Review of “Crazy Rich Asians”
From left, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding and Ms. Wu in the film.
Credit Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros.
No summer should pass us by without a romantic comedy and not just any romantic comedy but a really awesome one! And that is exactly what director John Cu has delivered with “Crazy Rich Asians”. Based on the best selling novel by Kevin Wan and the screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim this movie will have you laughing, crying and making you feel good all at the same time. Sure it may seem like the usual boy meets girl, loves girl, takes her home to meet family but loses girl…right sound simple and could be dull well! WRONG !!
With its all Asian cast, this movie is a classic and here to stay. And I am ready to see it again.
The film stars Henry Golding(plays Nick Young) and Constance Wu(plays Rachel Chu) Henry and Rachel are in love and have been dating for a while. Nick has been invited to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore and thinks it’s the perfect time for Rachel to meet his family. Okay, alarm bells should go off for Rachel but let’s consider that she is American born and raised by a single Mom who not have coached her in the subtleties of her cultural heritage. Myself being West Indian born and raised we all know that you had better hope your parents like the boy you bring home and the family that spawned him.
Rachel is excited to visit Singapore for the first time and nervous about meeting Nick’s family. But she does have a friend Peik Lin (played by Awkwafina) she met in college who has moved back to Singapore. So knowing that she will have at least one female friend in her corner gives her a modicum of confidence.
Constance Wu stars in the romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” the director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel.CreditSanja Bucko/Warner Bros.
While out for dinner Rachel and Nick are spotted by an Asian socialite and her friends and before you can say…ahh.. in flash of a tweet and our amazing social media technology anyone who is anyone in Singapore including Nick’s mother Eleanor Young(played by Michelle Yeoh) knows Nick has a girlfriend. When Nick confirms this bit of news over the phone and mentions their arrival Mom swiftly informs Nick she has their separate rooms available, so you already know where this is headed.
Let’s stop for a second and let me say from the opening shots of Singapore done by the amazing Cinematographer Vanja Cernjul is breathing-taking and I am already planning my trip. In fact, I think this film is a postcard love letter to this city and country. And then there are the mansions because being in rich in Singapore is really, really rich. Yep forget the “mansions” in Beverly Hills or should I say small homes because there really is no comparison. But I digress because this review is about the movie, not the homes, the fabulous stores, the jewelry or the designer shoes and bags. It’s about love!
So when Rachel does meet the grand Eleanor Young she soon realizes this trip is much more than she bargained for and begins to wonder if the love is worth it. The rest of the cast is full of fun surprises and offer real comedic talent with our leading man Nick Golding who is definitely my favorite heartthrob. Constance Wu is a feisty, charmingly beautiful leading lady and watching these two actors light up the screen is definitely how I like to send my last days of summer at the movies.
And that is all I will say other than go out and see ” Crazy Rich Asians” you be the judge.
According to Boxoffice.com “Crazy Rich Asians is riding a strong wave of buzz thanks to excellent pre-sales that have matched/exceeded films like Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Girls Trip, while its Twitter activity is measuring far ahead of the pace of fellow popular novel adaptation, Me Before You.”
“Crazy Rich Asians” features an international cast of stars, led by Constance Wu (“Fresh Off the Boat”), Gemma Chan (“Humans”), Lisa Lu (“2012”), and Awkwafina (“Ocean’s 8,” “Neighbors 2”), with Ken Jeong (the “Hangover” films”) and Michelle Yeoh (“Star Trek: Discovery,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). The large starring ensemble also includes Henry Golding, making his feature film debut, Sonoya Mizuno (“La La Land”), Chris Pang (“Marco Polo”), Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”), comedian Ronny Chieng (“The Daily Show”), Remy Hii (“Marco Polo”), Nico Santos (“Superstore”), and Jing Lusi (“Stan Lee’s Lucky Man”).
“Crazy Rich Asians” was filmed entirely on location in Singapore and Malaysia. It opened on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. And will open in Singapore on August 22nd, 2018
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with SK Global and Starlight Culture, a Color Force/Ivanhoe Pictures/Electric Somewhere Production, a Jon M. Chu Film, “Crazy Rich Asians.” Distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is rated PG-13.
Reviewed-Lucy Jordan
