Crazy Rich Asians - Review

Release Date: August 17, 2018​​​

You've Seen This Before

The romantic comedy is a movie genre that has not changed, even with this movie. My goal when watching Crazy Rich Asians was to find the reason everybody went to see it. I cannot deny the pleasant time I had watching the movie but did not see anything in the movie itself that warrants all the praise it is getting. So instead of talking about the all Asian cast and how that has affected the movie's box office, I'll describe the movie watching experience I had.

The movie is a modern recreation of the late 1990s and early 2000s romantic comedy. It has all of the key aspects of those movies, from a montage to uninteresting camera work. It tells a generic story in a generic way, but it does have some good aspects to it. I found the movie to be really funny. I know a lot of people will point out Awkwafina as the main comic relief, which I agree with, but there are a lot of characters that inject fun into the movie. I did not expect how many times I would be smiling or chuckling. So it definitely checks all the boxes when it comes to the by the numbers rom-com.

One thing that really bothered me was the music choice. Not all of it was bad, but there were a lot of moments where it didn't fit with the mood. There was a scene that was supposed to be touching but the music was trying to make it feel like a sad moment. Another thing that felt off was some of the acting. Since there were so many actors in the movie, it was easy to pick out who was doing a good job and who wasn't. It didn't help that the story wasn't very good either.

There was never a conflict between the main couple, nothing that they had to work out. The movie played to the fantasy of being rich and wishing for that lifestyle. I actively thought about that point while watching the movie and realized the reason it didn't connect with me. I don't wish for that lifestyle so that fantasy isn't a compelling factor in the movie for me. I think there are other movies that achieve a similar fantasy but with way better acting and cinematography.

Crazy Rich Asians is funny but that doesn't make it a good movie. On so many levels from a movie making standpoint, it is actually kind of a failure. But for the average moviegoer, it seems to be adequate enough. I don't hate this movie and don't know if I can recommend it, but people like it for some reason.

5/10
This movie makes me question who and why people go to the movies