Review of Crazy Rich Asians (2018) by Cinema With C — 01 Dec 2018

Crazy Rich Asians is a revelation for this reviewer who is at least one of those things.

Crazy Rich Asians isnâ(TM)t exactly anything new if you strip it down to its base elements, but the sheer fact that weâ(TM)re getting a mainstream studio release of an Asian-directed, all-asian-starring film is fucking badass.

Weâ(TM)ve had decades of white people having romances and conflicts, so when we get a flick where Asians populate the entire screen in your go-to cinemas and not arthouse ones, itâ(TM)s refreshing.

Crazy Rich Asians is full of themes and culture that speaks so very much to those underrepresented in film. Crazy Rich Asians tells the stories of those parts of the world. Even if it is steeped in the excess of those crazy rich, it tells ground level stories that connect. Even though itâ(TM)s a very specific level of culture and society on show here, it feels universal. Because for all the differences, there are resonant similarities.

It doesnâ(TM)t reinvent the wheel, but every second does feel like a triumph, finally giving centre stage to a different representation. The first scene onwards feels like a satisfying step forwards for races pushed to the background and to their own cliches. The film takes the familiar and makes it its own. It creates its own conflicts and plays with what you see and hear, even through the many Asian covers of western songs. Itâ(TM)s a film that tells you that thereâ(TM)s more than just white people here in your movie genres, and they can do it just as good if not better.

It may be biased for once to give this a glowing review, but goddamn I was grinning ear to ear seeing this story unfold in front of me, and goddamn did it make me cry when the beats get hit. To the cynical, it might not be for you, to the open minded and to especially those who want to see more stories like this with more actors and creatives like this...go and see it.

Crazy Rich Asians is crazy good. Hell, it even made a Coldplay song tolerable.