I am not a huge fan of the RomCom genre, but something about Crazy Rich Asians appealed to me. For a chick-flick, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the film more than my wife did. She thought it was a bit shallow. I get her point. But I felt connected to the story as old and retread as it may have been. It was a typical Prince Charming, rags-to-riches, Disney-like feel-good movie. But sometimes that makes good cinema.
Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is a young economics professor who was raised by a strong, single mother. She is in love with Nick Young (Nick Golding), a handsome man with a hidden secret. When Nick invites Rachel to Singapore to meet his family at the wedding of his friend, lots of secrets are revealed. Cultural and Class clashes create a minefield that threatens the blossoming relationship. Rachel realizes her inner strength as she faces an impossible challenge with her boyfriend's family. Rachel and Nick both have choices to make. None of them simple.
For a somewhat shallow romantic comedy, Crazy Rich Asians had me hooked. I cared about the characters. I guess I'm just a sucker for that. We knew how it would end, right? But the journey was fun. The dialogue was sharp, the diversions were fun and the main characters were solid. Yes, there were shallow throw-away characters added for humor. But that's okay. The characters we care about have dimension. The film had a few pacing issues, which made the two hour run time feel a bit long. But overall, the narrative arc peaked nicely and wrapped everything up in a beautiful bow with a lotus flower on top. The look of the film was as important as the story, with a rich, colorful look at the world of rich, crazy Asians. (or is that "crazy rich" Asians....you decide).
I liked the casting in Crazy Rich Asians. I didn't recognize most of the cast, but that is okay. I liked the fact that there were a couple of tall actors in the film. It added to the fairytale quality of the story. The two main characters were completely unknown to me, but did an amazing job of selling their characters. I really cared how this thing turned out. The plotting mother was played by Michelle Yeoh, who you are likely to recognize from classics like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or more recent films like Guardians of the Galaxy. She is a seasoned actress with an impressive resume of films under her belt. If you have watched the television show Humans, you are likely to recognize Gemma Chan, who plays the beautiful sister, Astrid. Awkwafina (Ocean's Eight) also makes an appearance in a humorous role. The casting choices were interesting, but added depth to an otherwise shallow story.
Crazy Rich Asians was rated PG-13 by the MPAA. The rating is based on suggestive content, which was never overdone. There are scenes of people in bed together, but clothed and without any action. There was one scene where a "gold digger" is caught with another character with his pants down, but wearing clothing underneath. The film explores relationships, to include troubled relationships, but manages to be fairly modest. I wouldn't restrict this film by age. It's a wholesome film with a fairytale quality.
Crazy Rich Asians is the first Western film with an all Asian cast since the Joy Luck Club which also featured Lisa Lu (who plays the grandmother in this film). While there are several actors cast in this film that you will recognize from other major motion pictures, the casting of the lead characters opted for two lesser known actors. I thought it was a good choice. While I love Gemma Chan, Constance Wu had an innocence about her that made her selection perfect. Innocent, seemingly naive, but strong. And strength and empowerment were themes that were woven into this intricate Asian tapestry. It worked for me. I laughed a few times, I cared about the characters and I was happy that it had a happy ending. Was it predictable? Of course. Was it shallow? At times. Could the pacing have been a little better? Yes. But overall, I enjoyed this film enough to recommend seeing it at the theater. 7.5/10.
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