“‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ a busy, fizzy movie, sets up a series of clashes between tradition and individualism, between the heart’s desire and familial duty, between insane wealth and prudent upward mobility-that are resolved with more laughter than tears”, A. O. Scott from the New York Times stated on August 14th, 2018 in his review of the movie “Crazy Rich Asians”. This movie came out on August 15th, 2018 and has been a fan favorite ever since. This movie was a surprise hit, earning $238,000,000 from a budget of $30,000,000 according to the Daily Mail website on January 9th, 2019 by Tracy Wright. Overall, this was an exceptional movie because of the place it was filmed, people that were in it, and the impact on the Asian actors in Hollywood today.

First, I will talk about the places it was filmed in, Singapore and Malaysia. You wouldn’t expect to see a successful movie filmed in either of these locations. From The Marina Bay Sands to The Changi Airport and Gardens By the Bay these areas were ideal locations for the movie. After traveling to Marco Island, Florida and watching this on the plane,  the next plane trip I want to take, is to Singapore. I am probably not the only one that feels this way. This location showed a fancy lifestyle, which could change the way Americans view these countries and people from them.

One thing that stood out to me about this movie, was the actors that were in it. According to Lauren Yoshiko from Willamette Week, on August 16th, 2018 “Crazy Rich Asians” is the first movie since the 1993 movie, “Joy Luck Club”, to film with an all Asian cast. My favorite character is Awkwafina, the best friend of the main character, Rachel Chu. This character always manages to brighten the mood and turn any scene into a funny one. This actress even said she would host the Oscars if given the chance. Finally, I will talk about how this movie has changed the future of Hollywood for the Asian actors there.

In the last 20 years, there has been barely any lead Asian actors in movies. For example, in 2017 there was a hashtag in response to the Oscar awards, #OscarsTooWhite. It makes me happy to think that this could change in the future. Before this movie, I did not think about the fact that there is not much diversity in movies. Now, that I pay attention to it, there are quite a few African American people in movies, but there have not been many movies that have Asian stars in them.

In conclusion, I believe that Crazy Rich Asians is a movie that everyone should watch because it is not only hilarious and heartwarming, but it also is set in a beautiful location and has the potential to influence Hollywood in the future. Now I will close with a quote that I felt when watching the movie, in the words of Rachel Chu, “pinch me, please. Is any of this real?”.

Sources:

Scott, A. O. “Review: 'Crazy Rich Asians' Is a Party With a First-Rate Guest List.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/14/movies/crazy-rich-asians-review.html?referrer=google_kp.

Yoshiko, Lauren, et al. “Crazy Rich Asians Is First Major Hollywood Film in 25 Years With All-Asian Principal Cast.” Willamette Week, www.wweek.com/arts/movies/2018/08/16/crazy-rich-asians-is-first-major-hollywood-film-in-25-years-with-all-asian-principal-cast/

Dailymail.com, Tracy Wright For. “Crazy Rich Asians Earns Top Spot in US Box Office for Second Week in a Row with $25m.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 26 Aug. 2018, www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6100439/Crazy-Rich-Asians-earns-spot-box-office-second-week-row-25m.html.