Review of Crazy Rich Asians (2018) by Alan W — 05 Sep 2018

Imagine an 80s Hong Kong all-stars Chinese New Year rom-com (?????) remake of a 40s Hollywood one where the rich boy falls for the poor but pretty girl against his family's wishes. Now imagine that being re-remade by a Hollywood studio but NOT with a white cast and you'll get something like this hotly anticipated movie adaptation of Kevin Kwan's bestseller.

Every conventional elements of the genre are present here except for the meet-cute, as boy who has already met girl, brings her to meet a somewhat reticent, if not downright passively hostile family and they won't overcome their obstacles until the last minute, of course, for the obligatory happy ending.

Shot as if commissioned by the Singaporean Tourist Board, and lavishly produced in the style of The Great Gatsby, this is a finely executed but creakingly clichéd film that's also effective and entertaining (at least on a basic level), with comedy that hits more than it misses.

Kudos to a cast that includes Michelle Yeoh who brings gravitas and star presence, Awkwafina for the funny and Harry Golding and his shirtless male co-stars, who are unafraid to sexualize the Asian male physique for the benefit of its target audience.

Minor variations aside, it follows the classic formula laid down by the uber-rom-com, Pretty Woman, from the shopping montage to the predictable plotting and broad characterizations - this film does it all extremely well.

The 2018 update means she is now an economics professor instead of a prostitute, while other concessions made in the name of female empowerment includes the treatment of the sister's marital subplot and the convenient paternal absence so that the matriarchs can take centre stage.

And it is this and the all Asian cast (with literally no non-Asian speaking parts anywhere) that makes it such a milestone movie, especially in light of its box office success. And while I am definitely all in favour, I consider this merely baby steps.

The film is after all, a very workmanlike genre picture that is often too eager to please. Two scenes towards the end of the film sum it up for me. The mahjong scene, which makes more sense to the Asian audience than the Western one, demonstrates the difficulties and uneasy fit when translating one culture for the consumption by another; whereas the last airplane scene, a scene so cliché it's arguably postmodern, is subtle, affecting and simply works, proving the universality and mass appeal of a rom-com done right can overcome any obstacles and bring a happy ending for everyone regardless of the colour of your skin.