With Hollywood’s ongoing move towards greater diversity happening in the background, and people over the world crying out for more racially diverse content, there was a heap of expectations placed on the upcoming comedy Crazy Rich Asians.
Thankfully the film (adapted from Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel of the same name) appears to have delivered the goods. Crazy Rich Asians, which opens August 30 in Australia, is currently sitting on an impressive 92% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating.
To whet your appetites ahead of its Australian release, check out what some of the critics have said.
Stephanie Zacharek, Time: “To sell Crazy Rich Asians solely as a breakthrough in representation—as important as that is—would do the picture a disservice: It’s simply great fun, a winsome romantic comedy and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags”
Peter Debruge, Variety: ” the film is every bit as exciting in the way it takes an ethnic group that is seldom given more than one or two supporting roles per movie and populates an entire blockbuster with memorable, multidimensional Asian characters.”
Molly Freeman, Screen Rant: “A spectacular, heartwarming instant classic of a romantic comedy that brings some much-needed representation to the genre.”
Shannon Liao, The Verge: “Crazy Rich Asians ends up not only being an opportunity for Asian-Americans to see themselves represented on-screen as positively and vividly as they are in Asian media, but also for Asian characters to be reflected in a more feminist and appreciative light.”
A.O. Scott, New York Times: “The movie is committed to the value of a good time. It is an unabashed celebration of luxury and money, with hints of class conflict that have more to do with aspiration than envy or anger.”
Megan Reynolds, The Muse: “Set in a Singapore absent any economic disparity and hardship, the movie is pure escapist fare, a perfect summer film in spite of the enormous expectations placed on its success.”
Alan Zilberman, Washington City Paper: “On top of the catty dialogue, Crazy Rich Asians is a terrific exploration of opulence. Some of the sets have to be seen to be believed: The bachelor party includes a massive party barge, plus a quiet sojourn to an isolated dock in the middle of a crystal-blue beach.”
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: “The story is, in equal parts, gleefully trendy and endearingly old-fashioned. Will the globalized greed of a powerful family prevail, or will true love win out in the end?
