Crazy Rich Asians has been the talk of the week so far with its estimated $25 million in the domestic box office this week. They have collected a total of about $76.8 million within two weeks, attracting a 44% Asian American audience (Journal). This romantic comedy film is about native New Yorker, Rachel Chu, going to Singapore to meet her boyfriend, Nick Young’s extremely wealthy family. There she faces many obstacles of jealous socialites and specifically the disapproval of Nick’s mother.
Throughout this film, there are many Asian representations: music, traditions, culture, etc. The soundtrack is comprised of mainly old famous Chinese music, some in Mandarin and some in Cantonese. These songs were famous Chinese music that Westerners liked during the time with the jazzy swing music of the 50’s. Film director, Jon M. Chu, stated that he wanted to “take hit American songs and make them Chinese to give audiences a sense of how we feel as Asian Americans” (Emmanuele). The breakout song of the movie was Katherine Ho’s cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow.” This song was translated into Chinese in the movie and almost didn’t make the movie due to the “criticism for cultural appropriation” (Emmanuele). Asian traditions and culture was also a large aspect of the film. During the film, some of the things characters say or the actions they do reflect Asian culture. For example, wearing red represents good luck, happiness, and fortune. Other things such as showing respect to elders was widely depicted throughout the film. This incorporation allows audiences to be able to be exposed to Asian culture.
One thing that is defined in the film is the term “Asian American.” Rachel Chu has grown up in New York her whole life and she is the definition of Asian American. Her friend Peik Lin compares her to a banana “white in the inside and yellow on the outside.” The only thing that made Rachel Asian was the fact that her ethnicity is Chinese. Other than that, Rachel was basically American which made Nick’s mother disapprove of her even more.
The storyline of Crazy Rich Asians is similar to that of other Asian dramas and movies such as those created in Korea or China. Many Asian plots involve a rich man and his family’s disapproval of his girlfriend who is less wealthy and of lower status. This type of plot has revolved around many Asian films although the way this movie resolves this problem is different from these films.
References:
Emmanuele, Julia. “You’ll Want To Listen To All Of These Amazing Songs From ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ On Repeat.” Bustle, Bustle, 25 Aug. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/all-the-songs-in-crazy-rich-asians-that-youll-want-to-listen-to-over-over-again-10239631.
Journal, Wall Street. “’Crazy Rich Asians’ Has Strong Second Weekend.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 26 Aug. 2018, www.wsj.com/articles/crazy-rich-asians-has-strong-second-weekend-1535311460.