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| Movie Name : |
Crazy Rich Asians
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| Cinema Type : |
Hollywood
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| Release Date : |
15-Aug-2018( 6 years, 100 days ago)
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| Directed By : |
Jon M. Chu |
| Production House : |
Nina Jacobson |
| Genre : |
Comedy |
| Lead Role : |
Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding
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Rating:3.5/5
While much of Jon M. Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians” glitters in the film’s opulent settings, gilded homes and flashy outfits and jewels, it’s still just a simple love story made complicated by family. Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable, even if most of us are not married to or dating secret millionaires. And though the film may feel overstuffed, it all works in service of its story.
Unlike so many recent romantic comedy heroines, Rachel doesn’t long for something better or have her life in shambles. In fact, she’s a rather well put-together career woman, happily in love and excited (if nervous) to meet Nick’s family. Wu plays her as a quick-witted person, with a light and optimistic outlook that love will conquer all.
I imagine most mother-in-laws would approve of an economic professor joining the family, but not Nick’s mom Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh). Her disapproval is written in every muscle of Yeoh’s performance, as if she’s physically rejecting the outsider her son has dragged into their mansion. Rachel lacks the monied pedigree Eleanor desires for her son, and each of the women’s exchanges doubles as a painful reminder of their class differences.
In addition to the money differences between characters, very few films have ever captured the pains of being first-generation American quite like “Crazy Rich Asians.” Rachel is Chinese-American, which her best friend Peik Lin (Awkwafina) jokes is why her potential in-laws look down on her as a “banana”—yellow on the outside, white on the inside. It can feel like a curse to feel like an outsider in both the country you were born in or the one your parents come from. For Rachel, those feelings ultimately become a strength instead of a perceived weakness. Her choice to be proud about her immigrant roots in the face of Eleanor’s shaming becomes an emotional affirmation for others like her.
“Crazy Rich Asians” may have the look of a luxurious 1930s MGM comedy like “Dinner at Eight,” but there are also a number of delectable scenes for cultural specificity, like the movie’s attention towards food. The camera gets close enough to the steaming pots and flamelicked meats to make a mouth water. Those scenes also serve a deeper purpose: they tie together the importance of food, culture and relationships around a dinner table. One dumpling-making sequence doubles as commentary on tradition and how families share it with younger generations.