The reviewer neglects to recognise the genesis of the themes in the movie: the fate of a Singaporean in the United States and his struggles with Asian identity and the immigrant experience. The movie’s central message is about family – hence the tagline: “The only thing crazier than love is family”.

The universal appeal of how family is portrayed – from old money to the nouveau riche, to the immigrant experience, to the generation gap influenced by different values systems – is the reason the book on which the movie is based sold over a million copies in 20 languages. And I would add there are important messages about women, which men may never truly understand not having gone through those experiences.

Since this movie’s success will inevitably be measured by its box office numbers, the tried-and-true Hollywood romantic comedy formula understandably calls for the glitz and glamour. Yet, I believe the true magic of this movie is that, at the very least, every Asian or immigrant will have come away with different perspectives on topics of familial piety, individualism and wealth, and these are all worthwhile conversation starters.