"Crazy Rich Asians" Enough Glitz and Glamour to Get to the Finish Line

 

    I am writing this article asking myself one very important question: does all the opulence of this film take away from the message about the genuine isolation Asians can feel, even from their own people? Truthfully, I'm not sure, and frankly I don't really know how to write this review for the this film because the truth is I only wanted to rewatch it because for some reason right now I'm obsessed with Harry Shum Jr. and it's a lot more glam than I remember. Even still though I'd say that this film was enjoyable, though I'm afraid to ask how much it cost to make, because the sequel to this movie has been stuck in limbo for about six years and I don't know if it'll ever come out of there anytime soon. It's just, one of those films that you put on and sort of turn your brain off for, it really isn't that deep, there isn't too much substance, but it's ultimately fun, and so don't go in expecting too much about it.

    I mean I'm going to be honest I think I'm going to struggle writing even the bare minimum of five paragraphs about this movie. The main reason for this is that when it comes to the actual issues that this movie is meant to address, it just sort of becomes fixed, there's never any process shown, simply the results. Take for example, the final scene, Nick and his mother can be seen looking out into the balcony, and then Nick says him and Rachel can go back the next day. Sure that's all fine and dandy, and it's implied Nick and his mother patched things up, but it never touches upon how. Did the mother decide that she'll be the one taking the heat from the grandmother, once again letting her sun shine and have all the love she could never have? What does this mean for Rachel and Nick's relationship? Nick's father??

    It's not the only instance where this happens at all, which is kind of annoying because this movie has real potential to explore the dynamics of Asian families/rich people but it just sort of never happens. Like take Astrid and her husband, it ends pretty unceremoniously and doesn't get any of the screentime for anyone to really care too much about it. They just both have miscommunications/hide things and then they break up because he was having an affair. I'm not saying I was rooting for her ex-husband, but he had a valid point about how even she hid how much money her family had and it was hard for him. Yes, it's not her job to make him feel like a man, but there just seems like a lot of issues they needed to work out. I'm also surprised her character never made any sort of comment to Rachel warning her about that dynamic that existed between her and her husband either.

    I guess where I land with this film is that it touches upon some interesting topics and dynamics they could have explored, or at the very least plants the seeds of them, but it never allows or gives them the space to grow. Instead, understandably, the film decides to focus on the much happier, flashier parts of the film, I mean it is called Crazy Rich Asians after all, not Crazy Broken Asians. Once again, this film isn't bad, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't at the very least a bit shallow. I mean I suppose it's supposed to be some sort of celebration of Asian culture? Though to that end I wonder if a celebration of rich Asian people is what we really need. Look, I think I'm just overanalyzing the film at this point, not much will come out of trying to distill a main message that isn't just about the power of love.

Final Score: 75/100

    Considering I'm writing this review after watching this film a second time I'd be lying if I said this film isn't worth watching. Would I watch it a third time, maybe in another five years or so once I forget a little bit about the plot, or once the sequel comes around. This movie isn't particularly exceptional at anything other than being a spectacle. I suppose I didn't hate the cast, though I still do feel like Awkwafina is almost always type cast to be that one kind of funny character that I really don't like. Look, maybe this movie isn't for my kind of Asian, perhaps I'm too banana to understand it, or maybe my disdain for rich people has simply grown stronger since I last watched this film, so I'm a bit hesitant to just shut off my brain and enjoy the spectacle, either way watch the movie, it's pretty good.