"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Friday, August 17, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians (2018, PG-13)


It’s here!  I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time.  I was so glad to see it, and I walked out of the theater so, so satisfied.  Rom-com isn’t one of my usual go-to genres, but there are plenty of good ones that there that I genuinely love – The Mindy Project, Amélie, Jane Austen – and this is a fine addition.

Rachel is nervous but excited when her boyfriend Nick suggests she accompany him to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore, where Rachel is poised to meet his family for the first time.  Little does she know, Nick is actually from one of Singapore’s wealthiest families, and she’s in for a shock at the outrageous displays of wealth/excess, as well as the suspicion of her as a no-name gold-digger who’s snared the most eligible bachelor in Singapore, in store for her.

Oh my goodness, this movie is fast, it’s funny, it’s smart, it’s sexy, it’s opulent, it’s intimate, and so much more.  I like the breezy air it brings as the various Singapore elite drop crazy sums of money, the sets and costumes are appropriately jaw-dropping, and I think Hannibal was the last time I saw food porn this good.  I also appreciate the attention given to the female gaze, letting some of the male cast members do their part to fight the stereotype that Asian men aren’t sexy.

I was a little apprehensive about the fact that I read the book so close to watching the movie, but I think this is a terrific adaptation.  It’s always faithful where it counts, and when it makes changes, it’s frequently for the better.  Some of these are just the energy an actor brings to their role, while others are thoughtful story differences that flesh out a character’s motivation or heighten the dramatic/emotional impact.  I especially like how the film brings the theme of Rachel being an outsider, as an Asian-American among Asians, forward in meaningful ways, and I really love how the resolution is handled.  (Plus, it’s a little thing, but I like that Ollie is specifically gay instead of just gay-coded.  Of course, he has no visible love life to speak of – goodness knows who’d want that :eyeroll: - but he does introduce himself to Rachel as “the rainbow sheep” of the family.)

#StarringConstanceWu!  I’ve adored Wu as Jessica on Fresh Off the Boat, and it’s such a treat to see her leading her own film, especially playing such a different character than Jessica.  Rachel is definitely thrown into the deep end of a world she’s not ready for, but she handles herself with strength and tenacity, and Wu brings the funny, the drama, and the romance in equal measure.  Newcomer Henry Golding has a charming, grounded presence as Nick, and aspects of the script help iron out some of the frustration I have with the character in the book.  Michelle Yeoh is, unsurprisingly, fantastically formidable as Nick’s mom, and Awkwafina is straight-up hilarious as the new-money rich Peik Lin.  The film also features Ken Jeong, The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng, Gemma Chan, and a host of other actors that I wasn’t familiar with but who are all great.  A knockout cast from top to bottom.

Warnings

Language, sexual content, drinking, drug references, and thematic elements (including references to domestic violence.)

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