Rachel, a Chinese-American economics professor is asked by her Singaporean boyfriend to attend a friend’s wedding. Sure, she says. Then she finds out her boyfriend is not just rich, but Crazy rich.
The story line is original, but the social satire all over the place owes a lot to Jane Austen. The satire is broad enough to be consistently entertaining, tinged with just enough acid to make it real. The satire isn’t mean-spirited though. It’s like Garrison Keillor mocking Lutherans — he knows they’re ridiculous, but he loves them anyway. The high-fashion clothes deserve a credit of their own. I understand high-fashion designers were lining up seeking product placements for this film. I think the waterproof wedding dress was fictional, though.
The ending is a bit too neat for my taste, but along the way enough serious issues are raised that you know there won’t be smooth sailing ahead. Although there will definitely be boats. And planes.
The performances are great, especially Michelle Yeoh as the mother-in-law and Gemma Chan as the sister-in-law improbably named Astrid. Constance Wu as Rachel took a bit too long to find her inner Elizabeth Bennett, but she finally got their. In the smaller roles, Nick Santos as the family’s rainbow sheep and Awkwafina (sic) as Rachel’s just regular-rich girlfriend really stand out. Most of the men are just there for eye candy though.
A silly movie with a heart of gold. Linda says check it out.
