When ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ first hit theaters, I didn’t think I would watch it.
“It’s just another romcom, why would I spend money on that?”
That was, until my sister bought us tickets on a whim, and I went along to entertain her. Boy, did my opinion change.
Before watching the movie, I read through so many tweets and reviews from people about how the movie, based on the book by Kevin Kwan, was a milestone for Asian representation in Hollywood. And then I thought, “wow, there ARE no Hollywood movies with this many Asian leads, let alone an all Asian cast.” It was true, in my lifetime I had yet to see a Hollywood production with Asian leads that got THIS much attention- the movie, up to this date, has grossed over $188M worldwide!
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So let’s just say I watched it, I laughed, I teared up and I felt seen. Chinese-American director, John Chu, captured small elements of a shared Asian experience that made me want to CRY.
For starters the cast features some of the biggest Asian names in the industry: Ken Jeong, Constance Wu, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, the list of barrier-breaking Asians goes on. This level of Asian representation is amazing and everything I’ve ever wanted.
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Second, the MUSIC! All of the music was either in Chinese, or sung by artists of Asian descent, like Kina Grannis. John Chu actually wrote a letter to Coldplay to get their song “Yellow” in the movie. Ugh, I get emotional at the thought. Here’s a snippet of what he said in the letter:
“[The word ‘yellow’] has always had a negative connotation in my life … until I heard your song.”
The song plays during such a perfect and trying time in the movie that you can’t help but tear up a little bit, especially knowing how Chu picked the song for Asians to take control of the term, “yellow.”
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Lastly, it so beautifully depicted parts of Asian culture that I related to on another level. Sure, I’m only part Chinese and can’t relate to being stupid rich, but the elements of family, values and even the dilemma the main character Rachel Chu faces were all things I feel on a personal level.
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One scene that got me was the dumpling scene when all of the characters were sitting around the table hand-pinching dumplings. It reminded me of how my siblings and I did the same thing as kids with our mom, and how my mom still spends hours and hours each Lunar New Year making dumplings from scratch.
Another big part of the film that I felt connected to was the issue Rachel faces with her boyfriend, Nick Young, and his family. If you’re not familiar, the plot of the entire movie surrounds Nick’s family, their wealth and the rejection Rachel faces because she is not rich and is Chinese-American. Emphasis on the American. This element of her character highlights a divide within the culture of Asians and Asian-Americans, an issue that I hold close to myself as part of the 1.5 generation.
Rachel is shown to be unfamiliar with her Chinese ancestry and the culture shock she experiences when visiting Singapore shows an important part of what it means to be Asian-American. Or really, any cultural group and American. She was born in the US, raised to speak English and the American culture is one she is accustomed to, even though she is of Chinese descent.
She isn’t regarded as someone worthy of marrying into Nick’s family partially due to her background, and that part of the story stuck with me in particular.
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All in all, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ proved to be a movie I’d watch over and over again. The small incorporations of Asian culture, the issues it puts in the spotlight about the Asian-American experience and the value it holds in mainstream media for representation makes it one of my favorite movies. It was heartwarming, beautiful and showed off Asian culture in more ways than one.
Good thing they’re planning a sequel!
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