Film Review: Crazy Rich Asians

By Belle McIntyre 

There is much to be delighted by in this all-Asian romantic comedy, based on a hugely popular novel by the Chinese author Kevin Kwan written in 2013, which then became part of a trilogy. The milieu is as familiar as a Jane Austin novel - a social satire revolving around money and class. The twist in this film is that the framework upon which this story is built is the hidebound strictly hierarchical society of the uber-wealthy Chinese in Singapore, which seems to rival the most lavish and excessive contemporary societies of any nationality. They also have the same narrow-minded prejudices and pretensions common to western societies.

The story centers on Nick Young (Henry Golding) and Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an attractive Chinese couple in New York City. He is super-handsome and sophisticated, with beautiful manners and clothes and very affectionate. She is pretty, perky, super bright and independent. She is a popular economics instructor at Columbia, who uses games to illustrate various theories. (This matters later because it is her secret weapon with which she vanquishes her biggest obstacle to hold on to the man she adores.) They are very much in love and they seem well-matched. So when he asks her to go home with him for his best friend’s wedding in Singapore she jumps on board.

Unbeknownst to Rachel, Nick is the scion of one of the richest families in Singapore. The Young family are old money in Asia having made fortunes in real estate in various countries. But significantly, they came early to Singapore and built most of it, and are arguably some version of royalty in that country. As Nick begins to reveal the truth about his family on the plane to Rachel, to prepare her for what she is in store for, it still falls far short of the scope of Nick’s reality. Nick’s mother Eleanor, played by the marvelous Michelle Yeoh, an almost archetypal dragon-lady, is going to be a problem. Rachel, who was born in the US, has never visited China and has little connection to her roots. Raised by her single mother in New York City, she has not had much contact with the world of the super rich is blissfully clueless about its mores and petty concerns.

Needless to say, all of these revelations put Rachel on shaky ground, but Nick is wonderfully protective of her and does his best to shield her from some of the subtler snubs from the people she has been thrust into. The bride and groom are genuinely warm and welcoming and embrace her wholeheartedly. It’s the rest of the crowd that is a shark tank of jealousy, curiosity, and outright antipathy. None more so than Nick’s mother, who wants him back. As it happens, she wants him to come back and take over the family empire. This is going to be a turf war and Nick is the turf. Eleanor is aided and abetted by the young unmarried women in their circle, for whom Nick is the ultimate catch. 

There is one safe haven for Rachel to escape the relentless scrutiny and condescension in Singapore. Her former college roommate Goh Peik Lin, hilariously played by the Chinese-American rapper Awkwafina. Goh Peik Lin’s family is appallingly nouveau riche, surrounded by excessive vulgarity in the style of Liberace. They are eccentric and quirky and tacky beyond words, but they are genuinely warm to Rachel. Goh Peik Lin explains to her how things are in Singaporean high society and lends her clothes and guides her through the labyrinth of parties and events surrounding the wedding even though she is not invited.

The film really cuts loose filming the various parties and begins to resemble the Wolf of Wall Street insanity. The rehearsal parties are particularly over the top, involving helicopters to a private island, a free shopping excursion for the girls, a team of synchronized swimmers for the men. It gets pretty crazy. Nick and Rachel seem to endure rather than enjoy this wild Bacchanalian behavior. As soon as Rachel wins over Nick’s grandmother, Eleanor does something so wicked to sabotage Rachel that it causes a crisis between her and Nick. In spite of her, Nick proposes to Rachel with a ring. Realizing what a schism it will cause in Nick’s life and not wishing to be the cause of so much pain, Rachel turns him down.

What happens next and how the film reaches its conclusion is pretty interesting, involving a game of Mahjong between Constance and Eleanor. The rest is familiar territory, with things wrapping up neatly. The side stories and back stories are particularly interesting, involving Nick’s beautiful cousin and her husband, as well as the opening scene with Eleanor and her young children experiencing a humiliating incident of prejudice in a London hotel, which could explain her death grip on her status and position in Singaporean society. And one finds oneself really involved with the characters and invested in the story.

So, while not breaking any new cinematic ground, it is richly detailed, briskly paced, with beautiful camerawork and production design. The all-Asian cast is attractive and accomplished inhabiting a richly diverse range of characters even though many of them are non-professional. All of the leads are terrific and well-directed. By the end, all of it feels so familiar that it seems irrelevant that it is a first all-Asian film in 20 years since the Joy Luck Club. Human beings are largely the same in all societies, mean or kind, exclusive or embracing, petty or noble, greedy or generous, selfish or compassionate and a mixture of it all. Human behavior is simply human. It is an enjoyable fantasy fare and definitely easy on the eye. You don’t have to be Asian to enjoy it. 

You can watch a trailer for the film here.