Review of Crazy Rich Asians, directed by John M. Chu

I remember when Crazy Rich Asians first came out, and everyone and their mother around me was celebrating the representation we were seeing on the screen. When it had come out,I had seen it immediately, but forgot about it throughout the years. The book has been on my to read list for a hot minute now, though, that’s for sure.

That said, I was flying back from Malaysia and seriously bored when on my 15 hour flight from Abu Dhabi to Washington. Etihad’s entertainment system was one of the few things keeping me sane during this time, so when I saw this movie was an option on there, I kind of just shrugged and pressed play.

Perhaps it was the spirit of coming back from Southeast Asia, although I did not get a chance to venture down south to Singapore, or the need for something mindless to keep me going through all of this travel. But man, I was glad I revisited this movie at that specific moment in time.

Here’s my review!

Rachel Chu discovers her boyfriend is a part of Singapore’s wealthy elite—but his mother doesn’t like her.

Our protagonist in this movie is Rachel Chu, an economics professor at NYU. When she’s out with dinner with her boyfriend Nick one night, some Singaporeans spot him and are immediately interested in the girl he’s with. Within the hour, news reaches back home to Singapore, and Nick tells Rachel he wants to bring her home with him to his best friend Colin’s wedding.

The first indicator to Rachel something is off is when the two of them fly first class. It gradually dawns on her that Nick is rich rich, which is the exact opposite of what she thought. She grew up with a solo immigrant mother in New York, which meant she’s not used to lavish wealth at all.

It’s when she visits her college friend that she realizes her boyfriend is basically the local version of royalty. On some levels this angers her, but she goes with the flow for now. When she arrives with her friend, Peik Lin, to the Young family estate that night for a party, she meets Nick’s mother Eleanor.

Immediately, Eleanor is chilly towards Rachel. There’s some hope, though, as Nick’s grandmother seems to like Rachel. We also meet Nick’s cousin Astrid, whose husband is not from a similar background and struggles with this kind of world. There’s something else as well: Astrid’s husband is cheating on her.

Rachel is invited to the bride-to-be’s bachelorette party, where Nick’s ex-girlfriend comes up to her and tells her that she basically will not be enough for the Youngs. She also calls Rachel a gold digger because of the fact she’s not wealthy, and when Rachel goes back into her room, someone killed a fish and wrote a nasty message saying the same thing on her bed.

At the same time, Nick is at the bachelor party. Colin tells Nick there might be some major conflicts if he stays with Rachel, as he might stay in New York and not takeover the family business. When Nick and Rachel meet, she tells him what happened, and he apologizes about everything and explains how he wanted to live a more normal life and have a solid relationship.

The next day, they go to the Young home to make dumplings. Eleanor tells Rachel everything she sacrificed by marrying into the family, and then pretty much tells her that Rachel will never be enough for the Youngs, especially with her American attitudes.

With the help of Peik Lin, Rachel decides to defy Eleanor and has a makeover. Astrid confronts her husband on the way to the wedding, and he gets out of the car, blaming everything on the fact they’re different social classes. Everyone gawks at Rachel and her transformation, but at the afterparty, Eleanor reveals she hired a private investigator.

Turns out Rachel’s father is alive, and she never knew that as her mother had an affair. Eleanor and his grandmother demand that Nick stop seeing her, and she flees the scene, Nick chasing after her. Rachel’s mother comes to Singapore to confront her, and they prepare to leave.

However, Nick tries to propose under the premise that he would leave his family behind. Rachel says no and meets Eleanor at a mahjong parlor, telling her that no matter what happens now, Nick is going to blame Eleanor for his unhappiness. She wins the mahjong game and then leaves.

Astrid leaves her husband, telling him his insecurities messed up the marriage. Rachel and her mother prepare to go back home, but Nick runs onto the plane while boarding, proposing to Rachel. She says yes, and then it’s revealed that Eleanor gave the family ring to Nick, allowing this to happen. They stay in Singapore, where she sees Eleanor nodding at her before turning away.

Overall Thoughts

I usually hate romance movies, but when I need something to watch to get my mind off of things, they are the perfect solution to keep me going. That said, I don’t hate Crazy Rich Asians.

Sure, it’s corny in some ways and can be quite full of the tropes. But it was a lot of fun, and I didn’t find myself completely hating all of the characters, especially the main couple. I wanted them to work out in a way I typically don’t care for in these movies.

After all of these years, it still hit the same. It really was the perfect watch for this flight, so if you haven’t seen it already—go ahead and give it a shot.

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