Upbeat and upscale, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ delivers 24-karat entertainment 
 
 Much has been made of the fact “Crazy Rich Asians” is the first Asian-focused studio film since “The Joy Luck Club” a quarter-century ago, and cheers to that — and the further good news is this is one of the best times you’ll have at the movies this year. 
 
 Director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novel (the first of a trilogy) is bursting with energy and romance and sight gags and soapy melodrama. There are some dramatic gut-punches, most of them dealing with class and culture warfare, but at its essence, “Crazy Rich Asians” is an old-fashioned rom-com with classic archetypes. 
 
 Constance Wu (best known for the TV series “Fresh Off the Boat”) is the heart of the movie as Rachel, an Asian-American economics professor at New York University who was raised in Cupertino, California, by her single, working-class, wonderful mother (Kheng Hua Tan). 
 
 For the last year, Rachel has been dating the dashing and self-effacing Nick (Henry Golding), who likes to play hoops at the YMCA and uses Rachel’s Netflix pass. (Hmmm, doesn’t he have any money? What is this guy, some kind of golddigger?) With Nick’s cousin getting married in Nick’s homeland of Singapore, what better time for Rachel to meet the family? 
 
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 Only after Nick and Rachel have boarded the plane does Nick reveal something he’s somehow neglected to mention for the last 12 months: 
 
 His family is rich. Crazy rich. He’s actually the heir apparent to the multi-billion-dollar family business. 
 
 So off we go on a beautifully photographed, briskly paced adventure, with a catchy pop soundtrack alternating with Brian Tyler’s lush, old-Hollywood score. 
 
 Before Rachel meets Nick’s extended family, she stops off at the insanely enormous and Trump-level gold-decorated home of the family of her former college roommate, Goh Peik Lin (an hilarious Nora Lum, aka Awkwafina). Ken Jeong plays Goh Peik Lin’s father, and when you’ve got Ken Jeong playing the dad, you know the family is here primarily for comedic relief. (Dad, admonishing Goh Peik Lin’s young sisters to eat their chicken nuggets: “There are children starving in America!”) 
 
 Goh Peik Lin’s family is plenty rich, but when Rachel arrives at Nick’s family’s home for a party to celebrate the cousin’s impending nuptials, we’re in a whole other stratosphere of opulence. (The world’s most luxurious hotels would be hard-pressed to match the splendor of this spread.) 
 
 From the moment Rachel meets Nick’s mother, Eleanor (the great Michelle Yeoh), our hearts sink for poor Rachel because that’s exactly how Eleanor views her: POOR Rachel, who doesn’t have the family background or the proper upbringing to be romantically involved with her precious, can-do-no-wrong Nick. (At one point in the party, Nick has to change shirts, and he asks his mother how he looks. “Perfect,” she says, her eyes shimmering.) 
 
 Of course, the brilliant, kind, true-hearted Rachel fell in love with Nick long before she knew of his wealth — and she’s clearly a better fit for him than the gaggle of vapid, backstabbing, fashion-obsessed rich girls who grew up with Nick and have the daggers out for Rachel. But if Eleanor instantly sees in Rachel what we see in Rachel, well where’s the juicy fun in that! 
 
 “Crazy Rich Asians” is packed with supporting characters, some more richly drawn than others. Gemma Chan is a standout as Nick’s cousin Astrid, a cultural icon and a beautiful person married to an insecure jerk. Nico Santos is a hoot as cousin Oliver, a dry wit who’s something of the family “fixer,” snuffing out scandals and making sure everything goes smoothly. (He also takes an instant liking to Rachel, who could use a friend within Nick’s family. Yay Oliver!) Sonoya Mizuno has screen-filling energy and charisma as the bride-to-be. 
 
 Constance Wu and Henry Golding have movie-star chemistry. Rachel is the more complex character; at times Nick comports himself like one of those oh-so-sincere but puddle-deep dudes on a reality dating show. (Noting the way women swoon around Nick, Goh Peik Lin tells Rachel it’s as if she’s on “Asian ‘Bachelor.’ ”) But Golding, whose background is as a TV travel host, has a natural onscreen presence, and a pretty good sense of comedic timing, especially in one late scene when he’s trying to make his feelings known in a decidedly unromantic setting. 
 
 “Crazy Rich Asians” glimmers and sparkles, gives us characters to root for, and is pure escapist fantasy fun. 

 Published on Apr 23, 2018 
 
 Every family has its crazy. Watch the new trailer for #CrazyRichAsians, only in theaters August 15. 
 
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 Jon M. Chu (“Now You See Me 2”) directed the contemporary romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” based on the acclaimed worldwide bestseller by Kevin Kwan. 
 
 
 
 The story follows New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. Not only is he the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families, but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. 
 
 
 
 It soon becomes clear that the only thing crazier than love is family, in this funny and romantic story sure to ring true for audiences everywhere. 
 
 
 
 “Crazy Rich Asians” features an international cast of stars, led by Constance Wu (“Fresh Off the Boat”), Gemma Chan (“Humans”), Lisa Lu (“2012”), and Awkwafina (“Ocean’s 8,” “Neighbors 2”), with Ken Jeong (the “Hangover” films”) and Michelle Yeoh (“Star Trek: Discovery,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). The large starring ensemble also includes Henry Golding, making his feature film debut, Sonoya Mizuno (“La La Land”), Chris Pang (“Marco Polo”), Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”), comedian Ronny Chieng (“The Daily Show”), Remy Hii (“Marco Polo”), and Nico Santos (“Superstore”). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Color Force’s Nina Jacobson (“The Hunger Games” films) and Brad Simpson (“World War Z”), and Ivanhoe Pictures’ John Penotti (“Hell or High Water”) produced the film, with executive producers Tim Coddington, Kevin Kwan, Robert Friedland, and Sidney Kimmel. The screenplay is by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, based on the novel Crazy Rich Asians, by Kwan. 
 
 
 
 The creative filmmaking team included director of photography Vanja Černjul (“Marco Polo”), production designer Nelson Coates (“Fifty Shades Darker”), costume designer Mary Vogt (“Kong: Skull Island”) and editor Myron Kerstein (“Going in Style”). The music was composed by Brian Tyler (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 “Crazy Rich Asians” was filmed entirely on location in Singapore and Malaysia. It is set for release on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. 
 
 
 
 Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with SK Global and Starlight Culture, a Color Force/Ivanhoe Pictures/Electric Somewhere Production, a Jon M. Chu Film, “Crazy Rich Asians.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company. It is rated PG-13. 
 
 
 
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 Follow #CrazyRichAsians on social media: 
 
 http://www.crazyrichasiansmovie.com 
 
 http://facebook.com/crazyrichasiansmovie 
 
 http://twitter.com/crazyrichmovie 
 
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 Title: Crazy Rich Asians 
 
 Directed by: Jon M. Chu 
 
 Written by: Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim 
 
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 Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh 
 
 Classification: PG, 120 minutes 
 
 rating 
 
 Once upon a time, all it took to make a blockbuster romantic comedy were two bankable leads and one clever impediment to their union – a mistaken identity, say, or the few thousand miles between Seattle and Baltimore. 
 
 Today, as Hollywood places all its bets on superhero action, it seems a producer must have a gimmick bigger than the Empire State Building to get a studio to invest in a rom-com. A closet full of whips and chains might do it – or maybe the biggest real-estate fortune in Asia. 
 
 Crazy Rich Asians: I laughed, I cried, I saw myself reflected on-screen 
 
 50 Shades of Grey had the billionaire businessman Christian Grey and his secret sexual tastes. In Crazy Rich Asians, it’s just the fabulous wealth that’s in the closet. Taking its melodramatic story from the bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians follows Chinese-American economics prof Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she travels from New York to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) for a family wedding. There she discovers that her laid-back lover is actually the heir to a massive development empire and the most eligible bachelor on the island. 
 
 Open this photo in gallery Left to right, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding and Constance Wu in Crazy, Rich Asians. Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros. Pictures 
 
 Expecting a routinely stressful trip to meet the folks, Rachel instead finds herself battling the envious gossip and fanciful machinations of Nick’s outrageous friends and family members. In particular, she has to survive the plotting of his powerful mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) who is determined that this American nobody is not going to walk off with her prince, and the family’s future CEO. If 50 Shades was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, then Rachel is Cinderella – as one of the movie’s many obnoxious secondary characters keeps telling her. 
 
 Alongside the fairy-tale romance, there is a social struggle here between the American pursuit of individual happiness and the Chinese ideal of sacrifice for family. Unfortunately, that’s a string on which director Jon M. Chu creates so little tension that we never doubt Rachel and Nick’s true love will beat out Eleanor’s entrenched belief in endogamy. Despite Yeoh’s chilling hauteur as the intimidating Eleanor – she is one of the few villains in the piece not overplaying the role – you know that she’s going to lose because what she really cares about is class more than family. 
 
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 The moment where Rachel finally bests this snobby opponent feels both anti-climactic and belated. Our heroine had been set up as a much spunkier character than this: An opening scene depicted her as a star academic of cheerful sang froid winning a hand of poker to prove a point about economic behaviour. Still, confronted by the horrible Singapore relatives, Wu does manage to suggest affability, intelligence and backbone in a pleasant lead performance, whereas Golding’s insipid Nick spends the entire movie looking only mildly happy – or vaguely concerned. It’s not hard to believe this muffled character is very, very rich because he seems quite cut off from anything hard, sharp or deep. 
 
 And so we absentmindedly lap up Nick and Rachel’s bland romance – yes, of course, love is far more important than money – along with the real brew that Crazy Rich Asians is offering: The spectacle of extreme wealth. The film is a voyeuristic smorgasbord, introducing us to people who will spend $1-million on a pair of earrings, decorate their entire houses in gold and hold bachelor parties on private islands. 
 
 Generously you might say Crazy Rich Asians is a satire of Chinese family values and the social strata of the overseas Chinese – as well as a major spoof of the ornate decorative tastes of the moneyed class – but the larger society is missing from the picture. There are only a handful of scenes, as Nick and Rachel dine on street food or when Rachel lures Eleanor to a mah-jongg parlour, that give any sense Singapore is a real place rather than a fantasy land. 
 
 And that fantasy land can be an oddly uncomfortable location: The comic Awkwafina joyfully contributes her manic energy to the role of Peik Lin, Rachel’s local friend and ally, but the mocking of Peik Lin’s family, with their crass manners and their ostentatious house, is more ugly than funny. 
 
 As the obscenities of wealth accumulate while a large cast of Asian and Eurasian actors render their many silly characters, the source of the laughter becomes troubling. 
 
 Clearly, some Asian audiences may experience this film (produced by a largely Asian and Asian-American creative team) differently. A white viewer such as myself witnessing this overblown display may find themselves in that awkward territory where somebody else’s ethnic comedy leaves them feeling complicit in racial prejudice. 

 Line up for the summer's most fun romantic comedy 
 
 Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Henry Golding and Constance Wu in "Crazy Rich Asians." (Photo: Warner Bros.) 
 
 A bit "Pretty Woman," a bit "My Big Fat (Chinese) Wedding" and a whole lot of giddy, bubbly fun, "Crazy Rich Asians" is a dizzying delight and the rom-com party to beat this summer. 
 
 Crazy as it sounds, this utter charmer from director Jon M. Chu, the pop-minded director behind the "Step Up" sequels and Justin Bieber's tour documentary, is the first Hollywood production to feature an all-Asian cast since "The Joy Luck Club" in 1993. 
 
 It introduces a huge group of characters and immerses viewers in a world of obscenely lavish wealth. But it does so in a way that isn't at all overbearing, and by the end, you'll feel like you're a part of the family. 
 
 "Fresh Off the Boat's" Constance Wu is Rachel, an economics professor in New York who doesn't know her boyfriend Nick (the ridiculously charming Henry Golding) is part of one of Singapore's wealthiest families. 
 
 Her first clue comes when, on their way to Nick's friend's wedding back in Singapore, they receive beyond first class treatment, and are taken to a bedroom inside the airplane. It's only a small taste of Nick's family's affluence and influence, as she's basically brought in to meet China's royal family. 
 
 Because Nick is an eligible bachelor from one of China's most powerful families, there is immediate scrutiny of Rachel; an early scene depicts a social network learning of Rachel's existence all at once, and is one of the most fluent real-world visual representations of the internet at work that the movies have given us to date. 
 
 In Singapore, we meet Nick's mother Eleanor, played with icy precision by Michelle Yeoh, who questions Rachel's comparatively average upbringing. Providing comic relief is Goh Peik Lin ("Ocean's 8's" Awkwafina, sporting a short blonde dye job), Rachel's friend from college, whose family is merely filthy rich, not disgustingly rich like Nick's family. 
 
 "Crazy Rich Asians," which is based on Kevin Kwan's 2013 novel, follows a classic romantic comedy formula but never feels like it's adhering to convention. Its world is so bright and Chu's direction is so visually appealing that it provides an intoxicating rush that makes it feel fresh. 
 
 The soundtrack is full of Asian covers of American pop songs (Madonna's "Material Girl," Coldplay's "Yellow"), which is part of the movie's familiar-yet-different world building. A wedding scene is poised to become an all-timer for filmed weddings -- sales of bridal water shoes could skyrocket in the movie's wake -- and the film's finale wraps the story up with a big, bright bow. 
 
 "Crazy Rich Asians" doesn't set out to make a big statement about inclusion, it simply tells an endearing story in an exceptional way. And in so doing, it shows how great stories cross barriers and wind up enriching the world around us. 
 
 agraham@detroitnews.com 
 
 (313) 222-2284 
 
 @grahamorama 
 
 'Crazy Rich Asians' 
 
 GRADE: A- 
 
 Rated PG-13: for some suggestive content and language 
 
 Running time: 121 minutes 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://detne.ws/2KTCiAO 

 “Crazy Rich Asians” was destined to be a phenomenon even before the film reached theaters. 
 
 It’s the first major Hollywood release to feature an all-Asian leading cast since “The Joy Luck Club,” which came out 25 years ago. We should all buy four tickets, whether planning to step foot in the theater or not, just on principle. 
 
 And yet the solid movie stands on its own, separate from the growing hype and it’s-been-way-too-long buildup. Director John M. Chu (“Step Up 2: The Streets”; “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”), who had shown only flashes of promise in previous films, guides an excellent cast through some turbulent storytelling, then finishes strong with a satisfying emotional climax. There are book-to-movie problems, too much exposition and too many characters. But the film delivers a good time. 
 
 “Crazy Rich Asians” has such a focus on travel and fashion, the experience is at times like scrolling through a big-screen Instagram feed. Even before the movie’s centerpiece wedding, small characters shuttle through scenes so quickly the plot feels like a cinematic receiving line. 
 
 And yet the filmmakers never lose track of their central characters, and what makes them interesting. Although there’s very little forward momentum in the movie, Chu compensates by giving every scene a strong sense of familiarity — as if we’ve already gotten to know these people after several seasons of television. In pacing and just general vibe, “Crazy Rich Asians” feels more like the first “Sex and the City” movie than any other cinematic experience. 
 
 A lot of credit for this welcoming atmosphere goes to Constance Wu, who is lovely, strong and relatable in the central role. A star best known for TV’s “Fresh off the Boat,” she absolutely shines on the big screen. 
 
 Wu is Rachel Chu, a young economics professor whose boyfriend, Nick (Henry Golding), has invited her to Singapore. Unbeknownst to Rachel, he is a celebrated heir to one of the richest families on the island country. As Rachel gets a whirlwind introduction to dozens of relatives, friends and hangers-on of varying importance, she locks into a battle of wills with domineering mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), whose contempt for Rachel borders on bigotry. 
 
 Yeoh is another acting pillar in the movie, delivering stoic and dismissive lines (“When children are away from the home for too long, they forget who they are …”) like slaps across the face. 
 
 Although the tone in “Crazy Rich Asians” is always on point, the story occasionally travels off the rails. One subplot involving Nick’s fashion-forward cousin and her insecure husband has no connection to the central story and is a distracting drag on the film. 
 
 Small characters pop in and out constantly. Sometimes they are welcome, especially Oliver Santos and Awkwafina as Americanized friends who take on “Cinderella”/fairy godmother roles during Rachel’s style transformations. And sometimes it’s confusing who is related to whom, and why they’re onscreen again. 
 
 (Pro tip: Sit next to someone who read Kevin Kwan’s 2013 “Crazy Rich Asians” book and can explain the 50 or 60 things you missed, when you’re both walking out to your car.) 
 
 But the centerpiece comedy and drama moments almost always deliver. Rachel’s entry to the wedding feels like one of the all-time stunning dress reveals. And her maneuvering and confrontations with mean mom Eleanor are completely satisfying. 
 
 “Crazy Rich Asians” is full of cultural moments, and jokes that will resonate with Asian audiences. “Red’s a lucky color, right?” Rachel asks a friend, when modeling a dowdy red dress she might wear to meet Nick’s family. 
 
 “Yeah, if you’re an envelope,” comes the reply. 
 
 But the moments that could possibly cause confusion for non-Asian audiences are few and far between. Chu’s movie has many more cultural teaching moments than inside jokes, whether you know about the Chinese red envelope gift-giving tradition or not. 
 
 The end result is flawed, but also funny, heartfelt and inclusive movie making. “Crazy Rich Asians” isn’t just a good Hollywood movie for the Asian American population, and one that is overdue by about 24 years. It’s a good movie, period. 
 
 MCrazy Rich Asians: Romantic comedy. Starring Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh and Awkwafina. Directed by John M. Chu. (PG-13. 125 minutes.) Trailer and Showtimes 
 
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– The buzziest new film of the week is Crazy Rich Asians, in part because it's a Hollywood rarity with an all-Asian leading cast. Critics are giving it strong reviews, with a 92% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences are even higher at 95%. The story line involves a native New Yorker (Rachel Wu) going to Singapore with her boyfriend (Nick Young) for a wedding. A sampling: The film "doesn't set out to make a big statement about inclusion, it simply tells an endearing story in an exceptional way," writes Adam Graham at the Detroit News. "And in so doing, it shows how great stories cross barriers and wind up enriching the world around us." Forget the hype and the movie milestone, writes Peter Hartlaub at the San Francisco Chronicle. This "isn’t just a good Hollywood movie for the Asian American population, and one that is overdue by about 24 years," he writes, a reference to the Joy Luck Club. "It’s a good movie, period." He does nitpick that it occasionally "travels off the rails," but the sins are forgivable. "Director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novel (the first of a trilogy) is bursting with energy and romance and sight gags and soapy melodrama," writes Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times. "There are some dramatic gut-punches, most of them dealing with class and culture warfare, but at its essence, 'Crazy Rich Asians' is an old-fashioned rom-com with classic archetypes." It is, he adds, "pure escapist fantasy fun." Less enthused is Kate Taylor at the Toronto Globe and Mail, who gives it just 2 of 4 stars. It's "bland," and the outcome is predictable, she writes. Plus, "a white viewer such as myself witnessing this overblown display may find themselves in that awkward territory where somebody else’s ethnic comedy leaves them feeling complicit in racial prejudice."