China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Crazy Rich Asians gets mixed response
SINGAPORE — The craze for Crazy Rich Asians is hitting Asia, with a premiere in Singapore followed by openings in several neighboring countries later this week.
Much of the over-the-top romantic comedy is set in this wealthy city-state. As the stars streamed past flashing lights down the red carpet Tuesday evening, local fans and tourists swarmed around them taking photos and asking for selfies.
The movie is expected to draw enthusiastic crowds across Asia after its box-office bonanza in the United States.
Directed by John M. Chu, the film was adapted from Singaporean author Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel of the same name. Starring veteran actress Michelle Yeoh, British-Malaysian former BBC host Henry Golding and American sitcom star Constance Wu, the film tells the story of an American economics professor who meets her super-wealthy boyfriend’s family in Singapore. It is the first major studio release with a predominantly Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club in 1993.
The movie is drawing a mixed reaction. Admirers of the film say that as the first majority Asian-cast film in over two decades to be released by a major Hollywood studio it upends Hollywood’s usual stereotypes of Asian characters. Critics say it misses a chance to showcase the city’s ethnic diversity.
The $30 million Warner Bros film has grossed more than $35 million since its Aug 15 world debut in Los Angeles and came out tops with its release in US theaters over the weekend.
“This (movie) is something very personal to people, and it feels like a bigger movement than just the movie itself,” says Chu, the director.
The film has drawn criticism for its inaccurate portrayal of Singapore’s ethnic diversity, with some calling it a misrepresentation of the country’s minority races. Even though a majority of its residents are Chinese, a quarter of its population are Malay, Indian or Eurasians, with many migrant workers from surrounding countries like Bangladesh or the Philippines.
“There’s this whole notion of the movie being a triumph for representation, which is very problematic. The only Indians and Malays you see are servants,” says Nicholas Yong, a Singaporean journalist and author who saw the movie before its Singapore premiere.
Even though its glamorous depiction of Singapore could give its tourism a boost, it was not entirely welcomed.
“To us, Crazy Rich should not just be about the opulence and luxury showcased in the film, but Singapore’s actual richness in terms of our diversity,” says Singapore Tourism Board’s spokesperson Lynette Pang.
As is true anywhere, in Singapore, the super-rich with their extravagant lifestyles are a tiny, privileged minority.
Many in Asia looked forward to seeing some familiar faces.
In Manila, the Philippines, an audience of mostly movie writers, critics and bloggers and some celebrity guests were thrilled and applauded when two Filipinos in the film, Kris Aquino and Nico Santos, appeared in their roles during an advance screening Monday night, says Ruth NavarraMayo, an editor of the lifestyle section of the newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Santos plays a fashion designer. Aquino, a popular actress and daughter of late pro-democracy champions in the Philippines, plays a member of Malay royalty.
A former American colony, the Philippines has a highly Westernized culture and Hollywood movies are a local entertainment staple. Audiences would welcome more films with Asian themes and characters, Navarro-Mayo says.
“We want to see Asian actors on Asian topics,” Navarro-Mayo says. “We’re hungry and ready for this type of film.” Associated Press-Agence France-Presse