Crazy Rich Asians — Review

Crazy Rich Asians, from director Jon M. Chu, screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and novelist Kevin Kwan, is an absolutely delightful romantic comedy that doesn’t collapse under the weight of its ambitions and becomes a multilayered story that simultaneously explores family, identity, class and love in a genuine way beyond mere labels. The way these themes not just intersect but inform one another and develop them is a testament to the film’s embodiment of theme instead of using it as interchangeable filler dialogue between scenes.
One of the elements that helps this are the characters, particularly Rachel (Constance Wu) and Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh). They transcend stereotypes as fully-fledged characters who are inevitably brought into conflict instead of vapidly set up as per the genre usual. There’s a scene, midway through Act 2, a simple stairwell conversation that is genuinely shocking — not necessarily because of wild new information, but because of the unusual lack of depth we see in these characters who are traditionally painted in broad strokes. One line especially in said scene manages to simultaneously be both warm and cold in a way that only strong writing can truly be.
The central love story also works so well since it’s about a “phase” in their relationship, or more appropriately, a transition instead of the entire thing. These are delightful lovers that are honestly trying to do the best for one another and genuinely want this to work out — even if Nick Young’s (Henry Golding) unflappable kindness diffuses situations with more ease than they dramatically should — as much as I enjoy a more melodramatic-proof romance.
On that note, the film is still very funny, brought to life by comedic actors such as Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Nico Santos and often Constance Wu. The comedy, as well as the bombastic nature of the story — filled with large parties, secluded islands, private helicopters, mansions, loud music and so much more — never drowns out the story. A small moment between our two leads in a grandiose scene about two other people can still be moving not in spite of everything going on but because of it. Even if some of the conflict is inorganic in a way that’s genre typical, it’s never so contrived as to outweigh the more genuine developments that involve us.
The cast is all wonderful (especially Michelle Yeoh) but interestingly enough the best performance in this massive ensemble: Constance Wu — charming, hilarious, endearing & vulnerable often all at once. Yes she’s known from Fresh off the Boat but she should be one of the most in demand stars in Hollywood. Genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed this film and highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance in theaters.