Crazy Rich Asians Movie Take

Crazy Rich Asians is another checkmark for the page-to-screen adaptation trend in 2018.  

The film debuted on November 20. It's on everything from Blu-Ray combo pack, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on November 6.

ROMANCE

Crazy Rich Asians managed to land high on the Rotten Tomatoes rating scale with a 92%. Which earns the “Certified Fresh” distinction. The movie made over $236 million worldwide.

Those numbers may not be high compared to The Meg. It is good enough to be the biggest in the romantic-comedy genre since 2009’s The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.

Crazy Rich Asians is a bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan. It was published in 2013. It's success led to two sequels - China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems.

It wouldn’t be a shocker if the movie had a sequel someday soon. The director John. M. Chu has already said the plans are moving forward.

If you stick through some of the credits - the wordless scene seems to tease something.

Chu is behind the camera for Crazy Rich Asians. Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim worked on the screenplay. The international cast of Constance Wu, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong and Michelle Yeoh.

The rest of the ensemble is Henry Golding, Sonoya Mizuno, Chris Pang, Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, Remy Hii, Nico Santos, and Jing Lusi.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes.

While The Meg offers up its own form of entertainment - I have to go with Rotten Tomatoes here. Crazy Rich Asians is the better movie between the two.

Crazy Rich Asians may seem like a fantasy world highlighting the over-the-top extravagant lifestyle. The big houses and the multi-million dollar huge wedding. But. There’s more going on too.

I cannot forget the romantic part either. The story may have been seen plenty familiar from other romantic comedies, but the backdrop made it feel different. (Or maybe I just don't watch enough these movies.)

New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) decides to travel with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. This is a chance to meet the boyfriend’s family for the first time. The thing is there’s so much more to the boyfriend which she did not know.

Crazy Rich Asians have some style. Wu and Golding make for a good - or the unlikely couple - at the helm of the story. Wu struggles with knowing she may look like everybody in the family, but everybody sees her as something else.

I did not find the film very successful in the comedy department...since comedy is used to promote the movie. I think it does better on the drama front and even the romance. 

And I did grow to like Rachel and Nick as a couple over the 120 minutes. I wanted to see how things panned out.

The standout moment for me, anyway, a sequence of the song ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love.’ I thought it was done quite beautifully and brings out a lot of emotions in the scene. 

Whenever the sequel happens…I will probably watch it too.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The regular DVD only has the Crazy Rich Fun segment.

Crazy Rich Fun (7 minutes, 18 seconds)

- The behind-the-scenes reel. There’s discussion about the book, filming, and casting. It's the most interesting segment of the bunch.  

Gag Reel (1 minute, 47 seconds)  

- It’s not much in talking. But a lot of cast being silly.

Deleted Scenes (12 minutes, 10 seconds)

- A few scenes are cut from the movie. Others are just extensions of scenes that are already in the movie. It really depends on your preference.

Commentary by Director Jon M. Chu and Novelist Kevin Kwan.

- Depends on Viewer interest.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment