Lantern Lit

Jewels. Glamor. Drama. Jon M. Chu’s film Crazy Rich Asians did not fail to impress. A romantic comedy based off of Kevin Kwan’s novel, it bedazzles the reader with the tale of Rachel Chu, an American-born Chinese economic professor at NYU, and her boyfriend Nick Young, a Singaporean man from one of the wealthiest families in Asia. Yet Rachel hasn’t got a clue about the money. Not yet. Not until she accepts Nick’s invitation to attend his best friend Colin’s wedding in Singapore, where Rachel meets Nick’s family, does she realize she’s dating the heir apparent to a massive family fortune. But does his family like her? “No” would be an understatement.

From the opening scene to the closing credits, I was invested in the story. Chu is a master of humor. Every single punchline made me either giggle or surrender to a laughing fit. It was quite the abdominal workout! Furthermore, the wide range of character personalities kept me entertained. I snorted at Peik Lin’s boldness and eccentricity. I rolled my eyes at Eleanor Young’s judgmental demeanor. I stuck out my tongue at the rich girls’ snottiness. I sighed in awe at Astrid’s humility. Indeed, on those days when you grumble, “I don’t feel like doing any work today,” watching Crazy Rich Asians is the right answer.

Yet this movie isn’t simply a good vibe with superficial themes—if you paid attention, you would notice the countless interpretations one might embark upon. For example, another reason Eleanor dislikes Rachel is because she comes from humble beginnings rather than affluence. Thus, Crazy Rich Asians critiques social class.

Unfortunately, Crazy Rich Asians perpetuates the Model Minority stereotype—the expectation for Asian immigrants to overcome minority barriers and succeed via American capitalism. Rachel’s mother was far from rich when she immigrated to the United States. But Rachel worked tirelessly and voila! She’s the youngest professor in the economics department at NYU. She’s a prodigy. But for an Asian, that’s no surprise. That’s the expectation.

The third reason Eleaner is not in favor of Rachel is because she is Chinese-American. She is a “banana,” a demeaning term used for Asians born in the US, because she is “yellow on the outside, white on the inside.” While many Asian works demonstrate what it’s like to be Asian-American in America, Crazy Rich Asians accurately reveals what it’s like to be Asian-American in Asia. You are seen as “white-washed.” You can never belong.

Finally, take a look at the cast: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Ronny Chieng, Jimmy Yang…it goes on and on. The film’s majority Asian-American cast amplifies the underrepresentation of the AAPI community on the screen and onstage. If there are so many stars in Crazy Rich Asians, where are they on Broadway and Hollywood? At the same time, the movie is set in Singapore and its characters are all Asian. Having a majority Asian cast is thus necessary. This urges me to question: if AAPI actors only appear in films where race is central to the story, how can we increase our media presence?