Allan Watched "Crazy Rich Asians"
Further proof that a romantic comedy can be elevated into a legitimate dramatic success, Crazy Rich Asians is a funny, vibrant, and emotionally intense comedy-drama that leaves us ready for more.
Gut Feeling
There are familiar tropes throughout Crazy Rich Asians, and although structurally there is not a ton of new ground covered, the film still feels fresh and alive, largely because of the extensive talent scattered throughout the best romantic comedy since The Big Sick and one of the most well-rounded films of 2018. I ranged from belly laughing at the amazing supporting comedic cast, to a puddle of sadness at the movies heaviest moments, and all together it left me excited to see what’s to come from this series.
Wu and Yeoh Lead the Way
Constance Wu earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her role as Rachel Chu, who is about to meet her boyfriend Nick’s family for the first time at what turns out to be the dopest wedding I have ever seen. Wu delivers on the most dramatic and cutting scenes of the film, mainly the many heartbreaking exchanges with Michelle Yeoh who plays Nick’s mother, but Wu also plays off the comedic talent extremely well to give us enough laughs to keep the heart happy during the saddest moments. Yeoh takes the role of the traditional, demanding mother who doesn’t think anyone is good enough for her son, and elevates it by giving us enough cracks in her brick-wall demeanor to give us hope she will change. It is all because of her performance that the moments in the third act sting so much, and the conclusion makes you want to cry.
The low-key standout of this film, and likely a focal point of future movies in this series, is Gemma Chan. Chan plays Nick’s cousin Astrid, a social icon who is dealing with a tough marriage, and even though her storyline feels like it gets a little too much prominence in the biggest moments of the film, Chan’s ability to let you into her soul in such a short amount of time made it a welcome experience. It is also clear that the reason they randomly put her story smack in the middle of the central conflict is because she will be under the microscope in the already confirmed sequel.
A Great Adaption
It is always tricky taking a book that is so beloved and significant as “Crazy Rich Asians” and turning it into a successful film, but John M. Wu, Peter Chiarelli, and Adele Lim effortlessly pulled it off. Chiarelli and Lim’s screenplay gives enough attention to the many great characters of this story, and did not shy away from typical Rom-Com structure, but instead lived it in and pulled the strands that make us obsessed with the format to begin with. Even though the Astrid storyline felt a little forced, it was still compelling storytelling.
Wu’s ability to let the elegance and glamour flow through every shot gives this film a Great Gatsby element, and even though the jumping around from location to location felt weird at times (like how Nick and Colin get off the boat onto that floating thing?), he still let us feel like we were in the lavish parties or chaotic city streets.
Comedic Fire Power
There were a lot of opportunities for minor characters to shine in Crazy Rich Asians, but Awkwafina, who plays a longtime friend of Rachel’s who happens to live like around the corner from the Young’s I guess, and Nico Santos steal the show. Their fashion show scene with Wu was my favorite of the movie, and I would gladly pay money to see takes that didn’t make it into the final cut. Ken Jeong gets ample opportunity to be weird as Awkwafina’s father, and the amazing Jimmy O. Yang even gets a few moments to be ridiculous as Nick and Colin’s former classmate. There is a lot of funny in this movie, and it helps round out a really great product.
Random Thoughts
Henry Golding is the most attractive human on the planet, can we all agree? It is remarkable that this was his first ever film (quickly followed up by A Simple Favor), and his heartfelt performance as man who must choose between the love of his life and his demanding family is a tad archetypal, but still a welcomed sight to be seen.
Grandma turning heel is the biggest betrayal of 2018.
I can’t think of a movie that made me hungrier in my life.
Snakes on a Plane has ruined all enormous luxury planes for me. I felt like I couldn’t enjoy that scene. Damn you Samuel L.
Another thing that is apparently ruined for me is the name Astrid. I’m looking at you Steve Carell.
There are some really odd location jumps in this movie. I don’t think I know how Rachel ever got to one setting to another. My guess is there is a lot on the cutting room floor that make the jumps not feel as peculiar.
The delivery of “You will never be enough” by Yeoh to Wu is the coldest and most gut-wrenching delivery of that overused line I have ever seen. Woof.
I audibly gasped when I saw the ring in the final airplane scene.
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
Second time!
Where was I watching it?
In my office while playing Madden. For a movie I’ve already seen, I did do a lot of pausing, which is the best review a movie could ever get, really.
Favorite trivia about the movie
“Constance Wu lives in LA with her pet rabbit, Lida Rose,” is the only sentence I need to read in 2019.
Favorite part
“Chickens are bitches.”
Least favorite part
The Awkwafina’s creepy brother bit continued to not work throughout the movie.
Would I recommend this movie?
For sure. This is like the caviar of lazy Sunday afternoon movies to watch. Funny, gripping, and can easily give you a good cry.
So What Does Allan Give It?
Two Gold Thumbs Up! Overall, a score of 86. A joy to watch, and I look forward to the next one or four or ten movies from this series. Now here’s GIF I used in a text literally seven minutes ago.
