Crazy Rich Asians
3/4
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong
Rated PG-13 for Some Suggestive Content and Language
"Crazy Rich Asians" is a charming, if slightly overlong romantic comedy. Part wish fulfillment fantasy, part culture clash, part David-against-Goliath, this is a movie that will have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face and a swing in your step. It's too vanilla to be anything substantial, but so what? Just because it's one of the few big budget movies where the characters aren't perfectly put together models with no acting ability, does it have to be "Casablanca?"
Brainy economics whiz Rachel Chu (Wu) is the youngest professor at NYU. Her relationship with the charming Nick (Golding) is slowly reaching the next level: he's invited her to his cousin's wedding. But he's been keeping a secret from Rachel. He's a member of the Young family, who are all but Singapore royalty. With a heavy placement on tradition and an insatiable desire for scandal and gossip, Rachel is shocked to learn that everyone knows everything about her before she even arrives in Singapore. In order to create a good impression with Nick's mother, the powerful matriarch Eleanor (Yeoh) and the rest of his family, Rachel is going to have to think quick and outmaneuver those who are determined to make sure she doesn't marry the man of her dreams.
"Crazy Rich Asians" is more a Cinderella story than anything else. Rachel is Chinese, but she's anAmerican who came to success with hard work. That puts her at odds with Eleanor, who believes that doing the best for the family should come before everything else. While this clash of ideas isn't exactly explored thoroughly, it's given as much due as is needed for the film to set up the conflict. It also takes pain to underscore the dark side of wealth. So while the Young family and their hangers on have more money than they could possibly spend, they're also disgustingly spoiled and vain. Think Paris Hilton times ten. When someone mentions in passing that she's going to be "thrown to the wolves," they mean it.
Constance Wu and Henry Goulding make an immensely likable couple. It's impossible to dislike either one of them, and the chemistry between them is perfect. We want them to end up together, money be damned. They also have the acting chops to back it up. When they have to go for drama, they sell it even when the script lets them down. As the ice queen Eleanor, Michelle Yeoh is truly terrifying. She wields all the power and she knows it; Donald Trump would cower in her presence. The rest of the cast is up to the task, but none are especially developed.
The film's romance is the beating heart of the film, and it succeeds on that level. The comedy comes about naturally from the characters and situation, although it provokes more smiles than pure belly laughs. The film is also a hair too long. While Gemma Chan is certainly winning as Henry's big spender sister, her additional scenes could have been excised with almost nothing lost to the proceedings.
It's easy to be cynical about this movie. One can call it a victory for social justice warriors or political correctness. Or an obvious pandering to the Asian film markets (no doubt there is a certain truth to that). But that doesn't matter. "Crazy Rich Asians" should be judged on its own merits, and on that level, it's a winner. Watching it, it should be no surprise to anyone why it has become the sleeper hit of the summer.
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong
Rated PG-13 for Some Suggestive Content and Language
"Crazy Rich Asians" is a charming, if slightly overlong romantic comedy. Part wish fulfillment fantasy, part culture clash, part David-against-Goliath, this is a movie that will have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face and a swing in your step. It's too vanilla to be anything substantial, but so what? Just because it's one of the few big budget movies where the characters aren't perfectly put together models with no acting ability, does it have to be "Casablanca?"
Brainy economics whiz Rachel Chu (Wu) is the youngest professor at NYU. Her relationship with the charming Nick (Golding) is slowly reaching the next level: he's invited her to his cousin's wedding. But he's been keeping a secret from Rachel. He's a member of the Young family, who are all but Singapore royalty. With a heavy placement on tradition and an insatiable desire for scandal and gossip, Rachel is shocked to learn that everyone knows everything about her before she even arrives in Singapore. In order to create a good impression with Nick's mother, the powerful matriarch Eleanor (Yeoh) and the rest of his family, Rachel is going to have to think quick and outmaneuver those who are determined to make sure she doesn't marry the man of her dreams.
"Crazy Rich Asians" is more a Cinderella story than anything else. Rachel is Chinese, but she's anAmerican who came to success with hard work. That puts her at odds with Eleanor, who believes that doing the best for the family should come before everything else. While this clash of ideas isn't exactly explored thoroughly, it's given as much due as is needed for the film to set up the conflict. It also takes pain to underscore the dark side of wealth. So while the Young family and their hangers on have more money than they could possibly spend, they're also disgustingly spoiled and vain. Think Paris Hilton times ten. When someone mentions in passing that she's going to be "thrown to the wolves," they mean it.
Constance Wu and Henry Goulding make an immensely likable couple. It's impossible to dislike either one of them, and the chemistry between them is perfect. We want them to end up together, money be damned. They also have the acting chops to back it up. When they have to go for drama, they sell it even when the script lets them down. As the ice queen Eleanor, Michelle Yeoh is truly terrifying. She wields all the power and she knows it; Donald Trump would cower in her presence. The rest of the cast is up to the task, but none are especially developed.
The film's romance is the beating heart of the film, and it succeeds on that level. The comedy comes about naturally from the characters and situation, although it provokes more smiles than pure belly laughs. The film is also a hair too long. While Gemma Chan is certainly winning as Henry's big spender sister, her additional scenes could have been excised with almost nothing lost to the proceedings.
It's easy to be cynical about this movie. One can call it a victory for social justice warriors or political correctness. Or an obvious pandering to the Asian film markets (no doubt there is a certain truth to that). But that doesn't matter. "Crazy Rich Asians" should be judged on its own merits, and on that level, it's a winner. Watching it, it should be no surprise to anyone why it has become the sleeper hit of the summer.
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