I tried not to get my hopes up in case I was disappointed, but with the many glowing reviews from the American premiere by the time Australia's opening night came around I was stupidly excited to see a Hollywood romcom featuring Asian actors from around the world. The anticipation was killing me. So soon after I discover the magic of To All The Boys I've Loved Before and my newly acknowledged need for representation, my little heart could barely handle the excitement.
Now normally I'm disappointed when a movie session I planned to see is SOLD OUT but when I rocked up early and saw there were no tickets left I was ecstatic. The movie is popular! The girls and I booked ahead at the nearest cinema (we'd learned our lesson), scoffed some dinner then hurried over to the nearest cinema where we laughed and teared up (of course, I cried) with the rest of the audience.
One viewer whistled in appreciation when a male character stepped out of the shower. The first of many delightful shirtless scenes where an Asian male was depicted as sexy and desirable instead of the usual unappealing dork. It was refreshing to see Asian actors play well-written characters that had depth. You understood their motivations and actions so could connect with them. There was no tokenism or cheap jokes that relied solely on stereotypes.
Crazy Rich Asians is at the heart of it a really good romantic comedy. Don't go into the film feeling you have to be crazy, rich or asian to enjoy it. It's a love story that's visually stunning because a lot of the film is in Singapore and not the Western cities we are used to seeing in Hollywood films.
