‘ASIAN’ FLICK IS ‘CRAZY’ GOOD
First since ‘Joy Luck’ to have cast that is Asian-American
“Crazy Rich Asians” is the type of movie Asian-Americans have been waiting a generation to see.
The gorgeous contemporary tale, which opens Wednesday, is the first Hollywood movie made with an entirely Asian-American cast since the 1993 film adaptation of “The Joy Luck Club.”
The movie features a young woman (Constance Wu) who goes to Singapore with her boyfriend (Henry Golding), only to discover that his family is one of the wealthiest in the country.
Where “Joy Luck Club” tells the story of immigrants coming to America, “Crazy Rich Asians” is the opposite: going back to Asia to find your roots.
It’s a retelling of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling 2013 novel by the same name, shot in glorious colors, and a rom-com just as the genre seems poised to make a comeback — Netflix’s “Set It Up” was the sleeper hit of the summer — while the August box office struggles to compete with early blockbusters like “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Incredibles 2.”
But perhaps more importantly, for millions of Asian Americans, it’s a rare chance to see themselves on film.
“Until you see yourself reflected, I think you feel like you don’t really count,” Janet Yang, who produced “The Joy Luck Club,” told the Daily News.
Masahi Niwano, the festival and exhibitions director for the Center for Asian American Media, echoed the sentiment.
“If you don’t see yourself in stories, you don’t know how you fit in in a larger context,” he told The News.
y u are from a minority community, people of color, not even exclusively Asian-American, you get closer to seeing someone who resembles you.”
Kwan, who wrote “Crazy Rich Asians” and the subsequent “China Rich Girlfriend” and “Rich People Problems,” knew the risks with handing over his story, and did what he could to ensure that his story remained true: the author sold the movie rights to his book for just $1 and required enough creative control that he could shut down any attempts at whitewashing. Another producer had already suggested turning his female lead into a white woman, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Whitewashing of Asian movie characters has become far too common — recent examples include Scarlett Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell” and Emma Stone in “Aloha,” as well as Matt Damon’s role in the Chinese-Hollywood epic “The Great Wall.” But experts have pointed to successes like “Black Panther” to prove that diverse films really can make money. The Marvel superhero movie recently surpassed $700 million at the domestic box office, with nearly $650 million overseas. Niwano also theorized that TV shows with Asian-American casts, like “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Master of None,” have shown that diversity works. Diversity draws new audiences.
“There’s a hunger for new voices and new faces,” he told The News.
Twenty-five years ago, “Joy Luck Club,” despite its critical acclaim, failed to start a trend of diversity in front of the camera. Yang argued that her movie never had a chance, as studios got away from independent films and instead focused on movies that could be franchised and turned into theme parks, video games and any number of moneymaking enterprises.
“When you announce you’re making ‘Spiderman 4,’ people know what that is. When you announce ‘Joy Luck Club,’ people may not," she told The News. “Studios got more conservative about what was a surefire bet.”
But for “Crazy Rich Asians,” Yang said, the fates lined up: it was the right project, the right director (Jon Chu) and the right time.