There are many scenes and things in the movie crazy rich Asians that are directly related to today’s social and cultural life, especially in the Asian community. The most prominent thing that stands out in the movie is the portrayal of the Asian pop culture that transcends the stereotype placed upon the Asian community over the years. It is easily recognizable that most Asians especially men are emasculated in the mainstream American movies and television series and are portrayed to be either nerds, emotionless, or fighters. The movie, however, demystifies the stereotyping and showcases a different face where romance takes center stage between Chinese-American Rachel Chu and Nick Young revealing a different cultural aspect of the Asian community. Additionally, it portrays the modern societal trends in the Asian culture especially in Singapore as a modern Asian society that embraces the modern trends of fashion, food and luxurious lifestyle. In an exclusive interview with the Crazy Rich Asians writer Kelvin Kwan, Allyson Chu a contributor to the Washington Post captures Kwan recounting how he remembers the opulent world he had been a part of since he was born and raised in Singapore. Kwan narrates how he came from an established family and remembers an aunt who had a house that had a beautiful ceramic wall that was entirely a painting of a peacock as a vivid description of the sprawling mansions as captured in the film. Kwan’s narration presents the real life situation especially among the one percent in Singapore that is a modern society exhibiting opulence with ts sprawling mansions, exotic getaways, high fashion and pompous cuisines.
The other social and cultural representation of the current times is that of the strife between the Asian-American and Asian cultures dramatically portrayed by Nick Young’s mother Eleanor in the film. Just like in many social-cultural contexts, people who have grown outside their own culture but have roots there are generally considered outsiders. Earlier on in the movie, Rachel Chu’s mother Kerry points out that while Rachel may look Chinese, she is different by pointing at her heart and head. Rachel is also reminded by her friend Peik Lin that Nick’s family do not consider her as absolutely Asian because they see her as an “unrefined banana – yellow on the outside, white on the inside”. In an article in the Washington Post, Jenn Fang who is a Chine-American reminiscences how she was viewed as different even in the United States stating that she was perpetually considered as an outsider when in school and continually taunted to go back home to China. Additionally, when she went to visit her family in Taiwan, she thought that would instantly fit in but she was wrong as she recall being viewed as different especially when she went out to shop in the streets. The rewriting service by Fang, gives a glimpse into the experiences that many other Asian-Americans face regarding their own quest to cultural identity.
Another theme that is strongly related to today’s social and cultural life is that of the differences that exist between strong family ties in the Asian culture and the individualism in the western culture. There are many instances in the movie where the family is placed over the individual are emphasized, and most vivid is the scene where Eleanor tells Rachel that in the Young family they understand to build things that last. Eleanor is seemingly sneering at the idea that people should prioritize their own happiness over their family’s success, which Nick’s mother has been doing over the past years. The scene shows how people in the Asian culture especially women take seriously their traditional gender roles. The opposite is true of the western culture where people tend to concentrate on their individual successes just as Rachel is an independent and intelligent young woman who is pursuing her career as a young professor in New York. Evelyn Lau a Chinese-American and a writer with The National in the UAE relates with a similar struggle as she narrates of how she sometimes feels guilty of not being at home in the United States with her ageing parents or her younger sisters although her parents encourage her in her pursuits. Lau states that the Chinese culture is seen as advocating for sacrificing personal happiness for familial joy, while in the West, an individual is encouraged to pursue their own dreams and personal happiness.
The narration underlines the strife of different cultures whereby Asian Americans are torn in between as they struggle to identify with a single culture.
Finally, the movie also portrays how westernization has crept into other societies and tuned people into adopting westernized lifestyles. The most identifiable form of westernization is the adoption of the English language and inculcating it to the cultural dialect used in a particular cultural setting. Among the different range of cultures especially in Singapore, there is the use of the Singaporean form of the English language referred to as “Singlish”. While the Singaporean government insists in banning the use of Singlish because it wants its people to communicate in proper English with the rest of the world, the use of the language has been immortalized in culture and is the main language used in the streets. In the movie, there is the use of the most common phrase “lah” used for emphasis in Singlish. The use of the language reflects how people want to still retain their own identity and heritage while still embracing western culture.
