Review of Crazy Rich Asians (2018) by Jeff C — 19 Aug 2018

Looking beyond the dramatic flourishes added for comedic effect, Crazy Rich Asians is spot-on in its portrayal of Chinese family dynamics and specific ways in which Chinese and American culture are different. Constance Wu & Harry Golding do a fantastic job portraying their naivety about the firestorm about to befall them when he decides to introduce her to his family. How she builds up the courage to come to a solution is a performance to treasure. Michelle Yeoh as Harry's mother is also brilliant in how she slowly reveals a multi-layered complexity to the motives, expectations and experiences behind her actions.

BTW, if you are possibly going to be marrying into the Chinese culture, Crazy Rich Asians happens to be a fantastic guidebook for what might happen and how you might want to make your future spouse's family acknowledge your needs. Ask me how I know as the oldest (and only) son of a Chinese family but born in the US. When you decide to marry a white American, you might quickly learn what your Chinese parents assume you (as their son or daughter) should know about their Chinese culture, but of which you as an American have no clue. The movie does a great job in capturing the cultural differences in expectations when Chinese and American cultures collide via a marriage. What Constance Wu did with her potential future mother-in-law is exactly what my wife and I did and pretty much the only way to create your own space as a couple.