I do not refuse myself the pleasure of watching a movie made after books I liked. The diversity of genres I love gives me the freedom to enjoy once in a while a very relaxed weekend evening watching a movie that may not be oustandingly artistic or deeply philosophic but still worth my time.
I made no secret in enjoying the books from Crazy Rich Asians series by Kevin Kwan (right now I am reading his latest book which is not placed in Singapore, Sex and Vanity and hopefully will be able to publish a review within the next hours). It is a world of glamour with Cinderella settings which may not reflect your everyday life Singapore - Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan sounds more realistic - but it makes justice to the Asian-based characters who are no more those stereotypical self-made immigrants in America out of the boats.
The 2-hour movie that I watched on Amazon Prime is directed by Jon M. Chu and is considered the first modern story with an all-Asian cast in 25 years. Initially offered as a deal by Netflix, it was produced by Warner Bros, with main settings in Singapore. However, there are Asians and Asians and there were critical opinions about some actors from the distribution, as not representing fully the base of the books., For instane, the British Malaysian actor Herny Golding was distributed as Nick, and the Japanese-British-Argentinian Sonoya Mizuno as Araminta Lee. From the point of view of the diversity features and the distribution, the movie makes a difference and hopefully it is not just a beginning.
From the artistic point of view, there were some good and bad parts. The women play usually good, especially the Mafia-like aunties. Nick´s sister, Astrid is a complex character, as in the book and by far my favorite. Rachel Chu, Nick´s ´commoner´ fiancée, the university teacher, was my least, and not because I don´t believe too much in Cinderella stories (I wonder if there are man equivalent´s of the story, but in my experience, those are not going too well either): she is weak, lacking self-awareness and naive. However, the scene of the Mahjong game with Nick´s mother recovered some of her honour, although not completely.
Last but not least, the fashion selection is exquisite. It was worth watching the movie for the fine selection of outfits signed by designers like Missoni - oh, that Missoni dress - Elie Saab - my favorite no matter what or Alexander McQueen. A special note to the jewellery too and the stylish men.
No regrets for watching Crazy Rich Asians, the movie. Life should not always be highly complicated, dramatic and torned between contradictory intellectual positions. Even if I don´t believe in Cinderella stories anyway...
Rating: 3 stars
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