‘Crazy Rich Asians’ charms audiences with humor and warmth


Kaitlin Wong, A&E Editor

Glamor and romance are at the forefront of Crazy Rich Asians, however, the true beauty of the movie is its heartwarming story about courage and its hilarious and relatable characters. Crazy Rich Asians successfully brings the lovable characters of Kevin Kwan’s 2013 novel of the same name to the big screen and in doing so, the movie has advanced the push for minorities in Hollywood.

One of the most notable features of Crazy Rich Asians, is that is the first movie with a modern story to have an all-Asian cast since 1993’s Joy Luck Club. The success of the movie is a step forward toward the inclusion of minorities in Hollywood because it proves that movies featuring Asians is marketable and able to be well-received. Another reason that Crazy Rich Asians is so significant because it makes sure that none of the characters are simple stereotypes. It is refreshing for all viewers to see Asians portray positive characters, and it’s especially influential for Asian viewers to see people like themselves on screen.

The music throughout the movie is also groundbreaking, as it features many Asian artists and many tracks sung in Chinese. The most impressive track is easily Katherine Ho’s rendition of Coldplay’s “Yellow.” Ho beautifully sings in Mandarin, which demonstrates how Crazy Rich Asians is proud to embrace Asian culture.   

Crazy Rich Asians stars Constance Wu, known for the ABC series Fresh Off the Boat. Wu plays Rachel, an economics professor that was raised by her mother after moving to America from China. The movie starts off with her agreeing to go with her boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to Singapore. They agree to attend Nick’s friend’s wedding and also to meet Nick’s family for the first time.

Upon arriving in Singapore, Rachel is thrust into the world of snobby elitists as she realizes that Nick’s family is extremely wealthy. Crazy Rich Asians does have the formulaic plotline of many of its romantic comedy predecessors (poor girl falls in love with the insanely rich boy), but the execution of the plot avoids many clichés. Crazy Rich Asians achieves a more mature story by placing Rachel’s struggle to win over Nick’s judgemental mother and the backlash of dating Nick as its focus.

As Rachel struggles through it all, her quirky best friend from college, Peik Lin, is there to help her figure out the customs of the insanely rich and impress Nick’s mother. Peik Lin is played by Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, and is known for her rapping and her role in Ocean’s 8. Awkwafina does an amazing job lightening the mood of the whole movie with her spot-on portrayal of Peik Lin’s witty and candid nature. Awkwafina and Wu play well off each other, creating memorable and touching scenes of the two friends together. Overall, Wu’s performance of Rachel is what really brings the movie together because she genuinely captures the emotions and fierce spirit of her character making viewers root for Rachel from start to finish.

Crazy Rich Asians shows Rachel facing the criticism from the rich and stumbling through the intricacies of their society, which reminds viewers of how people refuse to cower in the face of disapproval and instead act selflessly for the people they care about.

Link to photo – (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore_Skyline_Panorama.jpg)