It's a solid, if totally formulaic rom-com. It's filled with cliches, and is totally predictable, but if you're in the mood for this kind of movie, it should satisfy. It's more noteworthy for its page in history, in bringing more diversity to Hollywood, even in its flashy summer fun films.
Expected a comedy, but got hit in the feels :')
Excellent movie with a familiar cast. I think the screenplay did a great job of making you feel you were actually along for the journey, a point most romcoms miss horribly. There was a special connection with a lot of the characters I felt. While it had funny moments (by predicament or culture), I wouldn't categorize this as a comedy, just romance/drama. Still not disappointed that I saw it though.
This is an amazing movie that gets better with each viewing. Constance Wu is so beautiful and it is distracting but this movie is about so much more. Mother/daughter relationships and what it means to be a family. I love it so much and I am so happy this movie exists.
I loved this movie. It's throw back to romantic comedies of the 60's with Doris Day and Rock Hudson with a dash of suave sophistication and globe trotting of James Bond in one package. It wasn't just light fun, though, like so many rom-coms are. You deeply invest in these characters and care about what happens with them. 8/10
A glamorous soap opera with minimal humor and only a small amount of drama that actually resonates. It seems to rely on focusing in on Asian culture, which is uncommon in mainstream movies, for sure. But, I was basically bored and uninterested.
Adorable, funny, different. That's what I loved about this movie.
For me was amazing to explore another culture.
I hope there's a second part of this movie.
One of the best movies I’ve seen so far this year!
Throwing in Asians, some decent cinematography and a great location won’t distract anyone from the fact that this is the same ol’ cheesy romcom that’s been made hundreds of times. It being labeled as inventive or creative is a joke, it reeks of surface level marketing. Ah well, at least the actors carry a pretty good screen presence, and the comedy is never lowbrow or stupid.
Watched with the whole family after the youngest went to bed. We all really enjoyed this. Loved the characters, loved the story. I was expecting a romantic comedy featuring Asian characters that are rich... I didn't expect that they were truly CRAZY rich. Mixing Asian culture, foreign to a big part of an English speaking audience (myself included), with the foreign-ness of how ridiculously rich they are was subversive in such a great way.
LOVED the opening scene. Set up the rest of the movie pretty well.
This is a solid romcom that felt much more like a full on romance than a comedy. Don't get me wrong there are some attempts at jokes but really none of them landed for me. Still I enjoyed this movie. It is awesome seeing an entirely asian cast. I thought Constance Wu and Henry Golding had good chemistry. Michelle Yeoh was great and Awkwafina had a lot of energy. It is beautifully shot and made Singapore look gorgeous. I hope this is a big success and we get more movies with diverse casts.
I'm pretty much as white as it gets, so damn it was refreshing to watch a fully Asian cast do their thing. I really dislike musicals, but I felt the musical choices were great for the movie and added an even more specifically Asian dimension (not just, we're making a Westernised movie about an Asian story). There were some throwbacks that reminded me of friend's moms along with some contemporary Western hits. Total bonus - the cinematography was excellent, something I was frankly not expecting in this kind of movie (light rom-com/drama). There were some really gorgeous shots.
While some have noted that the movie is problematic in some ways with regards to representation, I'd love to see more of this kind of immersive, English-language (for the most part) film being made. I'm not a super fan of the overall story, and am usually pretty cynical about the whole 'omg you never told me you're rich! drama ensues, then love conquers most' kind of storyline, but I felt like the movie was fairly solid overall and other aspects kept me engaged (with a bit of cynical eye rolling for good measure).
This is an absolute must-see fairy tale. Fireworks from start to finish!
[5.4/10] At some point, a stock romcom is a stock romcom. Crazy Rich Asians is suffused with things that set it apart from the usual romantic comedy, from its all-Asian cast, to the cultural specificity of its settings and challenges, to the generational and geographic disconnects that define its family conflicts. But at the end of the day, the laudable distinction of those things is drowned in the tired familiarity of blandly-sketched characters, annoyingly broad comedy, and thin explorations of those intriguing idea in glitzy-to-the-nines environment.
At one point in the movie, one character asks the male lead, “what do you think this is, some kind of fairytale?” And the answer is yes, yes it is. The film is the story of a perfect, beautiful protagonist who goes and visits a fairytale world of flash and luxury with her handsome, perfect boyfriend. She faces what should be genuine but ultimately perfunctory challenges which she, being perfect, overcomes with only the most minor of setbacks before earning her skeptical mother-in-law’s acceptance and getting her inevitable happy ending.
All the while, Crazy Rich Asians gives itself over to a host of standard romcom tropes. There are countless broadly-sketched, irritating-as-hell side characters in this movie. They are intended largely to be comic relief, but are all so over-the-top cartoony that they all come off like filler at best and albatrosses at worst. There is the instant best friend who becomes the source of strength and commiseration without it ever being earned. And there’s the fantasy of all-conquering love that is given by fiat rather than ever really established between the protagonist and her beau.
And that’s all before you get to the unmitigated luxury porn of Crazy Rich Asians. For a film that wants to pretend it’s asking hard questions about wealth and class, it is not shy about bombarding the viewer with glitz and glamour. There are umpteen food montages. There is a miniature fashion show and dozens of scenes where folks are dressed to the nines. There are elaborate bachelor/bachelorette parties, and tons of grand, panning shots of the Singapore landscape, and any number of parties or other fancy gatherings for the viewer to mentally insert themselves. There’s a Wolf of Wall Street quality to the film, where it’s implicitly trying to cast some judgment on the type of lifestyle it depicts, while also clearly trying to make that lifestyle look as cool and enviable and escapist as possible.
What kills me about all of this is that Crazy Rich Asians has a story worth telling. The core of the film’s conflict comes down to different expectations of culture and family obligation between people of Chinese heritage who grew up in the United States, and people of Chinese heritage who still live in Asia. There is an intriguing story of generational expectations and personal sacrifices expected and inherited in distinct cultures and communities. And while it’s contradicted by the film’s presentation, there’s even a solid theme of the impact of wealth on who we become and how it affects the people we care about.
But the film never goes particularly deep into any of these topics. It’s mostly content to pay them lip service, while tossing off another glamorous montage or deploying another standard romcom trope. Told in a different way, this movie could have been something genuinely worthwhile; it’s subject matter certainly is. Left with tin-eared dialogue, fairytale romance logic, and snootfuls of tepid humor, however, Crazy Rich Asians is, instead, maddening in its missed potential.
The best you can say for it is that it is nice to look at. As shallow as the film is, and as gratuitous as many of its sequences are, it’s hard not to watch a montage of a food market, or a drink shared on still waters, or silent proclamations of love in a slow-motion, dream-like wedding, and not be lured in, just a little. Crazy Rich Asians knows how to push its audiences buttons, which is partly how it gets away with offering so little of substance in the guise of making grand statements in dramatic tones.
It also gets by on the charm of its cast. Rachel Chu and Nick Young are barely-there audience insert characters, whose personalities can roughly be summed up as “they’re pretty and they like each other.” But what the film lacks in substance to their romance, it makes up for in texture, with their playfulness and general cuteness together papering over a fair bit of how stock their relationship is. And Michelle Yeoh stands out as the Emily Gilmore-esque grand dame who is, like everyone in the film, saddled with the script’s painfully on-the-nose dialogue, but whose ability to convey nuance and emotion in her character’s nonverbal cues manages to not only rescue her character, but make her one of the film’s anchors.
The other major anchor is supposed to be Nick’s cousin Astrid, who is Rachel’s insta-bestie and the lead of the movie’s B-story. It sees her confronting the fact that her husband is having an affair, and comes out with a really confusing message. Ostensibly Astrid’s arc is that she feels guilty about the effect her wealth and her family’s expectation has on her husband, blames herself for his dalliance, but then sees how Rachel is able handle it and realizes that her husband is just a jerk. But being relegated to the B-story, there’s barely enough moments for the story to breathe, with far more telling than showing about who these people are and what they’re about. And while I doubt it’s the film’s intention, the final moral to this segment seems to be “if people are uncomfortable with you buying million-dollar earrings, that’s on them!”
Rachel’s arc is, thankfully, less discomfiting, albeit still fairly stock. She meets her boyfriend’s family; the family doesn't like her, but she proves her ability to stand up for herself and eventually earns their respect and acceptance after some minor personal trials. That standard story is livened and made more interesting by it being steeped in two very different stories of Chinese emigration, but at the end of the day, Crazy Rich Asians can’t escape the hoariness of its tropes, even when it grazes something far deeper and more unique in the specific cultural mores it’s trying to unpack.
Its characters are just too lightly-defined, its conflicts too stock and obvious, its comedy too loud and grating, and its messages and declarations too blunt and obvious. As a feature-length tourism video, Crazy Rich Asians is inviting as all hell. As a feel-good bit of warm fuzzy escapism, its shallow romance is charming enough to pass muster. But an incisive drama, with something meaningful to say about the worthy ideas it fleetingly toys with, it falls woefully short. Instead, it gives itself over the usual romcom beats and cheap seats humor, draping them both in cultural explorations that deserve better than to be examined through such a superficial, fairytale lens.
I can't comment on the entire film, as I gave up on it within about 20 minutes. The acting is incredibly substandard, but I can live with that.
It's pretty impressive how cliche every scene can be when presenting what should be a new and different concept. The opening scene provides some cartoonish racism that seems to serve no purpose to the story except to demonstrate that rich people can solve every problem with money.
It's just too disappointing.
Take Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous combine it with Cribs, The Entourage movie and Cinderella, cast it with Asian people and you get a recipe for a pretty charming movie. The cast is likable and I understand why people would like this movie, it is fun to pretend that we are rich, but don't we hate rich people? Aren't rich people the enemy? Isn't it time we redistribute the wealth!? You won't get an answer to this question from Crazy Rich Asians, but you will get yourself caught in the grasp of a romp-comp (rom-com). Also what was up with that cousin subplot with the cheating husband? I assume that is explored a bit more in the book but that did not work here.
Crazy Rich Asians is like Asian-American cuisine. The Asian parts are exotic and flavourful, while the American bits feel rehashed, bland and still cold in the middle.
I love love love that the movie wasn't word for word the same as the book. It stayed true to most things, but made several scenes more cinematic which I loved because I get so bored when there's no difference between the book and the movie. The book is still my favorite but wowowow this was so cute plus I may have teared up at one point.
My problem with this movie is the sheer lack of understanding by Nicki Young in relation to Rachael Chu’s situation. She doesn’t come from money. She grew up middle-class, lower middle-class with a single parent, and then here this man comes in with this crazy, crazy inheritance, and hides it from her, and then proceeds to not tell her about it when they go to meet the family and I just think that’s total dogshit. He did not prepare her at all to happen. He didn’t pay her for the ruthlessness of the people around him, even though he knew what they were like growing up. It’s just horrible.
when he proposes with her mother's ring I cried a lot!! :sob::sob::sob:
[not a review, more of reactions/side comments]
watched this with my friends via gmeet and while i wasn't able to enjoy it properly due to my poor connection, it did not disappoint !!!
now, i just want to marry someone like nick bc im that material gworl :nail_care: and hello?????? Nick Young???????? I mean????? HARD SMASH
Astrid is alsoooo so fucking attractive, like you go girl
Overall, it was fun to watch and definitely passed the vibe check !! At first, I disliked some of nick's family members because you can literally feel their superiority complex ??? And how they think so low of Rachel just because she's not like them ???? Well except for Astrid, my queen :person_bowing:♀:person_bowing:♀:person_bowing:♀
AND PLEASE ??? PEIK LIN DESERVES TO BE MENTIONED HERE !!! SHE WAS SO ADORABLY FUNNY :weary::weary:
I love this movie so much! Being Asian I was so excited to an all Asian cast. It was funny and emotional. My opinion is definitely biased and its probably not as amazing as I see it, but I was just so happy that it exists. I’ve watched it multiple times, its like my comfort movie.
6 at best! Consumed story. Not very well thought off ending (makes you feel they just wanted to wrap up). Decent acting, but nothing great, especially from the male protagonist.
*A Few Flaws In The Diamond*
NYU economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is dating Nick Young (Henry Golding). As the best man, he invites her to his cousin's wedding in Singapore. She does not know that he's the heir apparent to a family empire.
This mostly works as a romance and family soap opera. It does have a few flaws in an otherwise valiant effort. First, I don't love this couple. I like them enough but I don't love them. It's missing the meet-cute. The movie does open with a racism-cute and I don't propose to cut that out. The relationship is simply underdeveloped. The couple has only one scene together before the movie starts throwing the Oh-He's-Super-Rich stuff at her. It needs more and it may help to have a scene with him and her mother. Their lives in New York need more time. The one scene I could cut out is the poker scene. It's meant to connect with the climatic mahjong scene but that's the next flaw.
The mahjong scene is a high difficulty move. It has to solve the conundrum in the characters' relationship. Without giving spoilers, the scene isn't perfect. First, one needs to know how to play the game in order to understand what the characters are doing. Second, Rachel needs to show both perfect deference and perfect defiance. It's almost an impossible task which they try to do with the game. It may work in a book where the author can explain the concepts. A movie doesn't have the time to explain it all. I would do it differently but I must admit that I may not have it cracked either. Rachel should at least defend her mother in her speech.
What's great are the actors and the simple act of making this film. The characters are compelling if only Ken Jeong can hold back a little. Michelle Yeoh is a great dragon lady. The staging is impressive. For all the riches, this diamond does have its flaws.
My Score: 7/10. (Seen on 4K)
This film is absolutely stunning. Be it the cast, screenplay or cinematography - I am in love. Also, it very much made me want to visit Singapore.
After all the gushing this film has received, I just had to see what all the fuss was about. Did I LOVE it? Not really, though it was enjoyable, and a delight, as always, to spend time with Fresh Off The Boat's Constance Wu. On the downside, it was fairly contrived and utterly predictable, tho with a smattering of funny moments and a nice cast, that didn't matter too much. Good but not great, but romcom fans are bound to rate it higher.
I was skeptical after all the hype, but it was good. It's a rom-com so of course its predictable but it was still fun to watch. And while its very similar to many other rom-coms it also addresses difficult realities about immigration, children of immigrants being stuck between two worlds, dealing with the past and self worth. It addresses some realities that a kot of rom-coms gloss over, so I liked that.
Cute but overrated don't @ me
I envy this movie I felt like I wasn't living & the same time I fell in love. The truth is the best acting I have seen from Asians..love it.
My best love story for 2018
So many good things to like about this movie it's easier to list the things I didn't like. 1) still not that big a fan of the out of nowhere Awkwafina. I don't get her. 2) There's joke in the movie where the locals mock Rachel for having small breasts. Which is a super weird insult considering that while there's a variety in the breast size of the actresses in the movie most of them skew towards smaller. 3) There's a scene where Rachel spills wine on Nick's shirt which serves primarily as a reason for him to remove his shirt. I'm not offended by it i just think it's cheesy and transparent.
That's about it honestly. Everything else in the movie is fantastic. The soundtrack is compelling. The performances are chilling and hilarious when they need to be. I do have trouble telling some of the third tier characters apart because everyone is a wealthy socialite wearing the same designer clothing. But most of the characters do dress, look and act different. The relationships were a fun ride and I left satisfied and eager to see the inevitable sequel.
That love story about rich and poor, nothing new.
Good image, really nice views of Singapore.
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
0 / 1 story
1 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
1 / 1 writing
-1 / 1 originality
0 / 1 stays with you
0 / 1 misc
5 out of 10
PERFECT. JUST PERFECT. GONNA WATCH IT AGAIN. GO WATCH IT TOO
The hype surrounding this movie was crazy (both from the critics and the audience) so I had high expectations. I would lie if I said I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't invested in the characters' stories not did I care what happened to them. I also found the script/editing/acting to be awkward.
I still smiled a few times, so there's that.
I read nearly 50% of the book but I couldn't finish because I didn't enjoy it. It's definitely one of the rare ocasions when the movie is WAY better than the book. So good!
Started expecting nothing. Really enjoyed it.
At its core... this film isn't a romance imo. It's a story of generational power and mother/daughter relationships. The struggle between matriarch, Su Yi, & Eleanor was the backdrop for the romance between Nick Young and Rachel Chu. And the differences in culture between American, Chinese-American, and Chinese were on display between Eleanor, Nick Young, Rachel, and Rachel's mother.
The focus on rich asian culture led to stunning shots & brilliant uses of CGI! The contrast between the party scenes and the more intimate family moments held such prestige and wealth still. With a script that was able to deliver comedy & "feelings", this movie never fails to disappoint.
As I'm writing this review, I have watched this movie 6 times since the day it was released... Awesome movie I couldn't recommend it enough.
Typical rom-com without any comedy. You just fell in love with the two of them and their bond. There is no actually comedy that makes you laugh but the story is good, very entertaining and very satisfying.
It is a feel good movie that you can watch with your spouse and no one will have complaints.
A highly-polished, visually stunning rom com. A film I could happily rewatch every few years.
A great adaptation of a book. This movie is very entertaining and funny to watch with just about anyone.
Literally nothing happens in this movie. It's about rich people. Movie is telling us that they have big house and helicopters. There's no plot and we don't even have time to know characters better because everything is about the fact that rich people have money. It's good when you don't have anything to watch but there's no plot and no deepness to anything. You can have the same experience watching pictures of rich people for two hours
Definition of meh (this is extra)
Did I buy the end of the movie? Nope not one bit. Was it still enjoyable? Sure. Reminded me a lot of My Big Fat Greek Wedding but a different culture. I think the ‘crazy rich’,part wasn’t necessary ... as the mother said ‘you’re not our kind of old’.
Watching it on Netflix right now, that wedding scene was so gorgeous <3
Rich boy takes his poor girlfriend to meet the family. The family does not like them, but she wins them over.
I think it's great that the cast is (mostly?) Asian. But the character development is the worse... I mean, the main character is really powerful and inspiring, but I just see in this movie a mother - step-daughter conflict for a man, who is totally out of it and irresponsible... In a nutshell : best thing= all the female characters and theirs interaction . The worse = the male lover and why women have to take action ... Too bad :(
I did not expect a lit of this movie but just wanted to watch it and see if the hype was real. And i must say I really enjoyed it. Surelay there are a lot of clichés bit it's bautifully shot with gorgeous actors and just very well made.
I hated Crazy Rich Asians. When the film isn't sending you through montage orgasms, it's telling one of the most cliché and surprisingly underdeveloped romcoms in the last hundred years. There's a reason the proposal on the airplane has become a joke about it's overuse, they just parodied it in an AT&T commercial. How the hell people are looking at this amateurish display of subplots and spikes of drama as anything other than "been there, done that" flabbergasts me. The biggest single praise I've seen for Not so crazy, Royalty Asian-Americans is it's stellar and diversity-quota representation. "This film is so revolutionary because of it's all Asian cast!" Never mind the fact China regularly puts out big budget films, with insane box office returns, all the time. Let's all forget Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall, which was a giant American and China co-production with an overwhelmingly large Chinese cast. That came out two years ago. Anyone screaming praise about the, not even fully Asian, cast is a brainwashed soyboy who wants to be W O K E. Your representation does not make a good film. Nothing that comes up in this film heightens any kind of drama at all. A random affair thing with a couple in the royal family gets brought up, but dealt with so quickly and with very little consequence, it comes and goes like a passing emoji on a Facebook livestream. Speaking of emojis, the inconsistent editing is another problem with this movie. Why is there a hyper fast edited social media montage in the first ten minutes of the film, clearly stylized with stock footage and done by a separate editor, and nothing like that sequence is replicated or topped afterwards? It's really jarring in hindsight. To create some forced conflict, off-screen, the traditionalist and "bigoted" mother hires some investigator to look into Rachel Chu's family history, to get her to leave her rich son. It's totally out of left field, comes across like a Disney twist villain, it's comical and not clever. Maybe the reason people are praising this is for "the immigrant stands up to the traditionalist" and anything that tackles that sort of topic is automatically good. Seeing Chris Stuckmann squirm his way through his review, like, "You'll have fun with this movie. Go see it to support Asian representation" makes me sick. We should be supporting good cinema, regardless of cast. I want to go see Searching, which has an Asian lead. I like the Asian culture and aesthetic, but this does nothing for me, no, wait, it insults me. If all you're looking for is a blandly directed John M. Chu movie (the cinematic genius behind the Jem and the Holograms movie and the Justin Bieber documentary), with a plot as predictable as a children's book, just in service of "wacky" people doing not so wacky things, just cause, by all means, keep saying this movie is a masterpiece. I compare it to Fifty Shades Of Grey because of it's almost fanservice and spectacle like attitude. With no regard to writing a timeless and emotional plot you'll remember for the ages, it sends you off on a tourist like safari through Asian food and "glorious" rich mansions, then tacks on stupid drama to make it seem like it has plot. I want to know why this movie's objectively good, outside it's overrated, and frankly horribly acted, cast. This story is so overdone and nothing unique is done here. I'm baffled this is what people accept now, this is how low standards are.
Skinny lady getting blasted by a bazooka.
Would watch again.
Stopped watching the movie after 10 mins, seemed to be super Cliche
The main plot looks like adopted from South American soap opera about prince and that "her" who is underestimated low-born. Only that is more in Hollywood style made. ;>
Nice romantic comedy, different from the other ones of the same category. Really loved the colours and the scenography. The wedding scene was visually amazing.
Although very much an experience that very much ticks all the boxes for romantic comedy tropes, Crazy Rich Asians still manages to be a hugely enjoyable ride, filled to the brim with some of the most lavish and impressive costumes, sets and locations.
And, damn, that Mahjong game...
I was expecting a comedy movie but this one had other plans. It got me!! Love this movies. very nice.
Thoroughly enjoyed this film although it was made out to be a masterpiece by the media, it really wasn’t that. I did love the characters though and even though it was clichéd I did enjoy the plot too. Some gorgeous cinematography.
Crazy Rich Asians takes a satisfying step forward for screen representation while drawing inspiration from the classic rom-com formula.
I really liked this! It's definitely a breath of fresh air, but i would have enjoyed it far more had there been just a bit more background. It's hard for me to truly bond with characters, and root for relationships when you barely know anything about them. We start the movie already knowing Nick and Rachel are in love, but we never really find out how they fell in love, or why they love / what they love in each other really, so the impact of the big romantic gestures kind of lessens a bit. Same for Astrid's storyline with her husband, which just felt so far removed from the rest of the movie. They tried tying up the two storylines by making Rachel and Astrid friends, but the latter's arc still felt like an extra to the story, like something that had it not been there it wouldn't have made a difference - even though I loved her character. But I'm guessing this has everything to do with the book, which I haven't read, and from the credits scene I'm guessing she'll be the star of the next movie? That's exciting!
7/10
Constance Wu got more chemistry with the living legend that is Michelle Yeoh than Henry Golding. And also with one tender look between Constance and Gemma, I wish Rachel ended up with Astrid. 6/10 for the living legend that is Michelle Yeoh, and also whoever did her makeup and wardrobe, Gemma Chan, and the food. Two things I can relate with this movie, the food and the whole thing about family, I guess it's a universal Asian thing, huh. Also Constance for keeping up with the living legend that is Michelle Yeoh, thats rad
Why can't they cast Godfrey Gao instead?
Representasi orang Indonesia sama orang India mah selalu jadi pelayan, hisk, syedih awak elap ingus
Really enjoyed it but I think the ending was too sudden. I think it needed at least an extra 15-20 minutes to make it really work.
This movie is so beautiful, an eye-candy primarily because of its striking visuals and the adorable, charming and cutie Rachel Wu (Constance Wu). Entertaining, hugely enjoyable, delightful, lively, endearing and appealing. Great acting performances, great cast. Not very original theme because the plot is overused, but Crazy Rich Asian is an old-school rom-com fun! I love the music choices in this movie especially the Can't Help Falling In Love sung by Kinna Grannis in the wedding scene and the Chinese version of Coldplay's Yellow.
Everything in this movie is believe all the way up until the last few scenes on the plane. I really wish that the matter was taken care of in a better way than a typical love story ending.
average at its best. A film to please SJW,
I hate rich people, but I love Asians...color me conflicted.
This was AMAZING and I'm toootally chiding myself for not reading the books first. Rachel and Nick were #goals but the real surprise here was Gemma Chan- LOVED her as Astrid. Can't wait for the sequel already!
okay how the fuck did this movie make me emotional?
i can't believe that crazy rich asians invented the wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!
Besides the obvious fact, that it's nice to have an American film with an all Asian cast, the film was actually pretty solid. I think it's going to end up opening the door to a lot more films starring Asians outside of the stereotypical realm.
Even though it might be classified as a Romantic Comedy, it's not cheesy in any sense. The characters are written well, and you find yourself rooting for the character played by Constance Wu. It has its mix of drama and comedy (mainly coming from the character played by Awkwafina).
What I think stands out is the depth of the family dynamics. In Asian culture, the family dynamics are quite different and specific, and this film is able to capture that.
I went to the cinemas on cheap Tuesday today to see this, thinking that it wouldn't be worth full price on a regular day. No less than thirty minutes into this stunningly beautiful film set primarily in Singapore, I felt warmly content with my purchase, and would be more than happy to pay full price to see it.
Having built nicely into the story, I felt that there were a few parts that were non-crucial to the story and could have been left out without taking away from any tradition or emotion from the basis of the story. Having said that, I don't wish for any of my time back. There are some interesting dynamics at play between the majority of the characters, but as per usual for a romcom, you'll finish this movie with a smile on your face.
To sum up, there were a few events in the movie that I believe the majority of viewers will be able to relate to in one way or another. I think this, in conjunction with your typical romance movie, and few chuckles here and there make this a desirable movie to many, with the ability to take your children along with it's PG rating. (In Australia).
Honestly, a lot of romantic comedies leave me feeling empty. There are so many out there that come off as little more than cliché-dumps. Substantive dialogue, character development—your average romcom won't have these.
Crazy Rich Asians doesn't have a whole lot of substantive dialogue, and I wonder how many of the characters actually developed over the movie's two-hour runtime (maybe two or three?)—but it certainly tried. Beyond that, it's a beautifully shot film with a (mostly) great cast, and spectacular sights to go with the cinematography.
I wouldn't necessarily give the film any story awards. It follows one of the basic romcom plots we've all seen a hundred times: Dude brings girl to meet family for the first time, family doesn't like her, but love wins anyway. It's not even a spoiler to say that Nick gets the girl—right from the first scene, that's the only possible outcome.
But I would award the film a gold medal (that's not a thing, but I'll make it a thing) for bringing the audience fully along for the ride. Going in, I knew this was a two-hour film. But, aside from maybe one or two scenes that dragged on a bit, it went very quickly. That's a solid testament to this movie's enjoyment factor.
While I didn't mind how predictable the story became as it went on, I can see that putting off some viewers. Rachel's character was also kind of underwhelming. Put up against all the other big, in-your-face characters, she kind of blended in. If Constance Wu was directed to play the part that way, that's fine, even if I don't think it was the best choice. I read at least one review (from @nancy-l-draper, https://trakt.tv/comments/187607) expressing the opinion that she was miscast. From where I sit it came across as more of a script and/or directorial issue, but I certainly wouldn't have objected to Gemma Chan playing that role. (Which reminds me… I need to get caught up on Humans…)
Bottom line:
If you can stomach the extremely predictable romantic moments in the latter half, this is a really fun ride. Now I need to read the book…
A return to romantic comedies from the 80s - 90s with a visually stunning presentation of Singapur, its culture and the scale between old and new rich. The entire film is full of fashion/luxury moments, aesthetics and pure, gold, comedy.
Sentimientos por todos lados. Tenía mucha curiosidad de esta película, por sus buenas críticas y por lo bien que le había ido en taquilla americana. Creo que es una de esas películas que evitan prestarle atención a la fórmula y simplemente sigue la corriente. Constance y Henry tienen una quimica increible.
I loved the Mahjong scene. When Rachel described herself as 'a poor, raised by a single mother, low class, immigrant nobody', my heart sank. The emotions were so raw.
A little bit weak on the end of 2nd act, but still a nice drama.
THIS MOVIE IS EVERYTHING!!!!!!
It is like my wildest dreams of a movie all into one, there is romance, comedy, a make-over, fabulous clothes, fabulous houses, a fabulous cast, handsome gorgeous half-naked man, women that are bitches but also very fabulous and glamorous. Have i mentioned how fabulous everything is??
Now I like the originality and concept of the film.. It's Fresh and New.. However 100% On Rotten Tomatoes is very questionable IMO.. When Rotten Tomatoes Gave a very low score to a great franchise like Transformers just makes u wonder
A well executed landmark film. (I look forward to a time when big budget film companies feel comfortable with telling diverse stories with casts that resonate with all it's audience). Fantastic cast: Stellar performances from Michelle Yeoh and Gemma Chan. Henry Golding was right at home as a leading man. The comedic talents of Awkwafina were appropriate to the role of her character and the balance of the plot, as was that of those who played her quirky but lovable family. My only disappoinment was in Constance Wu, who I felt was miscast (although she was beautiful, her character needed to be more substantial than she seemed able to deliver). Overall, however, I give this film a 7 (good) out of 10. [RomCom]
Shout by Movie PalBlockedParent2018-12-22T20:42:51Z
An American-Chinese travels with her boyfriend to Singapore to meet his family.
Little does she know that the family is very rich and also... very picky.
Recommended for teenagers!