Crazy Rich Asians Controversy

When Crazy Rich Asians was released this summer, it received high reviews in a lot of Western countries. It stars the first all Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club in 1993. It has an overall rating of 7.4 on IMDb, 92% on rotten tomatoes and a 5/5 on Common Sense Media. However, after its release in Asian countries, there were several controversies that were brought up about the movie. For some, the film didn’t fully represent the Asian population as it only portrays the elite 1% in the country forming certain misconceptions to Western audiences, and it also didn’t reflect Singapore’s cultural diversity.

Senior Boon Yang K. who’s from Singapore said that he likes the movie and “it was really fun to watch and there is good exposure for newer Asian actors” but “the film did not include the middle and lower class part of Singapore.”

Senior Tanya K. thought that the movie marked “the changing nature of Hollywood” and while there are “misconceptions of all Asians being really rich”, she thinks that “there are still aspects that show the middle and lower class of Singapore.” Another misconception she thinks that film portrays to the audience is “it gives the idea that Asians everywhere are connected and everyone knows everyone.”

I think the movie is an easy film to watch when you feel like watching something light and I definitely agree with Boon Yang and Tanya that the movie can be a new era for Hollywood’s Asian actors. However, I also think that the film could have filmed more of the local parts of Singapore instead of just the elite Singaporeans. They could have also done a better job presenting the cultural diversity of Singapore and the different ethnic groups in the country.

What are your thoughts? Comment down below!