Crazy Rich Asians - from the producer of The Hunger Games

[jmc]

I think what I'm getting from this now is that the reaction is actually not about the looks as it is it's about how the people sound, because given the amount of Asian movies available it comes across as odd to me that people are saying they can finally see themselves in a different light. For Black Panther I totally get it why people would feel that way, an African influence sci-fi film is something we really haven't seen before.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I think what I'm getting from this now is that the reaction is actually not about the looks as it is it's about how the people sound, because given the amount of Asian movies available it comes across as odd to me that people are saying they can finally see themselves in a different light. For Black Panther I totally get it why people would feel that way, an African influence sci-fi film is something we really haven't seen before.

Sound is part of it. But let's be clear there is also a vibrant African film industry, that produces films in English but also a plethora of other African languages and there are films like CITY OF GOD from Brazil or other South American countries that feature Black citizens of that nation. But this is about HOLLYWOOD films, still the biggest game in town world wide, if I may mix my metaphors. America's film industry is finally catching up to the diversity that has always been in the country. Black, Latino, Asian and lord knows what else Americans are just that... Americans. By and large they speak English and just like Caucasian Americans most want to see a story relateable to themselves and in a language they can understand. There's a lot of films being made in Nigeria and Ghana and in English... But they are about the lives of Nigerians and Ghanaian. I mean, Hispanic Americans even those that speak Spanish are again... Americans. There's gonna a be a barrier in relating to the history and culture of say, Argentina even if a good chunk of Hispanics speak Spanish. But they aren't Argentinian. They are Americans and they don't get to see themselves represented in the output of Hollywood commiserate to their numbers and when they do... What do they get? Either the cliche's of inner city pathologies relating to crime or again the occasional "eat your vegetables" type "prestige" flick that comes out once every 6 years about some kind of depressing if important historical moment or figure or a story that is about "La Raza" overcoming adversity. Which, speaking as a Hispanic... Okay. Fine that those stories get told but... Why can't a person with a background like me be the main character in a spy film? Why can't there be a Hispanic filled cast in a Ferris Bueller's Day Off type of high school dramedy? Hell, why isn't there a Hispanic-American Harold And Kumar? Why not a Danny Trejo starring vehicle that gets the push of a TAKEN with Liam Neeson?

I mean... For all the martial arts epics produced in China about the "age of heroes" that are popular among Chinese-Americans... They still are about heroes in China long, long ago. Where are the stories about Chinese-Americans in a broader spectrum of genres and stories? And why has it taken so long to see those reach the screen?

Again... I don't think BP was as different because of what it was, a sci fi fantasy action adventure, because those are far from rare today. But it told it's story with a Black cast and perhaps most important of all it showed that such a thing wasn't a turn off in any way to the rest of the audience that was not Black. This was an American film that showcased Black people in positive light in a story that our film industry doesn't usually export to the outside world featuring Black actors. This is what was game changing... HOPEFULLY.

And this is why CRA has a chance to open up more avenues for Asian talent. And if I may get a wee bit romantic (not in THAT SENSE) these films getting made now... I hope it helps to reframe some notions people have about my country. When the rest of the world sees our films they are seeing us export our culture to everywhere else. And what's the view of non-Caucasians that a lot of films have put out there to other nations for years? It's not all positive. But if we can make a Black Panther or a rom com about upper class Asians it says, in my opinion, that in America we really do see the potential for an individual to be ANYTHING, regardless of background. In our films the Black man can be the hero in a fantasy setting, or the Hispanic woman can be the sympathetic and funny main character in comedy etc, etc. At least I hope that's where we are going.

 

[chamber-music]

African cinema couldn't make something on the scale of Black Panther.

Neill Blomkamp's District 9 cost $30 million to make and most of that came from U.S financier QED and Peter Jackson's production company Wingnut.

Chinese cinema is more than just historical martial arts epics. China makes plenty of RomComs as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_romantic_comedy_films

I get Asian Americans wanting to see movies about themselves and their experience which can be different from their ancestral homelands though.

Hollywood has traditionally often given some minorities stereotypical or derogatory portrayals or straight up ignored them so you can understand why some people get hyped when a mainstream Hollywood movie comes along and gives some positive portrayals of different types of people.

 

[samsnee]

I see this doing well more because it's a big romantic comedy that's getting a lot of attention. Mamma Mia 2 came and went but beyond that one, we haven't had a good rom-com in a few year so this is good counter programming.

 

[Ozbridge]

I think what I'm getting from this now is that the reaction is actually not about the looks as it is it's about how the people sound, because given the amount of Asian movies available it comes across as odd to me that people are saying they can finally see themselves in a different light. For Black Panther I totally get it why people would feel that way, an African influence sci-fi film is something we really haven't seen before.

I think a main character (audience surrogate) being Asian American is more important to identify with than an all Asian cast. I am Asian growing up in Asia but Asian American are just as foreign to me as white American, so for Asian American Asian in Asia might be just as foreign as black people in Africa.

An Asian American friend of mine say she doesn't identify with Asian in Asia at all; she doesn't identify with, say, Liu Yifei.

 

[terry78]

What part of Asia?

 

[Pink Ranger]

What do they get? Either the cliche's of inner city pathologies relating to crime or again the occasional "eat your vegetables" type "prestige" flick that comes out once every 6 years about some kind of depressing if important historical moment or figure or a story that is about "La Raza" overcoming adversity.

Holy ****, that term is full of win. t:

 

[Ozbridge]

What part of Asia?

Were you asking me? My friend grew up in Hongkong until she was 3.

 

[Kane52630]

My review... and also, I never read the book so I don't know how accurate it is (but then again that's always fools gold).

Spoiler

I thought it was great. It's been a good while since someone has successfully attempted a classic "Cinderella style" romcom without any cynicism attached to it. It's practically an American version of numerous Asian soap dramas or any number of Bollywood movies. It's got a big cast and they made sure to give everyone their moment to shine. Constance Wu and Henry Golding will hopefully become big names after this, they both had great charisma and chemistry. They do a pretty good job on showing you the culture and food of Singapore, granted it's the very rich side of it. For the most part the drama that's created felt real and they avoid some cliches that usually hinder a movie like this. Only problems I had with it is some of the pacing towards the 2nd half. Overall, it's definitely that movie you want to watch with a close one or your family.

9/10

 

[ironman_rick]

I haven't seen this movie. I understand that it takes place in singapore.....

Does it show any aspect of the other smaller races ( malay and indian communities) in this movie ?

Cos a friend of mine sent me a FB post of an ex-singaporean complaning about this movie.....

 

[Kane52630]

They were pretty much background characters.

 

[Legendver2]

CRA might make a difference but it might not. If it succeeds it will definitely bring in a lot of imitators which will inevitably suck like most imitations do. Maybe this time it sticks. It feels different than before and with China now a big deal there is extra incentive to feature more asian casts.

China being a big deal doesn't really correlate to more Asian castings in Hollywood, at least Asian-American. We still don't know if this film will do well in China. China and HK themselves already have a **** ton of rom-coms each year, why would they watch a Hollywood production of something they already have with a majority of the cast being Asians they don't even recognize of speak their language? All the films that Hollywood is making that was intended to appeal to China casted Asian actors that were from there, i.e. Li Bing Bing/The Meg, Fan Bing Bing/DOFP/IM3, the HK cast from TF4.

Just a question about this film. Given the size and scale of Asian cinema why exactly are people this excited for this film? I've seen a lot of people talking about seeing themselves on screen but I'm a bit puzzled by this give how big the film industry is and all the content that you can get from there. Is it just a case of access? We've got a dedicated TV channel to international content and get trucks loads of content from the region, as well as Netflix having a massive library of films and tv shows from there. Do Americans not have anything like this? I get why Black Panther would generate this type of buzz given there's not much African content that's readily available, but I don't get why this would.

It's mostly a narrative being told by, and for Asian Americans, and in some ways, I agree. As big as Asian cinema is, it still feature Asians from halfway across the world, something Asian Americans here can't identify with. My gripe with this film is that it's being marketing almost solely off the race card, and the idea behind the making of this film was probably solely for the race card as well. Being Asian American myself, I cringe at anything being shoved down my throat because it's Asian American related, and this is how this film feels to me, so I am mostly not watching it. What I do like is watching normal roles for characters who don't really need to be Asian, but who happens to be cast as Asian, and them being Asian is not the sole focal marketing and plot point of the film. Characters ike Han from the FF series, Sunny from Badlands, Nikita with Maggie Q, and from what it looks like, next week's Searching, although the marketing for that could be borderline, but my boy John Cho many states emphasized the point of that casting was that it just happens to tell a story of a family that happens to be Asian, and them being Asian is not a major plot in the film, at least from what I know, since the film isn't out yet. You can bet I'm watching that one.

And this is why CRA has a chance to open up more avenues for Asian talent. And if I may get a wee bit romantic (not in THAT SENSE) these films getting made now... I hope it helps to reframe some notions people have about my country. When the rest of the world sees our films they are seeing us export our culture to everywhere else. And what's the view of non-Caucasians that a lot of films have put out there to other nations for years? It's not all positive. But if we can make a Black Panther or a rom com about upper class Asians it says, in my opinion, that in America we really do see the potential for an individual to be ANYTHING, regardless of background. In our films the Black man can be the hero in a fantasy setting, or the Hispanic woman can be the sympathetic and funny main character in comedy etc, etc. At least I hope that's where we are going.

I can see how CRA can be equated to BP in regards to Asian Americans, but BP had a few big advantages. BP had the advantage of featuring a lead that was a well received appetizer in a previous movie, Civil War. Not to mentioned that it's part of a universe that's had the goodwill of 10+ years worth of films pretty much all utilizing the 4 quadrants. CRA just came right out the gate and proclaims to possibly have that level of impact, which may or may not happen, we shall see.

I think a main character (audience surrogate) being Asian American is more important to identify with than an all Asian cast. I am Asian growing up in Asia but Asian American are just as foreign to me as white American, so for Asian American Asian in Asia might be just as foreign as black people in Africa.

An Asian American friend of mine say she doesn't identify with Asian in Asia at all; she doesn't identify with, say, Liu Yifei.

You leave my bae outta this ! But also, it's funny you mentioned Liu Yifei, since she was raised in the states and holds citizenship here, so your friend might identify with her more than she thinks

 

[jmc]

Appreciate your feedback. I'm curious to know why they can identify with them though. I was literally watching a Korean movie the other day set in a high school where from my perspective as an Australian there was nothing inherently foreign to me about what the characters in the movies were doing. It's just very strange to me the view that Asian films are inherently different and don't represent the same joys and struggles that people in the west deal with. Which brings it back to me about how the people sound as opposed to how they look. I get it from that perspective. Accents by their nature help identify us from other groups.

 

[Legendver2]

Appreciate your feedback. I'm curious to know why they can identify with them though. I was literally watching a Korean movie the other day set in a high school where from my perspective as an Australian there was nothing inherently foreign to me about what the characters in the movies were doing. It's just very strange to me the view that Asian films are inherently different and don't represent the same joys and struggles that people in the west deal with. Which brings it back to me about how the people sound as opposed to how they look. I get it from that perspective. Accents by their nature help identify us from other groups.

People like to see themselves on screen (not me though, they just need to be hot and good looking ), so why watch an Asian speaking a language that may or may not be foreign to you going through those joys and struggles in a foreign country, when you can watch the same thing but in English and going through the same struggles and joy in the country you call home? Personally, as a first gen immigrant, I can relate to both, so I couldn't care less, since I got my Asian cinema on one side and Hollywood stuff on the other, and occasionally they work a joint production. But I can imagine ABCs, ABKs, ABJs, etc feeling a unique struggle because this is the only home they know, but they're in the minority, so struggles here are inherently different than those in Asian, where people like them are the majority. Plus, more Asian American actors helping break through is definitely a good thing for Asian Americans who are looking to become an actor

 

[PacificBoy]

It's mostly a narrative being told by, and for Asian Americans, and in some ways, I agree. As big as Asian cinema is, it still feature Asians from halfway across the world, something Asian Americans here can't identify with. My gripe with this film is that it's being marketing almost solely off the race card, and the idea behind the making of this film was probably solely for the race card as well.

Funny enough, there's been a small pushback from cultural critics in Singapore, who, while understanding why this movie is important for Asian American representation, find fault with the exoticisation of Singapore as a Chinese state, where the minority Indians and Malays are barely in the picture.

 

[ehh]

I saw the trailer for this film and it came off as a pretty generic romantic comedy... but with Asians being the main draw. I don't know, maybe I'll watch when it's on Netflix? Ehh.

 

[lime]

I saw the trailer for this film and it came off as a pretty generic romantic comedy... but with Asians being the main draw. I don't know, maybe I'll watch when it's on Netflix? Ehh.

Same with me. It looks VERY generic. Not my type of film. But the lead actress is very pretty.

 

[ehh]

Same with me. It looks VERY generic. Not my type of film. But the lead actress is very pretty.

Haha I can't disagree with you there! Not enough of a reason to watch it though.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Funny enough, there's been a small pushback from cultural critics in Singapore, who, while understanding why this movie is important for Asian American representation, find fault with the exoticisation of Singapore as a Chinese state, where the minority Indians and Malays are barely in the picture.

Yeah, in some ways this film is also tone deaf to the fact that rich Chinese people are kind of disliked by other ethnicities in Asia, not without good reason sometimes. Let's make a movie called Crazy Rich Afrikaners.

 

[terry78]

According to Box Office Mojo, it's numero uno with 34 mil this weekend.

 

[Fincher]

I saw the trailer for this film and it came off as a pretty generic romantic comedy... but with Asians being the main draw. I don't know, maybe I'll watch when it's on Netflix? Ehh.

It seems like the sort of romantic comedies I don't normally go in for (Julia Roberts/Meg Ryan/Jennifer Lopez as opposed to Clueless or Grosse Pointe Blank or something), but given the positive reception and the Asian cast, I might eventually watch it.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Just left the theater and loved it. So good! They need to greenlight the sequel!

 

[PacificBoy]

Yeah, in some ways this film is also tone deaf to the fact that rich Chinese people are kind of disliked by other ethnicities in Asia, not without good reason sometimes. Let's make a movie called Crazy Rich Afrikaners.

Singapore Chinese already have an image problem (mostly of our own making) amongst our Southeast Asian neighbours. This movie sure doesn't alleviate that! Partially because the satire doesn't come through strongly enough; book Eleanor, the mean matriarch, is less humanised for one.

The movie itself is fun harmless fluff, but since it's touted as a movie of such social importance, its blind spots (this and the lead male casting) are there to be fairly criticised.

 

[Legendver2]

Singapore Chinese already have an image problem (mostly of our own making) amongst our Southeast Asian neighbours. This movie sure doesn't alleviate that! Partially because the satire doesn't come through strongly enough; book Eleanor, the mean matriarch, is less humanised for one.

The movie itself is fun harmless fluff, but since it's touted as a movie of such social importance, its blind spots (this and the lead male casting) are there to be fairly criticised.

The film itself isn't aimed for a Chinese or Singaporean audience, so I doubt there would be much criticism in that aspect at all. The whole idea is to promote Asian Americans in the states, and I think it's doing a good job of that so far, as much as I don't like the way it's going about it.

 

[Quasimod0]

Saw it tonight and really enjoyed it.