Based on the novel of the same name by author Kevin Kwan, “Crazy Rich Asians” is an exciting flick to see and widely considered the first Hollywood film to feature Asian-Americans in leading roles since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.”
It centers around a young woman named Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), who is meeting her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) and his parents in Singapore. When Chu finds out about the Young family’s life as the richest family in Singapore, she learns her boyfriend’s family has a dark past.
Golding (BBC’s “The Travel Show”) and Wu (“Fresh off the Boat”) portray a loving couple. Throughout the movie, they learn life is about more than just being rich. It’s about love and money will never solve their problems.
Michelle Yeoh steals the spotlight as a key witness, a villain and Chu’s adversary. The performance is similar to Michael Keaton’s role in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” or Alec Baldwin in “The Cooler.”
The plot seems to be a mystery, but the film explores the values of family, culture and what happens when one becomes rich. Even in the beginning, the setting is more like recent casino films. The characters are stereotypical of Asian culture. Men are charming and attractive while women are open-minded and independent.
Jon M. Chu’s direction is somewhat clichéd and the screenplay isn’t well done at all. It’s like a flat iron steak being poorly cooked. The film, however, gets a gold star in two areas: the music and the supporting cast. The music is very artful and crafty compared to Pixar’s “Incredibles 2.” Supporting actors Gemma Chan (“Captain Marvel”), Lisa Lu, Nico Santos, Ken Jeong, Ronny Chieng and Jimmy O. Yang all do terrific jobs. My favorite part of this film are the funny scenes involving Yang and Wu as they provide comedy in the background.
“Crazy Rich Asians” is a good movie. It’s filled with awesome adventures and sneaky surprises. I was shivering with suspense. This film is particularly recommended for Asian-American audiences, but people from other cultures may find it interesting as well.
