[Review] Crazy Rich Asians: Let Love Speak Louder

Crazy Rich Asians premiered in Hong Kong last week, boasting the selling point of being the first Hollywood studio film in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast, and it's also one of the most critically acclaimed romantic comedies in recent memory. So, is this film truly that remarkable?

Representation. If you followed articles about Black Panther in February of this year, you would have seen this word frequently. At the time, Black Panther was hugely popular in the United States, especially among Black audiences, but its reception in Hong Kong was lukewarm, not matching other Marvel films. As East Asians, we might not fully grasp the significance of Black Panther to Black Americans; however, I believe Crazy Rich Asians is powerful enough to make numerous Asian audiences, especially Chinese audiences, understand the power of representation. All the protagonists in the film are East Asian, and it addresses the conflict between Chinese and Western cultures, which I believe makes it easy for Chinese audiences to immerse themselves in the story. Even if viewers don't fully empathize with the characters' experiences, they can at least easily understand their thoughts and feel a strong sense of familiarity.

The film's opening is no different from typical Hollywood movies, starting with the logos of Warner Bros. and other production companies, but the background music is a Mandarin song. Subsequently, the film explicitly sets its tone with an opening scene depicting a white person's prejudice and stereotyping towards Asians, followed by Eleanor Young's (played by Michelle Yeoh) counterattack, telling the audience that Asians are not necessarily poor or incapable. Many past Hollywood films have had certain stereotypes for Asian characters, and these characters were usually minor, insignificant to the plot. This time, all the protagonists in Crazy Rich Asians are Asian, and free from previous negative stereotypes, which I believe will make viewers feel a sense of belonging, and even pride, in their Asian or Chinese heritage while watching. What pleasantly surprised me most was the frequent appearance of Cantonese in the film starting from this segment. In recent years, many have worried that Cantonese will be replaced by Mandarin, and related cultures will disappear. The Cantonese in this film serves as an excellent record, proving the existence of Cantonese no matter how time passes. And Hong Kong audiences will feel an extra sense of familiarity, and even emotion, when they hear these dialogues.

The story of Crazy Rich Asians is not particularly innovative; it tells of Rachel and Nick's romance, which faces obstacles from other women and Nick's mother, essentially similar to many other romance films and romantic comedies. But I feel the film's most brilliant aspect is the significant integration of Chinese culture and customs, making it truly unique. Rachel grew up in the United States, and her values and habits are basically no different from those of an average American. Therefore, when she first meets Nick's family, cultural clashes immediately arise. In Nick's mother's eyes, Rachel, like most Americans, longs for freedom and neglects family, with no intention of sacrificing for it. The film incorporates a scene of making dumplings here, using dumpling-making as a metaphor for dedicating time and effort to family, especially for Eleanor and other mothers. For many Chinese audiences, dumplings are an indispensable part of life, and this scene will likely evoke many life memories, especially moments spent with family.

In the film, Eleanor places great importance on a person's background because even she was once considered unworthy of marrying into this wealthy family. Even though Rachel is a university professor, she is not from a wealthy background, so Eleanor looks down on her. In this situation, Rachel's identity is not only Chinese but also an American-born Chinese immigrant. She grew up in a single-parent household and achieved her current success solely through her own efforts. Therefore, she is unwilling to be underestimated by Eleanor and deemed unqualified. I believe many Chinese Americans will empathize with this, as they often have to work much harder in a foreign land to prove their worth. In contrast, Nick and Rachel genuinely love each other, and Nick is willing to give up his family business to live with Rachel. However, Rachel doesn't want Nick to abandon his family, so she rejects his proposal. The film portrays this with a brilliant mahjong scene (the setting should be the Blue Mansion in Penang, Malaysia), where Rachel plays mahjong with Eleanor and discusses why she rejected Nick's proposal. At the same time, she "gives a tile" to Eleanor, showing that even with an advantage, she allows Eleanor to win. Mahjong is a traditional Chinese game that most Chinese audiences are very familiar with, and they can easily understand Rachel's action of "giving a tile" and its meaning, feeling a connection to this shared culture. In contrast, foreigners might not easily understand this scene, but perhaps it could also spark their curiosity about the game.

Beyond mahjong, one of the most delightful surprises in the film was the moment when Sally Yeh's "200 Degrees" played. As I mentioned earlier, although the film's style is typically Hollywood, and the language is English, many of the film's scores and songs are in Mandarin, making it feel incredibly familiar, almost like watching an English-language local film. Among the many songs, "200 Degrees" is a very interesting choice because its chorus mixes Chinese and English, which perfectly mirrors the film itself, and also fully displays the flexibility and versatility of Cantonese songs. Another song that deeply moved me was the Mandarin version of "Yellow" at the end of the film. On one hand, I really love Coldplay's original version and feel it fits the plot development perfectly; on the other hand, I feel this song is almost a microcosm of the film, much like the tear-jerkingly beautiful wedding scene: Western packaging, but with Asian language, sound, and story. This film seems to be telling the world, and simultaneously encouraging Asian filmmakers: Asian stories can be incredibly compelling and deserve global attention.

The film's use of Singapore as its primary setting was indeed a very smart choice. Singapore itself is one of the most prosperous countries in Asia. The film first captures the vibrant side of its hawker centers, then adds stunning nightscapes and other brilliant vistas, showcasing Asia's prosperous side. On the other hand, English is an official language in Singapore, and most citizens communicate in English daily, so it's perfectly normal and not at all strange for the characters to use English in the film. However, most of the characters in the film speak with American or British accents, and one scene even seems to mock the Singaporean accent, which appears somewhat contradictory to the film's theme and intent. Additionally, I understand that this film is just a beginning, and it may lead to more Hollywood productions featuring Asian stories in the future. However, instead of calling it "Crazy Rich Asians," it might be more accurately titled "Crazy Rich Chinese." Singapore itself is a multi-ethnic country, but the film almost completely overlooks this, which is arguably one of the film's regrettable aspects. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, I believe this film will be the start of a change, and I hope to see Hollywood produce more films centered on Asian stories in the future. I eagerly await unique stories belonging to Indians, Koreans, Japanese, Thais, and Vietnamese.