Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians offers your basic going home to meet the parents tale, notable for two things. First, the romantic comedy features a talented all Asian cast. And second, it contains far better writing an acting than most romcoms. Our couple in love is Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick (Henry Golding). Despite being nearly ready to propose, Nick hasn't come clean with his girlfriend that his family is crazy rich (and also just plain crazy). Rachel discovers this for herself while accompanying Nick to Singapore for a friend's wedding.

The film features what you'd expect. Nick tries to balance love and family obligations. Rachel struggles to fit in with his family and deal with his disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) before learning to stand-up for herself and teach the Youngs a few lessons of their own. The supporting cast includes the over-the-top Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang, and Nico Santos, and the more understated Gemma Chan who bonds with Rachel over her own marital troubles.

With its main selling point being that the film is better than most entries to this genre, Crazy Rich Asians may not be a real stand-out outside of its normally insipid genre but that doesn't mean it isn't a damn good time. Available on Blu-ray and DVD, extra include commentary from director Jon M. Chu and novelist Kevin Kwan (whose book the film is based on), deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

[Warner Bros., Blu-ray $35.99 / DVD $39.29]

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