Crazy Rich Asians is a movie released in 2018, and it is a romantic comedy. In this movie, a native American girl, Rachel, first encounters her boyfriend’s family which is an extremely rich Asian family in Singapore. During her trip, other than the cultural shock and the unbelievable fact that her boyfriend is extremely rich and popular in his home country, Rachel has to deal with the jealous people around her, her boyfriends’ picky relatives, as well as the disapproval of her boyfriends’ mother.
This movie is a classic example that showcases the encounter between people with different cultures, nationalities, and socio-economic backgrounds. In the movie, Rachel is a normal working middle-class, but her boyfriend’s family is one of the richest families in Asia. This huge difference in their socio-economic statuses is vividly depicted in the movie by the shock experienced by Rachel as well as the view from other people that Rachel does not deserve to be together with her boyfriend.
Moreover, Rachel is a native New Yorker that grows up with Western culture; however, her boyfriend’s family and mother are of Asian root and live in Singapore. Therefore, her boyfriend’s family is a lot more traditional and disapproves of Rachel in many ways. The differences and clashes in their identities and cultural backgrounds are most remarkably depicted by how the mother of Rachel’s boyfriend disapproves of her and is not willing to accept her. This is because the mother thinks that Rachel and her boyfriend are different in too many ways and therefore are not suitable to be together. The separation in their cultures, national backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses make her not willing to accept people different from her family.
(A scene from the movie that depicts the richness of the family of Rachel’s boyfriend)
The huge disparity in their cultures, national backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses poses many challenges for Rachel; due to these differences, she is also unfairly treated and judged by other people during her visit. However, Rachel is able to overcome these differences and challenges in the end by her own effort. Therefore, this movie highlights the huge disparity between Rachel and her boyfriend’s family; it also brings the issue of cultural and socioeconomic disparity to the spotlight. At the same time, this movie is trying to convey the idea that gaps in cultures, nationalities, and socio-economic statuses are possible to be overcome as long as there are enough efforts.
Works cited
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (Firm), Chu, J. M. 1., Awkwafina, Chan, G., Lu, L., & Wu, C. (2018). Crazy Rich Asians.