Movie Review
'Crazy Rich Asians' makes imprint in Hollywood, but sticks to rom-com formula
The representation in 'Crazy Rich Asians' is important but the film itself is a typical rom-com, writes Tymon Smith
The amount of hype around the importance of this film as a means of addressing the thorny issue of diversity in Hollywood will ensure that no matter what is said about director Jon M Chu's all-Asian cast romcom, the curious will not be deterred from going to see what all the fuss is about.
Chu's film, based on a bestselling novel by real-life crazy rich Asian Kevin Kwann, is the first Hollywood film to feature an all-Asian cast since 1993's The Joy Luck Club. It's already taken $34m at the US box office in its opening weekend and has been described by its director as "not a movie, [but] a moment".
Although Asia has its own commercially successful film industry, Hollywood remains the ultimate prize. As far as representation in Hollywood goes, Asian actors are grossly absent while Asian characters still tend to be played by non-Asians. The need for a more inclusive portrayal of an overwhelming majority of the world's population is undeniably obvious.
WATCH | Crazy Rich Asians - Official Trailer 1..
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