8/21/18 - Crazy Rich Asians - 5+/6-/10

It’s one half cute rom-com, one half lavish spectacle, and a very welcomed 100% Asian. Plaudits for its representation are well deserved and should be celebrated, but as a film, it does what it tries to fairly well and not much else. Pretty standard “meet the parents/culture clash” that wasn’t as funny as a My Big Fat Greek Wedding and not as dramatic as a Monsoon Wedding. Solidly enjoyable and perfectly fine, but this film is about what it represents for a community while preserving a feel-good crowd pleasing style. In that regard, it knocks it out of the park, but it just wasn’t a home-run for my harsh eyes.

It has an old Hollywood feel, like something starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It was heartening that the filmmakers got behind other voices and different faces to tell a classical story for everyone. It did feel odd that so much of those speaking were completely Americanized or Anglicized, but perhaps those were concessions and gap builders to a larger audience or simply the nature of this tale. There was charm and pageantry, with a voluminous display of some prominent Asian culture and a “Come Visit Singapore” advertising extravaganza.

Awkwafina was funny and a scene stealer. Yeaoh and Wu were really good, and carried the heft of the emotional situations with such grace. Others did not please me as well (I have liked Jeong in other stuff, but his lines just weren’t working for me. He did commit to the role though.). Solid work in front of the camera and a decent go behind. Other than a charismatic digital delineation of gossipy texts and a well blocked pivotal mahjong scene, it seemed somewhat workmanlike and standard. Certainly nothing that was bad, just not special.

Crazy Rich Asians isn’t really my type of film. It didn’t have the dazzling “above-and-beyond” elements that I would have needed. That doesn’t mean that it was a fine film. It’s average/above average, but its specialness is more about what it means than its overall cinematic prestige. It isn’t the worst little date movie.