Of course we all know it’s such a fucking cliché to say that ALL women love Rom-Coms, but honestly for me, that cliché is mostly true: I still love Sleepless in Seattle & When Harry Met Sally, I own copies of The Wedding Singer and … 27 Dresses (yes. I know. I KNOW), and I still tear up every damn time I watch Bridget Jones’ Diary or Notting Hill.
Still, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve watched one that I considered perfect from end-to-end. Crazy Rich Asians hits all the expected notes expertly and stuck me right in the center of my romantic comedy-loving heart square with an opulent, diamond-studded arrow.
CRA introduces us to adorable couple Rachel (Constance Wu) & Nick (HELLOOOOO Henry Golding), wherein Nick suggests they head to Singapore on spring break for his best friend’s wedding together so Rachel can finally meet his family. As they check-in to the airport and are escorted to their private first class suite (I didn’t even know this was a thing!), Rachel finds out that Nick has been hiding a huge secret: his family is crazy rich.
In Singapore, Rachel reconnects with Peik Lin Goh (Awkwarfina, who steals. every. scene.), her nouveau riche friend, who tries to give her the lowdown on just how rich the Young family is — something Rachel quickly realizes as they pull up to the insanely huge Young family estate. And once Nick introduces her to his fiercely protective mother, Eleanor (ageless QUEEN Michelle Yeoh), Rachel also starts to get a sense of what she’s up against.
A disapproving momma isn’t the only obstacle our romantic heroine has to battle; she also has to navigate her way through his family’s old money prejudices, hold her own against a gang of gossipy mean girls, fight the shenanigans of Nick’s shady ex-girlfriend — and, uh, also deal with Nick, who obviously hasn’t let her know what it really means to be a part of his crazy rich family.
Still, Rachel has her allies: Peik Lin, of course, who provides hilarious support (I’m gonna have to work “Bawk Bawk, Bitch” into my vocab immediately); plus Nick’s cousins Astrid (Gemma Chan) — Singapore’s social-media fashion icon, who embraces Rachel (and is also dealing with her own family issues), and Oliver, who transforms Rachel from NYC cutie to high-fashion red carpet star. Also, her greatest champion is her mom (awwwww).
Crazy Rich Asians takes you on drama-filled roller coaster, and the ride is a ridiculously fun combo of the usual rom-com tropes and unexpected surprises. Really, my favorite part about all of it is that Rachel doesn’t need rescuing. She’s a successful economic professor at NYU; she’s smart and can hold her own; and she loves Nick so much she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he’s happy (SOB).
In short: this film is crazy perfect.