Crazy Rich Asians breaks records

Movie Title:  Crazy Rich Asians

Grade:  A-

Rating: PG-13, 120 minutes

In a Nutshell:   I go to China several times each year for business, so I was really curious what aspects of the Chinese culture would be shown in this movie.  There ARE some crazy and some rich people in Asia!  I love it there, so I got a kick out of this movie.  One of my sons is marrying a lovely girl from Hong Kong next week, so China is now, officially, a part of my very own family!

This is a fun date movie and an enjoyable rom-com (romantic comedy.)  More important than that, this is an all Asian cast, which is a very big deal for Hollywood.  Asian audiences have embraced this film and are telling Hollywood with their wallets that they want more.  Box office sales brought in over $25 million on opening weekend and it hasn’t even hit overseas markets yet.  It’s breaking records and finding a place in Asian/American cinema.

Tips for parents: 

• Lots of subtitles when people speak Mandarin.
• A lot of mean, unkind language and name calling, along with profanity and one F-bomb.
• A man puts his hands on top of a woman’s chest.
• You see a topless man (and his awesome abs) and many women wear very skimpy clothing.
• Some cultural insults, such as when Rachel is described as being a “banana,” Asian on the outside, but white on the inside.
• Women go on a “shopping orgy” for a bachelorette party.
• A woman is said to “fart Chanel No. 5.”
• Lots of alcohol and mention of drugs.
• Talk of physical abuse and infidelity.

• Rachel gets a massage and says, “I think my masseuse just got me pregnant.”
• Unmarried, Rachel and Nick are shown in bed together a couple of times. 
• A gay man refers to himself as the “rainbow sheep of the family.”

Uplifting theme: 

• Family first
• Love conquers all.
• Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you aren’t enough.

Things I liked:

• This movie could have been sponsored by the tourism department of Singapore because it features gorgeous footage of the country and islands.  Going there is on my Bucket List!  Jetsetter Magazine has a great article that features some of the beautiful locations in the movie.   
• Gorgeous wedding ceremony.  REALLY gorgeous.  So romantic and magical.  See what money can buy?
• The set design and costumes were really beautiful.
• Off the Boat star Constance Wu was lovely and seemed to have great chemistry with Henry Golding.
• There was a fun mix of Chinese and American songs, including Madonna’s MATERIAL WORLD sung in Mandarin.
• Super cool buildings.  The one at the very end of the movie is incredible and almost looks fake, but it’s real!  It’s called the Marina Bay Sands Skypark and opened in 2010.
• Rachel wears quite the red dress.
• Awkwafina was really funny and the audience I sat with loved her.  I was relieved, because she did a promo for Regal Theaters and seemed like she was really out of it or on drugs or something.  I was worried she was going to be awful in the movie.
• You’ll laugh out loud many times, although much of the humor is mean. 
• It’s partly a screwball comedy with over-the-top gags.

Things I didn’t like:

• Why do rich people have to be so mean and snotty?  The charming romance is wrapped around a “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” setting filled with self-indulgent wealthy snobs.
• Some of the rich women study the Bible, but don’t act like real Christians should at all.  They’re super judgmental and unsupportive.  They focus on material possessions and are really mean to certain people.
• Some of the funny lines from the movie’s trailer don’t actually appear in the movie.
• Classic chick flick:  innocent girl falls in love with handsome man who happens to be filthy rich.  Ummm…Cinderella?
• The first half of the movie moves slowly.

Funny lines:

• “There’s a lot of people starving in America.” – comedian dad
• “You have a cocktail dress in your trunk?” – main girl

“I’m not an animal.” – crazy friend

• “No one loves free stuff more than rich people.” – lawyer lady – Megan?

Crazy Rich Asians (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Combo Pack) (BD)

Interesting lines:

• “You’re a foreigner, an American. And all Americans think about is their own happiness.” – Eleanor Later, she adds, “We learn to put family first instead of chasing one’s passion.”  She’s partly right.  The Western philosophy, especially in America, is individualistic, as opposed to the community mentality of the East.  Of course, the East, especially China has become much more welcoming to capitalistic ventures and encourages its people to become rich entrepreneurs now.
• “When children are away from home too long, they forget who they are.” – Eleanor
• “Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice