Is it corny? I guess. Is it predictable? Sure. Is it fun to watch? Oh God yes, especially since Awkwafina and Nico Santos drop a number of hysterical quips in response to some of Rachel's outfits. and if I have fun watching something, that always trumps however predictable it may be and it just decides to just do this type of sequence without any grating wink-wink nudges to the camera. Crazy Rich Asians doesn't care how silly it may look indulging in such a cornerstone of romantic-comedies, this is a film that wants to have some fun and make its audience feel good and its take on the Clothes Shopping Montage certainly accomplishes that as does the rest of the movie!
Before we get to this awesome sequence, though, we first must meet Rachel Chu, an economics professor living in New York with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding). Unbeknownst to her, Nick Young is the oldest son of a wealthy Singapore family led by his mother Eleanor Sung-Young (Michelle Yeoh), though that's a secret that gets revealed to her once she and Nick travel to Singapore for a wedding. While spending the weekend here, Rachel finds herself struggling to be accepted by Nick's family given that Eleanor see's Rachel being born and raised in America as a quality that makes her someone who could never be good enough to join Nick's family.
The basic plot of Crazy Rich Asians is built on a familiar story template of romantic-comedies, that of conflict being generated between in-laws and someone in love with their offspring, that can be seen in everything from Guess Who's Coming To Dinner to Monster-in-Law. For this particular take on that template though, the conflict between Rachel and numerous members of Nick's family, particularly Eleanor, comes from Rachel being seen as "lesser than" due to both her financial status and being an Asian-American citizen, with Eleanor at one point explicitly stating that she views Americans as being self-centered compared to Eastern traditions that revolve around families sticking closely together. Rachel's struggle to feel accepted by the extremely traditional family of the man she loves is heavily fixated on these kinds of experiences stemming specifically from the perspective of being an Asian-American that feel extremely well-realized in the screenplay penned by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim (which is based on a 2013 book by Kevin Kwan).
This duo also incorporates a number of subtle details into the dynamics of various characters in Nick's family, such as a moment between Eleanor and her own mother suggesting the way she treats Nick is far from new behavior, that makes this large group of characters feel as complex as any non-fictional family. Such extra details as well as the aforementioned thoughtful explorations of Rachel's struggles in a way that doesn't undermine the enjoyably light-hearted atmosphere of the production that's so much fun to watch. Less successful, from a writing perspective, in this exploration of individual identity vs. traditionalism is a subplot revolving around Nick's cousin Astrid (Gemma Chan), which, given that it never involves or impacts Rachel or Nick, feels strangely disconnected from the primary storyline.
At least Astrid's extraneous plotline contains a strong performance from Gemma Chan, one of numerous excellent performances found in the cast of Crazy Rich Asians. In the lead role and in her first ever major feature film role, Constance Wu effortlessly creates this natural every-person personality that's immensely watchable and I love how Wu and the script make sure that Rachel maintains her own unique personality throughout the film, this is most certainly not a story about Rachel changing herself for other people and both Wu's performance and the writing execute that idea beautifully. Henry Golding as Nick is absolutely wonderful, this guy has charisma for days and captures your attention whenever he's on-screen while silver screen legend Michelle Yeoh commands the screen as the head of Nick's family. In supporting comedic roles, Nico Santos and especially Awkwafina are a riot, God is Awkwafina ever a riot in her role here.
The cast of Crazy Rich Asians is working under the direction of director Jon M. Chu, the man behind the diverting G.I. Joe: Retaliation and the dismal Jem and the Holograms. Chu really comes into his own as a filmmaker here with how he handles his superb ensemble cast and numerous examples of thoughtful camerawork, while his visual sensibilities here smartly allow plenty of chances for the stunning scenery and gorgeous costumes (the latter element handled by Mary E. Vogt) to be fawned over by the camera. This allows for a luscious backdrop to be given to an intimate tale about a woman grappling with her own identity and heritage, a story that never sacrifices fun for depth or vice versa. Crazy Rich Asians, with its thoughtful writing and excellent cast, hits all the buttons you want to get pushed in a feel-good crowd-pleaser, which would explain why I left my screening with such a goofy grin on my face, though that grin could also be attributed to me pondering my hopes that this movie spurs a revival of the Clothes Shopping Montage in modern-day cinema. C'mon First Man, give us all a sequence of Ryan Gosling trying on various astronaut outfits to the tune of Walking On Sunshine!
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