Review of Crazy Rich Asians (2018) by K Nife C — 15 Aug 2018

Imagine stuffing an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" with a standard rom-com, and you've got yourself a bloated wonton of no-thank-you in any normal circumstance. But this is no normal circumstance because there are ASIANS in this movie. Whether it was an attempt to signal or provoke, Crazy Rich Asians sounds like something from the mouth of one of Trump's progeny, but an apt description it certainly is. Aside from the "crazy" part, that is, as there are no struggles with mental illness to be found unless one is willing to concede that the wealthy class is completely disconnected from reality. I will gladly endorse that theory.

It was a bit disappointing as I looked forward to ripping the film apart for its glorification of materialism, vapid characters, and obvious pandering to the Chinese market. Sure, there's a lot of that going on, but I was surprised to find that past my initial revulsion to decadence and weddings and decadent weddings, there's a deeper thread woven into the film's tapestry. The importance of family, the struggle for integrity, and the occasional disillusionment with the trappings of wealth and tradition peaked through the otherwise predictable proceedings. So for every moment where I about gagged from the superficiality and melodrama, there were some genuine moments of real human emotion. Say what you will of how overlong the film feels, they at least paced the movie with properly timed levity thanks in no small part to Nora Lum a.k.a. Awkwafina whose moniker is hilarious in and of itself.

There's no denying that the film isn't remotely close to something I want to watch, so I desperately did my best to disassociate completely. After a short ego death, I noticed how pretty everything was. It's amazing how bland most major releases look in comparison to this film. The sets, the costumes, and all of the production design are just fantastically bright and vibrant. As tourists in film world, we often see things in their idyllic state, but somehow the properties and domiciles of the Singapore .01% are rarely shown in anything but a Bond movie. So even if we've watched this romance play out a thousand times, this might be the most beautifully filmed wedding sequence I've ever seen, and I kind of want a giant emerald ring now.