“Crazy Rich Asians” is a romantic comedy based on a book of the same name. The film made its way to the theaters on August 15, 2018. The last few years have seen a decline in the genre of romantic comedy, and hence it requires a lot of grit to make one.
Couple this with an all Asian star cast and the risk quotient gets very high. Instead the going trend today is to make prestige dramas or action flicks. There is more Asian American stuff in the coming days, and this includes “Searching” a taut techno-mystery about a father searching for his daughter.
It is for the first time a person of Asian descent can buy a ticket and see his brethren in a flick.
The plot of the flick has been adapted from Kevin Kwan’s 2013 novel of the same name. The success of the story led him to write two more sequels completing a trilogy. If the cinematic adaptation of the book succeeds, one can surely hope for a sequel and an entirely new franchise.
Another sign of rising China?
The flick begins with a quote from Napoleon about China which goes as – China sleeps, and when it awakens, it will wake the whole world.
It is rightly said. "Crazy Rich Asians" are a lively, charming romantic comedy and the story of a Chinese American economics teacher who meets her boyfriend’s wealthy family is incredibly fresh and will immensely endear its audience.
Before "Crazy Rich Asians," the last time a major Hollywood film set in the present day showcased a majority Asian cast was a whopping 25 years ago https://t.co/OLGMvkScmE
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 8, 2018
Beneath the cheerful and lively surface is a more serious struggle for ethnic identity and the tug o war of diagrammatically divergent cultures and class.
Nothing about Singapore
The film’s cast has received both bouquets and brickbats as well. On the one hand, the all Asian cast has been appreciated for the ethnic diversity.
HAPPY CRAZY RICH ASIANS DAY!!
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) August 15, 2018
It's been 25 years since Hollywood released a big studio movie with Asian actors in lead roles. Take a moment to enjoy the fact we have a big-budget movie in theaters without bashing the unattainable standard of being everything for everyone. pic.twitter.com/8WZWxUrKrk
However, some skeptics questioned the wisdom of allowing non-Chinese actors to play Chinese roles.
Though a significant part of the flick was based in Singapore, the film was dominated by ethnic Chinese and East Asian actors, and there was barely anything g Singaporean in the movie. Some critics even berated it as another sign of Chinese dominance in the South Asian media and pop culture.
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