautiful imagery. The most impressive of which has to be the wedding scene. In all honesty, the wedding sequence was possibly one of the most visually appealing weddings that I had ever seen in a movie; it was truly gorgeous to watch as it went along.
Another aspect about this movie that probably helps it stand strong is that it actually is relatively funny. The comedy here, for the most part, is handled very well. It doesn't feel like a string of juvenile or sophomoric humor being shoved into the movie, nor does it try to make the dialog into two hours worth sex puns. Thankfully it also doesn't take part in a modern trend I'm sick of with the actors providing line-o-rama the whole run time. The comedy is much more character based and feels natural from where the jokes stem from. With that said, however, there is one character where the comedy felt particularly forced. That, for me, was in the supporting character of Peik Lin Goh who is played by Awkwafina. I found her remarkably annoying. For some reason Peik felt like the least natural part of this whole film and could have undoubtedly been cut from the film with a simple rewrite. The actress's style of comedy was just obnoxious and constantly mugging to the camera, I found that grating to watch. Especially when everyone else is so good and is already funny on their own, so it feels pointless to include this supporting comic relief that doesn't match the tone for the rest of the cast. There were a couple of moments where she was 'fine', but any time she popped up on screen I wanted to chuck her out a window.
So my final thoughts are that...yes, this has been done before. But when it's done right, then why fight it? Just enjoy the ride. And that is exactly what I did. I sat back and enjoyed the ride. I delighted by the characters, I had my fair share of laughs, I admired the visual spectacle of the film's locations and aesthetics, I knew where the plot was going and I was okay with that. There was one character that I slightly hated and wished was dead, but if that's the worst thing that I can say about this movie then I declare this to be rather a success. If you would like to just have a date night and watch some cute movie fluff then this is pretty perfect for that. Check it out and turn your brains off.
Funny and entertaining
mission-4148213 August 2018
I don't understand how IMDB can give 6.8 rating for this movie. Are these based on the critics review? I read movie review and I get that some reviewers will point a flaw on how It is impossible that Rachel didn't know that his boyfriend's family is crazy rich in Singapore with the existence of internet and Google. But it is a romantic comedy MOVIE. It is a MOVIE. There are lots of flaws in Mission Impossible Fallout but it still gets 8.2 stars. We pay to see it to be entertained. And I ignore the critic review on the movie that I want to watch. To me Constance Wu and Michele Yeoh were amazing in the movie. Henry Golding is excellent for 1st time actor. He seems comfortable and his acting was natural. An excellent choice to potrait Nick Young. I love to see Constancw and Henry as a couple in the movie. You guys sell it. I've been to Singapore numerous time and it is a beautiful city/country. Singaporean foods are excellent. Singapore is a great example as a place where people from different races, religion and cultural can live in harmony and respect each other. I plan to watch this movie two times or maybe more.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
