‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is anything but a crazy experience

“Crazy Rich Asians” has been the hot talk of the industry as of late, as it is the first big Hollywood production in 25 years to have an all Asian cast. While this is an undeniable cultural milestone for many, can the film itself match up with such an achievement?

Our story focuses on an Asian-American named Rachel Chu who travels to meet her boyfriend’s family during a wedding in Singapore. Little does Rachel know, her boyfriend’s family is amongst the richest in all of Singapore and are tied down to traditions, leaving her in the age old dilemma of finding out how to gain their respect.

The best aspect of the film is the look and scope of the production itself. Director Jon M. Chu brings an energetic level of visual flair to the film that oozes out of every frame. The production design is stellar, with a vibrant color palette that just pops — and the cinematography aids in this style. The soundtrack is an irresistible  jazzy earworm that gives the film its razzle-dazzle appeal, feeling very inspired by classic Hollywood.

On top of this, the time spent to invest the audience in the culture presented here is spot on. Much of the beautiful visuals have an especial Asiatic touch that feels like much time was put into presenting them in the most respectful way possible. This also blends itself well with the conflict, as much deals with respecting classic Chinese customs versus pursuing happiness. We have seen similar conflicts like this before, but the way the culture is represented here gives the film a somewhat more unique voice.

This is where the problems arise, however. For all the time put into making the film feel lively in its visual presentation, the same can’t be said for its script. The series of dilemmas, conflicts and situations here are all sewn together from various rom-com cliches. While, as noted earlier, the cultural flair is there to try help make it distinct, it is still easy to see through the disguise and easily predict what the outcome of many scenes.

The cast was also a mixed bag. While our two leads play their parts with plenty of charisma to hold the film, much of the supporting cast fail to keep up or can be straight up obnoxious. In particular, Rachel’s college friend and the film’s main comic relief played by artist Awkwafina, constantly tipped the scale between being funny and unbearably annoying.

There are also a few plot points added in, particularly during the final act, that are blatantly there to start unnecessary drama. One of these, a subplot where another couple who are close to our two leads argue regarding an affair one of them is having, could have been removed entirely and the film would have not been changed. The other, involving Rachel’s past, had more to do with the plot but felt jammed in just to have some last minute conflict.

“Crazy Rich Asians” is the pure definition of all style, no substance. Despite its decent leads and some engaging plot points and jokes, there’s little to nothing narrative wise that helps this film stand out outside of its striking visuals. Regardless, it is still a remarkable achievement in terms of its all Asian cast, so hopefully we can see such a cast be assembled for better movies down the road.