Crazy Rich Asians is a boba liberal’s wet dream idea of Asian representation in the media. Crazy Rich Asians represents the tumor of meaningless gossip, dogmatic tradition, and Confucian-esque classism that plagues the Asian consciousness.
Throughout the movie, the Young family’s friends obsess over Rachel Chu’s outward appearance and how she does not come from an aristocratic family. The stereotype of Asian obsession with social status and the obsessive gossip culture is perpetuated relentlessly, and the movie does a subpar job of challenging these antiquated tropes by having a majority of the younger Asians perpetuate it as heavily as their older counterparts.
The classism culminates towards the end of the movie, where Rachel feels compelled to 'prove' herself to Nick’s mother. This resolution implies that Rachel's worth and suitability are contingent upon gaining the approval of the aristocracy, rather than challenging the validity of such superficial judgments. By depicting Rachel’s need to redeem herself in the eyes of the elite to be accepted, the film embeds the audience with the idea that true validation and acceptance within the family can only be achieved through an appeal to traditional and classist standards. This only reinforces the social hierarchies and pressures that the narrative could have sought to dismantle.
There goes that wet dream line again ...
Still best airplane movie 🙏