MEET THE CRAZY RICH ASIANS New life goal: to be at least 15% as cool as these three
It’s the surprise hit film of the year. Say hello to its rising stars who’ve got the whole world talking
Yes, it’s got all the elements of a classic romcom, but Crazy Rich Asians is so much more than that. Think Bridesmaids on an acid trip, with a bit of The Great Gatsby thrown in, but set in Singapore… and you’re halfway there. There’s bitching, there’s diamonds, hell, there’s even a wedding aisle made of a lilypad-studded stream. And it’s fast becoming the film of 2018. If you haven’t seen it yet, or that wedding scene, let us fill you in. It’s all about New Yorker Rachel Chu, whose life is transformed when she unwittingly falls for Nick Young – basically Singapore’s answer to Prince Harry. And while living vicariously through Rachel is as addictive as any Made In Chelsea episode, it’s the supporting characters who make this film. There’s Rachel’s hysterical sidekick, Peik Lin Goh, played by rapper Awkwafina, “It” girl Astrid Young Teo, played by Gemma Chan (right), and trillionaire bride-to-be Araminta Lee, played by Sonoya Mizuno (above). With witty one-liners and tearful exchanges galore, the three bring more than their fair share of drama (and diamonds) to the table.
This is the first time a Hollywood studio film has enlisted an all-Asian cast in a quarter of a century (the last was The Joy Luck Club in 1993), but there’s far more to this smash hit than its casting. Watching Crazy Rich Asians is like taking a roller-coaster from New York into Singapore; it will have you hooked on what this moneyed metropolis has to offer. There’s an addictive soundtrack, which features a Cantonese cover of Madonna’s Material Girl and Coldplay’s Yellow in Mandarin. Apparently director Jon M Chu begged Coldplay to let him use the song in an impassioned letter, and approval was given within 24 hours.
It’s worth watching for the food goals alone, including dinner at Singapore’s Newton Food Centre and 12-course brunches of macaroons and rice-stuffed gilded pineapples. But best of all? We predict that Araminta’s lavish wedding will be all over many a bride-to-be’s Pinterest board. Guests seated in an artificial meadow? Check. Illuminated dragonflies as wedding favours? Check. Bride’s legs painted gold for her big moment? You betcha. Singapore may be the real star of Crazy Rich Asians but Gemma Chan, Sonoya Mizuno and Awkwafina almost outsparkle the city in all its opulent glory. We want to see more of them all…