Blowing up stereotypes and the box office

Ireally want to see more movies like Crazy Rich Asians: cheesy movies showcasing an Asian character who isn’t the nerdy best friend and who would be featured in comedies, mysteries, love stories — every type of film we have grown accustomed to seeing with an all-white cast.

To me, this film, though imperfect, is something of a revolution.

In case you’ve been living in a cave and haven’t been following entertainment news, Crazy Rich Asians, based on a series of books by Kevin Kwan, follows the story of Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), a Chinese-American New York University economics professor, as her long-term boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), invites her to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore, where she will be meeting his family for the first time.

As they jet off to Asia, Rachel learns her boyfriend’s family is incredibly wealthy, successful and famous in Malaysia. The drama that follows — judgment from potential relatives, jealous socialites and the disapproval of Nick’s mother — proves to be more than Rachel had prepared for.

The film does have its flaws. The story has been done before, but what I enjoyed was the diversity in both characters and casting. The movie shunned stereotypes that Asians can’t be attractive, emotionally complex or fill out dynamic and different roles. Crazy Rich Asians is a flashy, dramatic, funny romantic comedy — and for all that, a typical Hollywood movie in every way.

Crazy Rich Asians is rated PG-13 and is two hours long. It already has pulled in close to $77 million at the box office (about twice as much as it cost to make), and is playing at the Violet Crown Cinema and Regal Santa Fe Stadium 14.

Natalia Payne is a sophomore at Santa Fe High School. Contact her at nataliapayne@icloud.com