Crazy Rich Asians: A Joy to Behold

Three years ago, I waxed poetic about my love for Kevin Kwan's novel, Crazy Rich Asians. Since then, I've read the sequels with similar joy, and when I heard John Wu would be making a movie, I was beyond excited. Much was said about how this was the first Hollywood movie in 25 years, since The Joy Luck Club, to feature an all-Asian cast. One must hesitate to add we're talking about Southeast Asian, as there have been movies featuring South Asian actors. And that kind of nitpicking gets into how this movie needed to be everything to everybody and means so much to the whole Asian diaspora. But guess what? Go into the theater and watch Crazy Rich Asians for two hours. And regardless of whether you're Asian or not, whether you're a fan of romcoms or not, you will come out of the theater feeling more joyful than you have felt in a LONG while.

First off, the cast. Almost every single cast member is a standout, and if you didn't know them before watching this movie, you will certainly be clamoring to see them after this film. Constance Wu is magnificent as Rachel Chu, an NYU Economics professor who has fallen in love with Nick Young (the delicious Henry Golding in his first ever movie role, but certainly not his last), a fellow professor who seems to be a "normal" man. When he suggests that she fly over to Singapore with him for his best friend's wedding and meet his family, she agrees; but when they board the plane and get upgraded to super-fancy First Class with their own private suite, she finally starts to understand that this man might not come from the same humble background as her and her single mother. When they arrive in Singapore, she is immediately swept away in a whirlwind of decadence, and when she visits her college friend Peik Lin (played by the hilarious Awkwafina, who really needs to be in ALL THE THINGS immediately), she is informed that her boyfriend is considered to be Singaporean royalty.

This is a classic romcom with soap operatic family drama courtesy of Nick's mother, Eleanor, who is played by Michelle Yeoh in the most riveting performance of the evil mother-in-law that you will witness on screen this year. Despite being the villain in this love story, you fully understand where this woman is coming from and her fear that her son has picked an ABC (American-born Chinese) instead of a traditional Singaporean woman who would know that she needs to put the needs of the family ahead of her own personal ambitions. As you get more of Eleanor's backstory, you see how she suffered the same persecution at the hands of Nick's grandmother, who never thought Eleanor was good enough for her son, and thus, we have the classic Asian history of mothers-in-law sabotaging their son's wives through the ages.

What makes Crazy Rich Asians so spectacular is the loving detail in the cinematography by Vanja Cerjul. I saw this film with my friend Katie, who is a fellow lover of the books. Thanks to our jobs, we have both also spent time in Singapore and were thoroughly delighted with how that city was depicted throughout the movie, particularly the hunger-inducing shots of Singaporean meals. Food is such a central theme of the books and Singaporean culture, and you need to ensure you bring a snack as you watch the cast munch on satay, dumplings, and all manner of delicacies that I pine for on a daily basis.

In addition, costume designer Mary Vogt does an excellent job of attiring the entire cast in just the right outfits to indicate their level of wealth. There's the flashy opulence of Eddie Cheng and his family, in contrast to the simple but powerfully wealthy elegance of Astrid Leong, who can shell out millions on earrings without a second thought, in further contrast to Rachel's Gap aesthetic. All of the accents also make it very clear where everyone lies in the social hierarchy - the wealthy families all sport English accents thanks to elite schooling at private schools and Oxbridge, while Peik Lin's nouveau riche family or Astrid's "commoner" husband, Michael, speak with much more Chinese-accented English. And let's not forget the brilliant score by Brian Tyler or the magnificent soundtrack featuring Cantonese pop covers of famous English songs. You may not understand the words but you will quickly recognize the tunes, and the foreignness of this setting instantly feels a bit more familiar.

Crazy Rich Asians might feel like it's dealing with people and places you know nothing about, but what is truly remarkable about this movie is the universality of its story and its appeal. It's a classic rags-to-riches tale, a Cinderella story about a poor woman who found her prince and the obstacles in their way towards finding true love. And it all takes place in a breezy two hours that will have you beaming from start to finish. I honestly don't know when I have seen a movie that delighted me so thoroughly in every single scene. I was overjoyed when I left the theater and I cannot wait to see every single sequel as well as what this cast goes on to do in the future. This movie hasn't just established a franchise. It has ushered a whole new way forward for Hollywood.