Just as Black Panther seemed to open the floodgates to the richness of Black cinema, Crazy Rich Asians is a game changer too. Black Panther showed the range of Black film that’s always been possible with directors like Julie Dash, Spike Lee and so on. Similarly, Crazy Rich Asians has pulled back the curtains in a bold way. When I went to see it, the theater was packed with so many different people, waiting to watch a fresh story unfold.

I believe in this day and age, the social impact of a film is just as important to the film itself. Take Star Wars or E.T. they were films with a huge social impact. The reason these films are still relevant is due, in part, to their audience reception. Not to mention, the big boys like Disney noticed their marketing potential. After seeing the film and taking in as much of the press as I could, I’ve been able to look at how Western audiences usually consume Asian film and art and see why Crazy Rich Asians flips all those previous perceptions.

The Western Gaze & Asian Media

I am an avid consumer of media, whether international and our homegrown in the U.S. I’ve been interested in contemporary Asian cinema since middle school when I stumbled upon the awesomeness of Korean Dramas. Shows like Coffee Prince, You’re Beautiful, and more current ones like My Love from Another Star, Scarlet Heart. The list goes on and on, literally. Yet, I also know me as an African American person watching KDramas is not necessarily the norm.

If Americans are watching Asian media, they’re most likely watching anime or a classic Studio Ghibli production, and/or they’re reading mangas. Or rather, the media is always being filtered through an American lens, take English dubbing of animes like Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, Dragon Ball Z and soooooo much more. Or, on a worse note, Hollywood produces trainwrecks like  The Last Airbender (2010) or Ghost In The Shell (2017) which perpetuate the idea that Asian actors can’t carry a film.

Yet, the Crazy Rich Asians film has blown the door open, continuing the work of shows like Fresh Off the Boat, both starring main actress Constance Wu. These productions are putting real faces to the media and culture we love watching. The film is first and foremost a fun and enjoyable watch. It’s one you can see with your friends and family and come out feeling good.

Spoilers! I adored the first sequence when one text message sets off a chain reaction from New York to Singapore. Also, when Henry Golding’s Nick Young is telling Rachel about his cousins, especially Alistair Cheng who is a film director in Taiwan. This felt like a big nod to the deep foundation of Asian filmmaking. I also thought Community alum Ken Jeong was hilarious and perfect as Peik Lin’s father. The mahjong scene was clever and well done, tying up the ‘game of chicken’ Rachel was playing with Michelle Yeoh’s Eleanor Young.

The imagery is spectacular, the characters are funny, the guys are hot. It’s what a romantic-comedy should be: a look into the lives, friendships, and love relationships of its characters. The film, of course, isn’t perfect. I think there is room for more nuance to the cinderella-like storyline, but I enjoyed watching Rachel Chu and Nick Young’s love unfold on screen.

Yes, there have been successful films with Asian actors like Memoires of A Geisha or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Yet, to me, Crazy Rich Asians is doing the work of films like In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai and The Joy Luck Club by Wayne Wang– where it’s attempting to show the ups and downs, triumphs and sorrows, laughs and cries of regular people, albeit super-rich people. Crazy Rich Asians isn’t just a film with Asian actors, it’s an Asian film with characters who are allowed to be flawed, to be more than a Western-manufactured stereotype.

I have nothing but excitement for the array of films and stories that are emerging. I can’t wait to see more Asian and multicultural films; they help to shrink the world and let us know we’re not so different. There are already more great films like this rolling out and receiving rave reviews such as Searching and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Go see the film, if you haven’t already!

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Best,

Kai 😀