Stars: 5/5
Romantic comedies are having a comeback, and the recent additions to the genre from streaming platforms like Netflix and theaters are proving it’s not just the same, stale, stereotypical stories we’ve seen over and over. “Crazy Rich Asians” leads the way for today’s rom-com, standing apart from the rest for its complex characters and storyline, in addition to its contribution to Asian representation in Hollywood.
Our rom-com heroine in this story is Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) to meet his family and friends. Nick’s large, incredibly wealthy family is far different from how Rachel grew up. Living in the U.S. with just her mom, Rachel had no idea what was in store when she agreed to go on this trip with Nick — she had not realized just how rich Nick’s family was, or just how much drama she’d have to deal with.
Rachel is such a relatable character. She is strong and intelligent and just as charming as her male counterpart. The audience sees this world through her eyes, and they are just as in awe of it as she is and just as blindsided and hurt thanks to the emotion Wu brings to her performance.
The supporting characters like Oliver (Nico Santos) and Peik Lin (Awkwafina) provide the perfect amount of comic relief while still holding their own place in the story. Peik Lin is just as supportive and caring of her friend Rachel as she is hilarious.
“Crazy Rich Asians” is stunning and extravagant, perfectly reflecting the crazy rich lifestyle of the Singaporean families the movie follows. Everything, from the outfits to the sets and locations, is extraordinarily beautiful.
The movie starts slowly and does feel a bit rushed near the end, which takes some of the impact away from a few of the bigger reveals in the story. It would have to be a much longer movie to fully delve into every character and storyline it follows, and given that it’s an adaptation of a novel, it makes sense for some things to be left out and condensed.
“Crazy Rich Asians” also has an incredible soundtrack, featuring beautiful and heartbreaking covers of songs like “Yellow” by Coldplay and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” both of which are pretty much guaranteed to make you cry, especially when paired with some of the film’s most emotional scenes.
Definitely take the time to go see this movie while it’s still in theaters, even if you don’t consider yourself a romantic comedy fan. The cast is fantastic in the roles they play, and there’s more than enough drama and excitement to keep you entertained.