Much buzz has been made about the movie version of Kevin Kwan’s novel Crazy Rich Asians. The movie is significant as it is the first major studio film in the U.S. with an all-Asian and Asian American cast in 25 years (since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club). Of course, it is joined in this category now by the sci-fi thriller Searching starring John Cho and the Netflix original movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, based on Jenny Han’s novel of the same title.
Crazy Rich Asians tells the story of Rachel Chu, an NYU professor who agrees to join her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young, on a visit back to his home in Singapore to meet his family and attend his best friend’s wedding. Little does she know that the Youngs are one of the wealthiest families on the island, and she is thrown into a world of extravagant opulence, the complete opposite of her experience being raised by a single immigrant mother and now living on a professor’s wage in New York City. The main conflict comes from Eleanor, Nick’s mother, who disapproves of Rachel and spends the novel plotting to break them up, going to extremes to prove to Nick he shouldn’t be with Rachel.
At its heart, the novel is a lush romantic comedy with a theme of family relationships, not an uncommon plot point in stories about Asian families. The movie holds true to this core, with changes that improve on the book in certain aspects, but shortchanges some of the characters, leaving the audience wanting more.
What it got right
The movie embodies the over-the-top feel of the novel, especially in scenes such as the bachelor party and wedding that, while different than Kwan’s description in the book, still display the enormous wealth of these families and illustrate this strange world Rachel has been thrown into. The book is notable for its use of phrases and conversations in languages other than English, such as Malay, Cantonese, and Hokkien, which are translated and explained in footnotes throughout the book. The movie incorporates similar conversations and uses subtitles.
A few of the characters particularly stood out to me as perfect on-screen representations of their book counterparts. Constance Wu (ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat) plays Rachel and does a stunning job depicting the independent and stubborn Chinese-born American woman who refuses to give in to the intimidation she faces from Nick’s family and friends. Oliver “Ollie” T’sien (Nico Santos) was one of my favorite characters in the book, and is spot on in the movie, becoming an immediate ally to Rachel and the ever-flowing source of family gossip and drama. The Goh family, specifically Peik Lin (Awkwafina) and Wye Mun (Ken Jeong) were different from their more refined depiction in the novel, so while it caught me off guard at first to see them as such a loud wacky family, I warmed up to it and appreciated the decision as it provided a comedic contrast Nick’s regal “old money” family.
What it got wrong
My biggest problem with the movie was the way it handled Astrid, Nick’s cousin who is more like a sister and one of Rachel’s few allies in the family. Played by Gemma Chan (who weirdly reminds me of Rachel Bilson?), her plotline feels forced and underwritten. Chan does a wonderful job of capturing the refined spirit, determination, and kindhearted nature of Astrid, but the movie just wasn’t able to give her the attention that the novel could. This lack of space in the movie is evident in other areas as well—the set up feels a bit rushed, as does the climactic reveal of Eleanor’s final attempt to break up Nick and Rachel. The typical complaint with movies based on books is that they leave out too much, but I felt myself wishing that Crazy Rich Asians had actually decided to cut some parts so that it could expand more on what it kept in, rather than trying to cram in the various plotlines that the book weaves together.
The movie also faced a hard spot in that Crazy Rich Asians is actually the first in a trilogy, so the book can leave some loose ends. The movie isn’t guaranteed a sequel, so it was forced to walk the line between having a happy ending for the audience, while still leaving some questions that could launch a sequel if this first movie does well.
What is just different
In the book, Nick’s mother Eleanor (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s Michelle Yeoh) plays the stereotypical part of the conniving mother-in-law, plotting to force her son to follow what she defines as happiness and success. She is the villain we to love to hate, rooting for Nick and Rachel to end up together and for Rachel to “beat” Eleanor. In the movie, she does play the antagonist force, but it fleshes her out and gives her a fuller, more well-rounded character. We see some sweet moments between her and Nick, and are reminded that she’s not just selfish or solely concerned about her family’s status and wealth; she truly cares about her son and wants what is best for him. She goes about this the wrong way sometimes, but we see her as a multifaceted character with complex motivations, rather than the one-note adversary from the book.
Keeping with the change in Eleanor’s character, the ending is notably different from the book. This also results from the potential-but-not-guaranteed sequel. It still fits with the story, so I didn’t dislike it, but know that if you’ve read the book, it comes with more of an “all tied up with a bow” feel than the book does.
Final decision: Category Three
Ultimately, it’s a rom-com, and while it’s important because of its diversity, it doesn’t need to be anything more than that. The fact is, one single movie shouldn’t be responsible for determining if it’s “worth it” to make more movies with diverse casts; that should be a given. It captures the spirit of the book and, generally, the characters are well-casted and fun to see come to life on the screen. Crazy Rich Asians is a feel-good movie that will wow you with its depiction of the lavish lifestyles and have you leaving the theater laughing.
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Saw the movie last week. Enjoyed it a lot, though it was exactly as expected. Didn’t know it was a book, much less a trilogy. Are the books worth reading? If so, should I read the first one? I don’t normally read books after I’ve seen the movie. I prefer the other way around. But I would like to know more about Astrid, and do I need the book background to enjoy the other two?
I really enjoyed the book and liked that it had more time to flesh out all the characters. I haven’t read the other two yet, but based on what the movie leaves out I think it would be helpful to read the first one. It’s a pretty quick read, and I think it’s different enough from the movie that it would still be enjoyable.
Thanks!
Great review! I have to say that I disagree with you about Astrid. I liked how the movie allowed her to decide to stop belittling herself for her husband’s comfort. She’s a stronger character in the movie (and that’s saying something since she was my favorite character in the book), at least in my book.
That’s a good point. I feel like she did get some of that redemption in the book as well, though, and I think in the sequel to the book (which I haven’t read yet) that probably gets played out more since the first book set it up well.
great article, keep on writing 🙂
Thanks!