Crazy Rich Asians

Twenty-for-Seven #18 (Day7)
2018, d. John M Chu - Crave

I can't believe there only ONE poster
for this megablockbuster movie.  That's
crazy!

I like a good romcom, that's been established.  Part of the 20 movies in 7 days project was to administer an antidote to all the terrible romance/romcoms I subjected myself to over the Hallmarkidays.  Crazy Rich Asians was an absolutely necessary watch as part of that rehabilitation.  Afterall, it's a highly successful, well regarded rom com that I've had every intention of watching for well over a year but just hadn't gotten to it.... which was the other point of 20-4-7, to watch some of those films I had been meaning to watch.

I freaking loved this movie. 

I've known Constance Wu from years of watching Fresh Off The Boat, and it always takes a few minutes to get her out of "mom" mode in my head (and to hear her speak without the accent she employs on that show), but she's a gifted, versatile actress and very likeable here as a romantic lead.  She plays Rachel, a NYU economics professor (a prestigious, well-regarded gig), and daughter of a single mother who immigrated to America and became a self-made woman in the world of real estate.  Neither are rich, but both have done very well for themselves.  She's been dating Nick (handsomely handsome Henry Golding) for some time, and they're genuinely in love with each other.  Nick thinks it's time for Rachel to meet his family and invites her to Singapore to attend his cousin's wedding. The moment they board the plane and are guided into the first class suite on the plane, Rachel knows something is up, and Nick confesses that his family is super rich, but that he always considered it their money.

From that moment on Rachel is thrust into the world of south Asia's uber-elite, the ultra rich, and their insanely decadent lifestyle.  When she first takes time out to visit Peik Lin (Awkwafina), a friend from her college days, she gets a taste of the rich lifestyle, but her family informs Rachel that Nick's family is so far beyond their wealth, there's no way to prepare her for it.

From there Rachel takes a journey through Nick's reality, a life of luxury and decadence, but also of family bonds and cultural traditions that she's for sure going to be viewed as an outsider.  Nick, in the larger cultural landscape, is like royalty, so there's an undue amount of attention put on him by the debutantes of the upper crust, and any woman he winds up with would face a shitstorm, but an American outsider with no connection to wealth is even more disdainful.

There are the expected cast of villains in this, as well as the unexpected, where people put on a polite face, but ultimately have their own prejudices that they can't get past.  Rachel collects a delightful support stable (alongside Nick ALWAYS being on her side), which includes Peik Lin and her family, Astrid (Gemma Chan) who's Nick's cousin and an absolute sweetheart despite her fashionista status and grand wealth, and Oliver (Nico Santos), Nick's very out second cousin.  They're all in her corner, people who certainly embrace their wealth but recognize that being a decent person is necessary alongside it.

One of my favourite all-time actresses Michelle Yeoh is probably Rachel's greatest nemesis in the film, playing Nick's mother Eleanor.  She's so used to both controlling Nick and getting her way that it's kind of beyond her to let Nick make his own choices or to let someone of lower status potentially influence the family image she's so carefully cultivated.  There are some cultural elements of sacrifice in Eleanor's back story which tell us why she is this way, but as Oliver explains to Rachel, you need to stand up to her and earn her respect if they're ever going to get past her issues.

There is a side plot with Astrid that feels unfortunately thin, or rather could hold a film of its own, with her husband, another "commoner like Rachel" who is having an affair, unable to get over his own discomfort with her level of wealth.  I wish there was more to this story, but it's just underserved as a distracted B-plot. 

The film is decadent and outrageous, frequently funny and at times upsetting.  The culture shock is far more the "crazy rich" than the "asian" part of the film, and the film lives within its traditions, playing to an audience familiar with them but also not excluding an audience that isn't.  It's a bloody delight and I had a blast with it.  I loved the characters, how distinctly drawn each of them was, some playing in stereotype, some playing with stereotype, but most definitely way outside stereotype.  The cast is uniformly excellent, and it's just an utterly entertaining film from start to finish.

I freaking loved this movie.  Suck it Hallmark.