Review | Crazy Rich Asians film review: Constance Wu shines in sleek romcom that is more an important film than a good one
Director John Chu’s hugely anticipated film based on Kevin Kwan’s book is finally here and proves to be a solid, fun romantic comedy, but it often feels like it is trying too hard as it grapples with the unfair burden of needing to be good
3/5 stars
In a perfect world, Crazy Rich Asians wouldn’t be so heavily hyped because it would be nothing noteworthy – it is a solid, fun romantic comedy about very rich, very good-looking people whose dramas and obstacles are mostly self-inflicted: the protagonist in this case has to win over the snooty and judgemental mother of her otherwise perfect boyfriend.
But the world isn’t perfect. Despite Asians making up 15 per cent of the population in Los Angeles County according to the last official count (though anyone who has visited in recent years will tell you it should be much higher), Hollywood sees Asians as, at best, supporting props to white people’s stories; at worst, they are non-existent.
How else can we explain that Crazy Rich Asians is the first major studio picture in 25 years to star an all-Asian cast? There have been no shortage of stories with Asian characters over that time, it’s just that Hollywood hires the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton to play them.
Because of that, Crazy Rich Asians has the unfair burden of needing to be good, to resonate with Asian Americans, and – most importantly – be a box office success, all so Hollywood executives can maybe take note and change their ways.
