Prepare answers to the questions below using Microsoft Word. Your responses should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (like Times New Roman or Arial). Each response should be 400–500 words in length, approximately one and one-half to two pages.
- Write your own movie review of the film you have selected using the criteria for movie reviews outlined in this lesson and in Corrigan’s book.
- After writing your review for the movie, read one of the reviews listed for your movie on Rotten Tomatoes and review the review that you read. Be sure to critique the review just as you would a movie and argue for or against the review’s validity.
Film: Crazy Rich Asians
criteria for movie reviews
- Take stock of your own knowledge base and personal interests and compare them with what you have found out about the film you are about to see. Using our own knowledge, experiences, and interests in approaching a movie as art can be a powerful tool for generating unique insights into a film and opening avenues of analysis that we find appealing. In short, it never hurts to “write what you know” when you write about films.
- Be mindful of the role of technology in motion pictures and realize that the level of technical sophistication you are accustomed to seeing in movies will be a part of your critical response to a film. Simply put, be aware of the era in which the film you are watching was made and appreciate the movie within the context of the “modern” technology of its day. Being aware of technology and its use in movies can lead to interesting critical insights into movies no matter when they were produced.
- Be aware of the difference between small budget and large budget films and take note of how a director uses the resources at his disposal. In short, the quality of a film is not, and should never, be extrapolated from the size of its budget, size of the studio producing it, or the presence or absence of “big name” talent. On the other hand, it is entirely fair to be critical of how big-budget pictures use the resources given them.
- Ask yourself the following questions after the movie
- What was the main point or theme of this movie?
- Which character is the protagonist or “main character”?
- Which characters were important supporting characters?
- Which scenes seemed especially important?
- What elements or scenes were especially interesting to you as a viewer?
- Did the movie meet your expectations as a viewer?
- Were there any aspects of the movie that greatly surprised or intrigued you?
Review
Crazy Rich Asians is a frothy mix of familiar 90s romantic comedy cliches and tropes but now with an all-Asian cast and Asian culture given a dignified spotlight. Thanks to the strides in representation, it makes the familiar feel fresh again. This is a very Pretty Woman princess fantasy story of an ordinary woman, Rachel Chu (the great Constance Wu) falling in love with a rich man who then whisks her away to his rich family home out of country and introduces her to the world of the cloistered elites, ex-girlfriends, and hangers-on and their disapproval. Much of the conflict hinges on her feeling accepted by her man’s scowling, scary mother played by the formidable Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The two-hour running time mostly consists of a lot of blandly nice people. I think enough of these supporting characters could have been consolidated or eliminated to give more space to characters that matter. The film reminded me, in some regards, of the 50 Shades series where we jump from scene to scene to celebrate the extravagance of an elite lifestyle of luxury. It’s intended to alienate Rachel and contrast with her humble, hard-working, honest sensibilities, but after two or three of these, I don’t think it’s quite having that effect. Wu (TV’s Fresh Off the Boat) is a charming, loveable lead, and the film has fun, colorful characters played by Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8) and Ken Jeong (The Hangover trilogy), who amazingly doesn’t overstay his welcome. The production design and costumes are sensational and might even get some Oscar attention. Crazy Rich Asians is a fairly formulaic but pleasant enough movie, and the fact that an all-Asian cast rom-com is slotted as a summer movie is a positive sign. The end results are a fizzy fantasy repackaged but still entertaining and without a sense of pandering. Nate’s Grade: B-
