Out of all the many different genres of films we as the public have the option to go see, romantic comedy has not been on top when it comes to quality; at least not recently. But sometimes a film of a genre that seems to be dying off will swoop in and breathe some life into it. That, my friends is what we have here with Crazy Rich Asians. I was someone who saw the trailer and because of some pretty lackluster efforts being made in this genre said it probably would not be any good. I now gladly eat those words because I had such a great time with this film.
First of all, let’s examine what we want from a romantic comedy. Most people want a movie that has strong leads with good chemistry, a romantic story that works, and top it all off with some satisfying humor here and there. What is so great about Crazy Rich Asians is it does all of that and more. Not only does it check all those boxes, it goes an extra mile that most rom coms do not.
The most important aspect of the movie is the leads and the fantastic chemistry they share. That is absolutely crucial if a film of this type is going to work. Someone could have simply walked into the theater and seen my facial expression when Constance Wu and Henry Golding were onscreen sharing scene time and known that their chemistry was great. You just can’t help but grin at the moments these two share. It says a lot for the performances from the two. They were perfect picks for their roles and give fresh, enthusiastic performances.
Speaking of fresh performances, let’s talk for a minute about Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh is so good here and completely embodies the role of the disapproving mother who has very big concerns about her son’s new girlfriend. She did a great job, just like everyone else in the film. (Truthfully, there is not one performance that didn’t quite land well.)
The comedy is good for the most part, though it doesn’t work 100% of the time. More often than not, I did laugh and overall enjoyed the humor. Awkwafina (who was seen earlier this year in Ocean’s 8) is a big part of the film’s comedy. She does well with what the script has to offer her and while sometimes the jokes did not exactly work, the times where they did outnumbered the moments they did not.
Fortunately, the only downside of Crazy Rich Asians is some of the jokes not working as well as intended. The romance and dramatic parts work perfectly during the entirety of the movie. There was not one time where I thought it was overly sappy or cheesy. Everything worked very well, mainly because of the actors and their performances.
Crazy Rich Asians is both a big win for the Asian community and for the romantic comedy genre. My suggestion is to go see it immediately!
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