The News-Herald
Once you understand all that “Crazy Rich Asians” has riding on it, you can’t help but feel pressure to give it the fairest of shakes.
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, this is the first time a major Hollywood studio has put major resources into a contemporary theatrically released film with an “all-Westernized Asian cast and creator” since Disney did so with 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.”
Plus, the studio behind “Crazy Rich Asians,” Warner Bros. Pictures, won out over Netflix for the rights to the film with Kevin Kwan, author of the bestselling 2013 novel of the same name, and its director, Jon M. Chu. While the online giant was offering a huge pile of money — “I could have moved to an island and never worked another day,” Kwan tells the media outlet — and a greenlit trilogy — Kwan followed “Crazy Rich Asians” with “China Rich Girlfriend” in 2015 and “Rich People Problems” last year — the dream was to see the story come to life on the big screen.
Fortunately, now that it has, “Crazy Rich Asians” is crazy-easy to like.
Sure, as it ultimately is a romantic comedy, it has its share of moments either silly or clunky, as well as a highly predictable, not-all-that-well-executed ending. On the other hand, under the zippy direction by Chu, it provides entertaining characters and laughs aplenty. And, just as importantly, it whisks us away to Singapore, to beautiful settings and luxurious parties, giving the film viewer a virtual mini vacation to a beautiful and faraway place.
The story begins closer to home, in New York City, with lovebirds Rachel Chu (the very likeable Constance Wu of TV’s “Fresh off the Boat”), a young and beautiful professor of economics, and her smart, kind and handsome beau, Nick Young (impressive newcomer Henry Golding). When Nick invites Rachel to travel back home to Singapore with him to attend the wedding of his best friend and in the process meet his family, she accepts.
Unbeknown to Rachel, Nick is the scion of one of Singapore’s wealthiest families, a fact he has hidden as they’ve dated. Her first clue that she is flying toward a world of riches comes when she sees lavish accommodations she and Nick will enjoy during their intercontinental flight. He still maintains some of the ruse, saying his family is “comfortable” in terms of money.
Once in the company of said family, the jig is quite up, as the wealth of the Youngs is evident everywhere. Rachel is upset, but not that upset — and soon she has as issue bigger than the secret her boyfriend had kept to make sure she was interested in him, not his money.
It is fairly apparent early on and then becomes painfully obvious that Nick’s mother, Eleanor (a steely Michelle Yeoh, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Memoirs of a Geisha”), does not see Rachel as a suitable match for her son — not in the long term, not if he is going to continue the family’s legacy. Eleanor views the accomplished, Asian-American Rachel as too ambitious and someone who doesn’t understand and appreciates the traditions of the family and their culture.
By being with Nick, Rachel also has made an enemy of the many single women of Singapore. That becomes abundantly clear after she’s invited to the bride-to-be’s bachelorette party.
As for Nick, he tries to sort out his feelings during the bachelor party for pal Colin (Chris Pang), being thrown by the wild and obnoxious Bernard Tai (Jimmy O. Yang of HBO’s “Silicon Valley” earning some laughs).
Another lively character is the more substantial Peik Lin (Awkwafina), Rachel’s old college roomie. In the hands of Awkwafina, who had a supporting role in this year’s “Ocean’s 8,” the fashionable Peik is an over-the-top personality but ultimately is very supportive when it comes to Rachel.
“Crazy Rich Asians” is populated by several other minor characters, a few of whom are Nick’s siblings and their significant others. The only one who gets anything in the way of a meaningful subplot is sister Astrid Young Teo (Gemma Chan of the TV series “Humans”), to whom Nick is closest and who tries to hide her expensive shopping habit from her husband, Michael (Pierre Png). The issue isn’t that they can’t afford her expensive tastes but instead that she fears her wealthy upbringing embarrasses Michael, who comes from a common family and is trying to make his own name in the business world.
In adapting “Crazy Rich Asians” for the big screen, writers Peter Chiarelli (“The Proposal,” “Now You See Me 2”) and Adele Lim (TV’s “Starcrossed”) no doubt had to make some trims. (I took a friend to an advanced screening who had read the book, and her opinion is the book is better than the film but that the movie did retain the essence of what made the novel enjoyable.)
What the film version of “Crazy Rich Asians” most needs is a better final stretch than the one served up by Chiarelli, Lim and the director, who give us too little time between the movie’s final, potentially earth-shattering plot development and the story’s conclusion. After about an hour and 45 minutes of characters largely living it up, the drama feels rushed.
Still, Chu (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “Now You See Me 2) does a lot of nice things with “Crazy Rich Asians,” starting with a visually impressive early sequence when, after a young woman who knows how important Nick is back in Singapore, snaps a selfie with Nick and Rachel visible in the background. The woman sends the photo off to a friend, and then we see how it quickly spreads like gossip wildfire to Singapore.
Warner Bros. has yet to greenlight “China Rich Girlfriend,” but if this first chapter sizzles the way it should at the box office, we won’t have seen the last of the Youngs in theaters.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’
3 stars
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh
Rated: PG-13 for some suggestive content and language.
Runtime: 2 hours, 1 minute.
Playing: Regal Santa Cruz 9, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge, CineLux Scotts Valley Cinema, Green Valley Cinema 9
