Rachel Chu and Nick Young have been dating for a while and Nick feels it is time for Rachel to meet his family in Singapore while attending a wedding. Rachel doesn’t know Nick’s family is wealthy because he never told her. Problem is Nick’s mother, Eleanor, is not too fond of Rachel and treats her like she means nothing. Rachel gets bullied by a few people while being in Singapore, but others show her kindness.
Blaine: 2018 had movies like “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” that represented the cultures of blacks and Asians. Director Jon M. Chu was looking for a story that would feel personal to him and “Crazy Rich Asians” was the answer.The main character of the story, Rachel, is an Asian born in America and her mother moved to America to make a new life for herself. Jon M. Chu’s parents were from China and they came to America to make new lives for themselves, raise a family and open up their own restaurant. They didn’t know how to speak English when they arrived. Jon wanted to shoot as much of the film as he could in Singapore because the book takes place there. They shot in Malaysia as well. When author Kevin Kwan wrote the book, it took a lot of thought to describe the rich life, but to show it in a visual way was really something. All the sets and surroundings make it feel it is worth a fortune. “Crazy Rich Asians” has an all Asian cast and Jon went through a lot to put together the ensemble. He hardly had time for sleep while searching for these actors. They would use Asians who had different accents, American, British, Australian. It didn’t matter if their accents were different, it’s always about the talent and what actors can bring into their performances.
Constance Wu has done a lot of stage and television in her career as an actress and a lot of people would go up to her telling her how much they enjoyed seeing her perform. That was always good news for Constance because then she would know the acting thing was working out fine. She always believed in herself. Constance was the only actress on both the producers and Jon M. Chu’s minds for Rachel and Constance Wu was all for playing the character. What Constance loved about Rachel was how responsible she is and how she is someone who stays strong even though she’s been hurt. Constance could also relate to Rachel because like her Constance is Asian American and she has never been to Singapore. Constance already felt the pleasure of being apart of a series that was about Asian culture and to be in movie that represents the same thing was a bonus. Because Constance is the lead of the movie she’s in almost every single scene. While Constance was working and whenever the other actors weren’t needed they would be exploring Singapore. Being in Singapore was like being on vacation for all the actors because of the sights they saw and the food they got to eat.
Jon M. Chu scouted the world to find the right actor to play Nick Young and he tested out tons of actors, but they just didn’t feel right. Henry Golding is best known for being the host for a lot of travel shows for BBC and The Discovery channel. Henry was told that Jon Chu had a project that he wanted him to be involved in. Henry lived in Singapore for six years and “Crazy Rich Asians” is big there, so he was familiar with the book. Henry was expecting to have a cameo in the film, but Jon had him in mind for Nick Young, the boyfriend. Henry couldn’t believe it and he was nervous because he’s never acted before. Henry did the best he could to pass his audition and Jon believed in him. Henry learned a lot about acting from Constance Wu because she has had a lot of practice. It wasn’t hard for Constance to pretend to fall in love with her co-star because in real life she had a huge crush on him. She also loved seeing him without a shirt.
Peik Lin Goh is Rachel’s friend from college and she’s from a rich family that is more welcoming and funny. Peik is also like a sister to Rachel. Awkwafina saw the book at an airport and looking at the cover made her curious to know what it was about. Awkwafina loved how the book was about a modern day Asian American woman and how it represented her community. When Awkwafina found out “Crazy Rich Asians” was going to be made into a film she didn’t expect to be apart of it, but she knew it would make a great film and she supported it 100%. When Awkwafina was told they wanted her to be in the film that was mind blowing for her. I love how Awkwafina expresses a lot, through her body and her voice, while saying her lines. No one could say Peik Lin Goh’s lines better than Awkwafina. Awkwafina is also known to be a scene stealer, probably because she talks a lot. A lot of the humor in “Crazy Rich Asians” I would say comes from the Goh family. Both Ken Jeong and his wife were familiar with the book because they’ve read it. Jon M. Chu approached Ken offering him the part of Wye Mun Goh, Peik’s father, because Jon knew they needed comedic talent in this ensemble. Ken Jeong was doing a show at the time when he got offered the part and wasn’t sure if he would be able to do “Crazy Rich Asians”, even though he wanted to do it. Like Awkwafina, Ken supported the film whether he was going to be apart of it or not and he admired Jon M. Chu for being so passionate. Ken’s show got canceled and at the last minute he joined “Crazy Rich Asians”. Lucky thing for Ken the part he was offered was still available. Ken’s first day on “Crazy Rich Asians” was the day after his show got canceled. Peik acts as though Wye is an embarrassment, but in real life, Awkwafina would be cracking up around Ken Jeong because he was so funny. She would crack up while they were shooting a take and that had never happened to her before.
The biggest thing for “Crazy Rich Asians” was having a legend, Michelle Yeoh, be apart of it. Michelle turned down the project at first. She wasn’t interested in playing Nick’s mother, Eleanor, because of how mean she was after reading the script. Michelle couldn’t understand why a mother would be mean instead of being supporting to her son. What Michelle did like about “Crazy Rich Asians” was it was about showing an Asian culture, but she couldn’t be apart of it if she was to play Eleanor. Jon M. Chu wouldn’t take no for an answer and wouldn’t give up. Michelle felt there was no way she would be convinced into playing Eleanor, but Jon and her would have long conversations with each other and in the end Michelle said yes because she liked how passionate Jon was about telling this story through his direction and it’s because of passionate directors that she has chosen to be involved in the projects she has done through her career as an actress. Michelle realized that saying yes to “Crazy Rich Asians” was a right decision. The way Eleanor treats Rachel reminds me of the evil stepmother in a Disney film. When Michelle Yeoh was in “Crouching Tigger Hidden Dragon”, her character, Yu Shu Lien, was a believer in love. For Eleanor it’s about making the family look good and knowing who’s worthy enough for her son, Nick. But like a lot of the characters Michelle has played in the past, Eleanor is strong. She’s the type of woman you don’t want to mess with. Of course Rachel’s not afraid to defend herself. Rachel will get hurt for being picked on by Eleanor and other Asian women who are rich, but she stays strong and fights back. Eleanor does something really cruel to Rachel by accusing her as liar and making it sound like her mom was a whore. Eleanor has a private detective dig up some dirt on Rachel and learns something about her family that Rachel didn’t even know. Rachel thought her father died before she was born, but he is still alive.
Rachel’s mom, Kerry, kept the truth from her, but she had a good reason for doing it. Kerry was in an unhappy marriage with a violent man. Life wasn’t so kind to Kerry in her youth, until a friend of her’s helped. And he became the person she wished she could spend her life with. Kerry became pregnant with his child, went to America to make a fresh new start for herself and make sure her daughter was raised properly. Kerry thinks about Rachel’s father a lot, but I think she is also trying to leave the past behind her. Rachel doesn’t blame her mother for what she did. Kerry’s been doing a good job at being a terrific mom for Rachel and she’s like her best friend. Kerry’s always been there for Rachel.
Before Rachel leaves Singapore, she must express who she really is to Eleanor. Rachel gives up Nick so he won’t have to choose between her and his family. Nick’s family means a lot to him, but so does Rachel. Losing Nick hurts Rachel and she has tears in her eyes to show it as she is confronting Eleanor. But she feels it’s for the best, plus she knows Nick’s family will never accept her. Eleanor misjudged Rachel and sees how much Rachel cares for Nick. Rachel chose to be with Nick because of love.
Rachel’s words get into Eleanor deep and gives her a lot to think about. Nick knows the best thing for him is being with Rachel because she’s the only woman for him and he wants a normal life than a rich life. Rachel didn’t know anything about her father and even if she did it wouldn’t be different from Nick not telling her that he comes from a wealthy family. Rachel and Nick had been dating for more than a year and not once did he tell her who his family is and what they do for a living until they were on their way to Singapore. Eleanor lets Nick take control of his own life instead of making all the decisions for him. Nick proposed to Rachel before she left, but she declined knowing Eleanor would never approve. The first time Nick proposed wasn’t good enough. It needs to be more special and something to remember. Nick had a ring, but Eleanor knows you need the proper ring for that certain someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, so she gives him her ring. Nick goes after Rachel as she is boarding the plane with Kerry. I’ve seen moments in films where a man or woman will go after the person they want to be with and there’s people surrounding them to witness the two love birds come together and “Crazy Rich Asians” is one of them. The most special scene can sometimes be at the end and with “Crazy Rich Asians”, it’s Nick proposing to Rachel on the plane. Now to see what happens next to Nick and Rachel now that they are engaged. The two sequel books, “China Rich Girlfriend” and “Rich People Problems”, have to be adapted. They are scheduled to shoot back to back in 2020. Jon M. Chu is attached to direct them both. Question on my mind is will they be as good as “Crazy Rich Asians”? We’ll just have to wait and see.
My rating on “Crazy Rich Asians” is four and a half out of five stars.
