'Crazy Rich Asians' Not Only Provides Refreshing Asian Representation, but Is Also a Solid Rom-Com

When was the last time Hollywood released a movie with a majority Asian cast? Up until this year, the last time was in 1993 with The Joy Luck Club.

But recently, Asian-Americans finally got another shot at the spotlight, with the release of the new film, Crazy Rich Asians, a movie based on the novel written by Kevin Kwan.

A Film Review of 'Crazy Rich Asians'

Now, I'm generally not a big fan of romance movies, but as an Asian-American aspiring actor, I wanted to support a film that featured an all-Asian main cast. So, I bought tickets to see the movie.

I just want to start off by saying that I really liked this movie. If you're someone who likes romance movies, you should love this movie. And in order to give this article some structure, I'll be reviewing the movie with WASDO criteria (Writing, Acting, Soundtrack, Directing, Overall).

NO SPOILERS! :D

Writing

The movie's writing was awesome. It nailed its comedic scenes, the dramatic scenes, and the story is also really good. The film did a fantastic job of showing Asian culture and representing both Asians and Asian-Americans with respect and dignity.

I touched on this in one of my old articles, but usually when you have an Asian in the movie, they speak with a thick Chinese accent, they do kung fu, or they're just portrayed as "odd." This movie finally showcased Asians respectfully.

Writing Continued

I will say, though, I wasn't quite impressed with the story. I mean, romance movies are generally not my thing, but the beginning of this movie kind of felt a little too generic for my liking. The film's conflict really took off in the final act, and that's where I really started to fully enjoy the movie.

The film's first act is generally a bit slow, but overall, the writing was good. Also, in one of the film's final scenes, we see two characters playing a game of mahjong in a scene that was really well-done.

Writing Score: 16/20

Acting

I personally thought everyone was superb in this movie. Constance Wu did a great job of bringing Rachel Chu to life with both comedic and dramatic skills and for someone who had done very little acting in the past. Henry Golding impressed me with his ability.

The legendary Michelle Yeoh was probably one of the best parts of the movie, playing the role of Nick's overbearing and judgmental mother really well. Awkwafina's character was also hilarious as the film's comic relief.

Acting Score: 18/20

Soundtrack

The film's score was composed by Brian Tyler. His score for the Now You See Me films is one of my favorites in movie history. And his original score in this movie was pretty good.

He didn't necessarily disappoint, but overall, the film's soundtrack was forgettable. It's not gonna be an iconic soundtrack, but it was really good. The film also used a bunch of Chinese songs that already existed and I loved every single one of them.

Soundtrack Score: 17/20

Directing

Crazy Rich Asians was directed by Asian-American filmmaker, Jon M. Chu. In the past, Chu has directed Step Up 2: The Streets and Now You See Me 2. And I thought this movie was pretty well done.

The sets, the lighting, and everything about this movie was done really well.

Directing Score: 17/20

Overall

Like I said, I'm not a big romance movie guy. I prefer action films, but judged Crazy Rich Asians objectively.

The movie tells a great story. It gets you to root for the characters, and is a pretty entertaining movie that I'd love to rewatch. And I think this movie will go down in history as a tipping point for Asian-Americans in Hollywood.

Overall Score: 16/20

FINAL SCORE: 84/100

Good news. Not only is this movie now out, but another movie with an Asian-American lead is also in theaters now. You may have heard of the movie, Searching, which is a psychological thriller starring John Cho, and the very first mainstream Hollywood thriller with an Asian-American in the lead role.

The film is about a man named David Kim, whose teenage daughter vanishes, and he must look through her computer to find anything that can help him find her.

I want to watch this too. Not just because of the Asian lead, but because it genuinely looks like a fantastic movie. I can't wait to review it. Anyways, that's it.