Saturday, August 18, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians Review: Too Asian It Really Made Me Cry


All the media hype of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel, Crazy Rich Asians did not fail to deliver. The trailblazing romance comedy movie with an all Asian cast was rife with vibrant and free-spirited characters that our jaws hurt from laughing so hard. It was an extravagant display of power and brazen wealth while trying to resolve imperially an all too conflicting familial duty against the desires of the heart.

The opening scene was brief but sufficient to convey a strong message. Old money fixes everything- even a callous case of racism. Perhaps it also gives us a glimpse of the constant struggles that people of other race face even in a simple case of staying in a hotel.

Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and Nick Young (Henry Golding) were effervescent in their characters. There is a hint of biased since I am an Asian but I think they won the movie-goers with their indomitable spirits. The theatre was not full but the whole two hours was filled with laughter and loud reactions.

The gentle tug on my heart came when I saw the familiar Singapore Changi airport. I suddenly missed home so much that seeing a recognizable place almost made me teary-eyed. The sight of so many familiar Asian cuisines as seen in street-stall delicacies like satay, dumplings and curry made my stomach growl at the same time made my eyes a little bit misty. The ‘lah’ at the end of the sentence reminded me of my former Singapore and Malay co-teachers and elicited a bit of a chuckle.


The movie was a treasure trove of cultural display. The rich ethnicity of Chinese people was so distinct and although humor was injected in most of them, the truth is palpable. They favor their own people and Rachel is just too ‘American’ to belong to their family. The movie painted a dazzling picture of Singapore and Marina Bay Sands hotel was majestic and grandeur as expected. 


The underlying issues with Rachel’s plight were brought into what might be cruel but the truth nonetheless- she will never be enough. It is not just the question of wealth and power but also tradition and culture. Eleanor, Nick’s mother, exudes this aura of opulence and it is difficult to dislike a mother who thinks she knows what’s best for her son. Chinese culture goes deeper than the world-defined hierarchies or imperial influence and the movie clearly depicted that.

Crazy Rich Asians brought me into nostalgic reminiscences of my visits to Singapore. I caught myself exclaiming several times, "I've been there!" The places, the food, the people made the movie too ‘Asian’ that my eyes got misty thinking of the other part of the world I call home.

41 comments:

  1. Wow, great review, I would love to see this movie. Honestly, I didn't hear about it, but your post generated my interest in watching it.

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    1. I'm surprised that you didn't hear about it with all the media hyped it stirred.

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  2. Great angle and point of view for a story. Asia saves uniqueness and distinctiveness, and rich of local values..

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  3. Wow! Awesome review. I would love to see the movie.

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    1. It's beautiful so you should not miss it.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your great review here. Gonna spend some time for this good movie, and I miss my LARGE popcorn :D
    cheers, siennylovesdrawing

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  5. Beautiful review...apparently a lovely movie..cerrs cert worth a watch after reading this review...

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    1. I didn't really notice it was a long movie. It's beautiful. :)

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  6. Interesting! I have not heard about this book and also the movie.. May be i'll watch in once it comes on netflix later. Good review.

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  7. been looking forward to it....I mean Hollywood is saturated with an all too Western movies.....this is a break from it...your enthusiasm is contagious....I have to watch it...

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    1. Yes. It's a breath of fresh air from the usual Hollywood movie.

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  8. I definitely would want to watch this on the big screen! I have heard of this years back and now the wait is almost over! Can't wait ^_^ Thanks for the great review by the way.

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  9. i have watched this. It really a nice story. I am always k drama, chinese and japanese movie fan

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    1. I love sci-fi so I'm surprised that Ia actually like this.

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  10. I REALLY NEED to figure out what this movie is all about!

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    1. Lol. You probably need to watch it to understand.

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  11. Wow that was an awesome review and I can understand the tug on the heart when you see something you identify with , that isn't often shown, in the media. It sounds like a really fun movie , something I'll try to check out!

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  12. I thought it was boring but reading your review makes me think of watching it.

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    1. It wasn't boring at all. Even Hollywood personalities said that they were laughing the whole time while watching it.

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  13. Crazy rich Asians is trending here in Philippines because of Filipina actress Kris Aquino but I'll never check this movie Thanks for the preview I will check this out!

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    1. Kris Aquino's appearance was not really long but I agree that her role was so important to establish the personality of Rachel and the one that she will play in the society if married to Nick.

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  14. I ha dno clue about this one. I tried seeing it in India, but guess its not released here yet. Will wait till it comes out here!

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    1. I guess it was released on a latter date.

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  15. I definitely want to read the book now. I'm usually a skip the book and see the movie type of person, but I definitely want to read this one, first! Thanks.

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    1. Thanks! I haven't read the book but I heard it was pretty good.

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  16. I definitely want to read the book now. I'm usually a skip the book and see the movie type of person, but I definitely want to read this one, first! Thanks. *Sorry I realized my comment above didnt have any of my information!

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  17. Just started reading China Rich Girlfriend, and this review comes at the right time!

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  18. We loved how your expressed your views in the review. Such a well written one.

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  19. I heard the movie exists. I hope it is as interesting as the book itself.

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  20. Is this film available in Vietnam? It's really impressive. It's so bad if i can not see it in the theater. However, Thanks for sharing ^^

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    1. I guess it was released on a latter date.

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  21. I heard about the changi airport!. I liked the way you relate yourself to the movie. I know it is very nostalgic !!!

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