Perkinsun Dzees

Dunno about this one. Looks like a generic romantic comedy with an all-Asian cast. Where's the kung fu?

Crazy Rich Asians follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country's wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick's arm puts a target on Rachel's back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick's own disapproving mother (Yeoh) taking aim.


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E Unit

Damn Constance Wu looks hot.

DVD Josh

This seems like the Asian Monster In-Law.

DJariya

I'll probably see this. I like Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh and I like that it's set almost entirely in Singapore. I've been to Singapore twice and it's probably one of my favorite countries in SE Asia.

I'm actually familiar with the male lead Henry Golding from BBC World News. He's apparently a correspondent/host for them as well.

devilshalo

As an Asian, am I obligated to see this? I care nothing about spoiled rich people to begin with, but I've seen the Asian kids that have mommy and daddy's money to spend, and they're people I hate.

Brian T

I can't help but think this might be off-putting to a lot of people, from all cultures, including Rational Middle-Income Asians and Prudent Low-Income Asians, of which I suspect there are a LOT more than Crazy Rich Asians. I realize it's not necessarily the culture represented in the film, but ostentatiously wealthy Mainland Chinese are not as highly regarded as they seem to think they are, even by other Chinese. I don't know, perhaps it will be aspirational to young and/or millennial Asians who just want to pretend they come from money for a couple of hours or feel superior that they don't have empty "rich people" problems?

I do wonder, is it possible to tell a "westernized" Asian story that doesn't revolve around the overdone tropes of generational, cultural and financial divide? Do Asian-American filmmakers feel that that's the only kind of story they can tell? The only real difference between this film and the dozens (and dozens) of Asian-American-centric independent films that consistently fly under the radar is the addition of conspicuous wealth. The whole "upending traditions but, y'know, not completely" plot -- which seems to fuel CRA as well -- is the backbone of countless Asian-American themed indie dramas I've seen over the years. Good films, sometimes even great, but generally beset by a limited range of almost stereotypical conflicts. Of course, wider audiences never saw those, so I suppose Crazy Rich Asians could finally put it to rest. But then, what next?

DJariya

This has a special 1 week early screening tonight. Showings are at 7pm and 8pm for those who are interested and have it playing near you.

Noticed on AMC A-List that the 2 AMC theaters near me are almost to full capacity for this showing.

E Unit

Dang, I wonder if that's a sign it'll be successful. My wife wants to see it, so we'll probably check it out after it opens.

DJariya

Screw it. I used my A-list and booked a seat tonight for the 8pm showing. Seat isn't that great, but it still works.

Why So Blu?

I have zero interest in this film but it will make more money than The Meg and BlackKKKlansman.

Giantrobo

If Hollywood doesn't see support for films with Asian leads they will makes less films with Asian leads using the lack of support as the reason. Hey, at least Asian leads aren't hated in Asia like Black Leads are. Plus, Asian Cinema is already a big thing....

That said, Chinese film funding is changing this, but the White Folks in charge of Hollywood still need to see the support. Joy Luck Club was a long time ago...

devilshalo

I'd rather support Searching, which I have interest in seeing. I have no interest in seeing CRA.

fumanstan

My wife read the books and has really enjoyed them, so i'll likely end up watching this in theaters. Can't deny I have a small instinct of wanting to support an asian led movie too.

DJariya

Turns out for tonight’s showing, my local AMC had a second theatre showing it. So I cancelled my A List reservation (B row very close to screen) and got one for the second theatre with plenty of seats (E row instead). Very easy.

mrhan

My wife has read the novels, also. I asked her if it was better than Joy Luck Club; she said they were entertaining but JLC is the better novel. We have tickets for this weekend.

Slightly off topic: Anyone watch Kim's Convenience on NF? I think it's way better than FoB in it's portayal of a "normal" Asian family. It's filmed in Canada but it could easily take place in L.A., S.F. or any Asian community in the U.S.

fumanstan

I saw it pop up recently on my Netflix and was curious about it.

DJariya

Just got back from the 8pm show. It was pretty full.

Overall I liked it. Had some funny and charming moments. But, it’s very predictable as most Rom Coms are. If you don’t like Rom Coms, then this is definitely not for you. Constance Wu was charming and very likable. Definitely a departure from Jessica Huang on Fresh off the Boat.

There’s a lot of Asian humor which did make me laugh being from an Asian family. Awesome scenics in Singapore.

Nothing new to this genre, but it was a very likable movie with some humor and heart. Awkwafina was IMO one of the highlights along with Ken Jeong. She was hilarious and I enjoyed her interplay with Wu.

I’d give it a B

Mabuse

I supported Better Luck Tomorrow and it turned out all the director really wanted to do was make Fast and Furious sequels.

fumanstan

17 reviews in and all positive.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crazy_rich_asians

DJariya

You may not like the Fast and Furious movies, but Better Luck Tomorrow opened up so many doors for Lin and now he's an in-demand director/producer. Who would blame him? He's taking full advantage of the opportunities that Hollywood is giving him.

Same with Jon Chu, who directed this movie. He came from the world of short films, music videos and a web series and then got his big break doing the Step Up sequel and then that opened up doors for him.

Starting out as an Indie filmmaker doesn't mean you need to be stuck making small movies. If opportunities open, take them.

Mabuse

No, but it would be nice if he made good movies. Better Luck Tomorrow showed a lot of promise.

But he just makes studio shit. Movies that people laugh at. Universal and Lin may be laughing all the way to the bank, but those movies are just a waste. Ever notice how no one parodies them? It’s because they’re already jokes.

DJariya

Jon Chu tweeted out this article about the long road it took in order to get this movie made. It's kind of a long read, but it adds a lot of substance to the making of this movie. (If you care enough to learn more)

http://www.vulture.com/2018/08/the-l...=sharebutton-b

Why So Blu?

Justin Lin is the better director if we want to start comparing popular/current Asian directors. Better Luck Tomorrow is a fantastic film.

fumanstan

Sheesh, just the first paragraph... is not shocking.

Also, Justin Lin is great, as are his Fast and the Furious movies. Star Trek Beyond is OK. Jon Chu hasn't made anything particularly good, but looks like this one is a winner. It's sad that there's only a handful of Asian directors making Hollywood movies.

DJariya

354 screens showed the sneak preview, which I attended last night and reportedly most of them sold : https://deadline.com/2018/08/crazy-r...ws-1202443100/