2018 Film Review: Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Written by: Peter Chiarelli, Adele Lim, based upon the book by Kevin Kwan
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh

Romantic Comedy is a generally pulpy genre; A film in the genre can do basically anything as long as it hits a few specific genre staples a long the way. This allows creative storytellers to explore ideas within the scope of those staples, and every now and then someone comes up with something excellent.

Rachel Chu (Wu) is a working class woman, professor of game theory, and daughter to a single mother, who gets invited by her boyfriend Nick Young (Golding) to a family wedding over in Singapore. Once she's over there she finds out that he's the favourite son of the biggest realtors in Singapore, a family so disgustingly rich that a million dollar deal for a piece of unnecessary jewelry happens without a thought. From there, all sorts of melodrama ensues; Rachel has to navigate the family's customs and try to fit in while almost everyone leaves her cold or treats her as lesser, and find the time to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of being good enough for Nick's mother, Eleanor (Yeoh).

While the basics might suggest standard rom-com fare, the film elevates its ideas by the way it incorporates its culture in to the reasoning for everything that happens, and fleshes out characters in ways that reflect said culture with both a critical and a celebratory eye. At the best of times this means that moments which could otherwise be construed as contrived instead lead to dizzying highs and crushing lows that other great films have been known to offer. The story beats with Eleanor are all predictable, expected even, but the film goes out of its way to make the moments have weight to them that both make sense for her character and look to the culture the film lives in for reference (the performances help too; Yeoh is her usual phenomenal self with incredible composure, and Wu plays off of her very well with raw emotion). The sassy friends who support Rachel can't be done without, but the writing is hilarious and actors Awkwafina and Nico Santos give fun, sometimes show-stealing performances. The usual melodrama of all kinds are abundant, and while some plot threads are streamlined for time and specific moments feel rushed for the same reason, it all just fits through the consistency of theme. The story isn't a re-invention of the genre, but by recognising its tropes and earnestly building upon them in significant ways, Crazy Rich Asians becomes a really, really good example of it.

This is in turn supported by some really skillful and stylish film techniques on display. Director Chu utilises some notable long takes with genuine purpose, exploring the setting while keeping Rachel in frame, allowing for the rich factor to really show off while also highlighting Rachel's isolation. Then there's the wedding scene, which was so beautiful I believe my heart skipped a beat when the music paused. It's stylish and decadent and yet strangely pure, a visual juxtaposition of how money can get in the way of things and how none of that matters in moments like these, with the slight irony of how much more is added by having the amount of money to do a wedding this ostentatious. It's both excessive and appropriate, which is perhaps the best way to describe the direction of a film titled Crazy Rich Asians.

The Short Version: A recognition, discussion, criticism, and celebration of its culture, combined with some truly fantastic film techniques, gives life to this tried and true formula of love, laughter and melodrama.

Rating: 8/10

Published September 7th, 2018