Crazy Rich Asians is a delightful romantic comedy that involves the particular struggles of culture clash between westernized (Asian-Americans) and traditional Chinese cultures. It is about the new Westernized generation trying to live up to family expectations while also being able to fall in love (can't be done!).
This is not exactly a new plot. In fact, a guy named Shakespeare actually wrote the pilot in Romeo and Juliet. However, to my knowledge he never wrote a play that involved Asian peoples.
In this case, Rachel Chu is a successful young university, and the boy is a rich kid. Nick Young is the oldest son of a Chinese family in Singapore, and thus he is expected to operate the family business which in this case is a Trumpian sized business empire. They decide to attend a wedding in Singapore, where Rachel must now contend with jealous socialites, goofy Chinese relatives and especially Nick's mother. Let me tell you something about Asian mothers. When it comes time for their sons to get married, there is NO ONE good enough to marry them. This is especially true if they are rich.
My family is mixed Asian-American and so we definitely had to see this movie, all four of us. We're not crazy rich Asians, but two out of three ain't bad. By blood, we're Korean-Chinese-Swiss-Indian, by nationality we can throw in Malaysian, Japanese, German and French. So boy, do we know culture clash around here. Anyway the movie made us laugh and identify with the characters, and probably it would work for non-Asians as well. It did get a little tedious for me in the middle because the couple has to go to a wedding, they spend a lot of time worrying about protocols and shopping for dresses and that sort of thing. I'm not big into shopping so that wasn't really interesting to me.
This is not exactly a new plot. In fact, a guy named Shakespeare actually wrote the pilot in Romeo and Juliet. However, to my knowledge he never wrote a play that involved Asian peoples.
In this case, Rachel Chu is a successful young university, and the boy is a rich kid. Nick Young is the oldest son of a Chinese family in Singapore, and thus he is expected to operate the family business which in this case is a Trumpian sized business empire. They decide to attend a wedding in Singapore, where Rachel must now contend with jealous socialites, goofy Chinese relatives and especially Nick's mother. Let me tell you something about Asian mothers. When it comes time for their sons to get married, there is NO ONE good enough to marry them. This is especially true if they are rich.
My family is mixed Asian-American and so we definitely had to see this movie, all four of us. We're not crazy rich Asians, but two out of three ain't bad. By blood, we're Korean-Chinese-Swiss-Indian, by nationality we can throw in Malaysian, Japanese, German and French. So boy, do we know culture clash around here. Anyway the movie made us laugh and identify with the characters, and probably it would work for non-Asians as well. It did get a little tedious for me in the middle because the couple has to go to a wedding, they spend a lot of time worrying about protocols and shopping for dresses and that sort of thing. I'm not big into shopping so that wasn't really interesting to me.
In addition, I was expecting the movie to be more slapstick. It's funny, but treads a bit more carefully around the sensitive issues of culture, rather than going for the overtly funny belly laugh. I'm not going to offer a spoiler from the movie, but I will share a real incident from my own family that can give you an idea of what can really happen in a cross-cultural family.
When my daughter was about 8 she wanted to get her ears pierced. By American standards that is quite normal. But, I KNEW, absolutely KNEW that my Mom was going to lecture me that the Japanese Royal Family does not permit prospective princesses to be have their ears pierced. Sure enough, my daughter mentioned to Grandma that she wanted her ears pierced, and so I have to hear all about the rules of the Japanese Royal Family. My answer was typically American, flawlessly logical (at least to me): One, our family is from Korea, not the Japanese mainland, so no Japanese prince is ever going to come courting my daughter. Two, America won World War 2, so the Japanese Royals are not our bosses, and we don't care what they think. My compelling logic no doubt horrified my Mother, who feared that our dead ancestors would get excited by my lack of respect for Japanese Royalty. I rather think those generations of Koreans would have stood up and applauded me, but that is a side issue.
When my daughter was about 8 she wanted to get her ears pierced. By American standards that is quite normal. But, I KNEW, absolutely KNEW that my Mom was going to lecture me that the Japanese Royal Family does not permit prospective princesses to be have their ears pierced. Sure enough, my daughter mentioned to Grandma that she wanted her ears pierced, and so I have to hear all about the rules of the Japanese Royal Family. My answer was typically American, flawlessly logical (at least to me): One, our family is from Korea, not the Japanese mainland, so no Japanese prince is ever going to come courting my daughter. Two, America won World War 2, so the Japanese Royals are not our bosses, and we don't care what they think. My compelling logic no doubt horrified my Mother, who feared that our dead ancestors would get excited by my lack of respect for Japanese Royalty. I rather think those generations of Koreans would have stood up and applauded me, but that is a side issue.
My daughter's response was much more enlightened. Even though she was only eight, being a computer-savvy Asian kid, she got on the internet and found a picture of Princess Masako with pierced ears! End of discussion, daughter wins, ears become pierced and peace returns to the Kennel family.
So, anyway, the Kennel family knows very well the crazy skirmishes between East and West. Similar battles need to be fought in Crazy Rich Asians. Asian people might find the situations tense, like my mother did, but we Americans will just laugh.
If you're not Asian, there might be a few inside jokes that you won't get, but virtually all cultures will understand and identify with the problems of the young generation trying to buck the traditional system.
If you're not Asian, there might be a few inside jokes that you won't get, but virtually all cultures will understand and identify with the problems of the young generation trying to buck the traditional system.
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