When I heard that a new movie called Crazy Rich Asians was being released, I rolled my eyes and dismissed it as yet another film that plays on the stereotype of “rich Asians.”
Not long after I had forgotten about it, the film re-entered my sights as a smash hit Hollywood blockbuster – the first in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast.
I had totally underestimated its potential popularity.
Of course, I can’t say whether it was the title that drew a crowd — perhaps some were already fans of the novel from which the film is adapted. But romantic Cinderella stories like this are not rare, and Asian films are played all the time in the city, yet this one stood out.
I watched the film at SilverCity at Riverport. It was a smoky Monday night and the theatre was so packed with people (from all ethnicities, I might add) I had to sit in the third row and crane my neck the entire time.
I admit, I enjoyed it.
Crazy is a light-hearted comedy with a Chinese musical score, scenes of Asian street food, which dearly I miss, grand houses where people wearing gorgeous dresses and jewelry throw luxurious parties.
What I’m not so comfortable with is the word “Asians” in the title – for a story that’s only about the top one per cent of Chinese-Singaporean families – it’s too sweeping and simplistic.
I don’t blame the filmmaker; it’s probably a marketing strategy, and it worked. But many people make the same mistakes in real life when they generalize about a certain group or make judgements based on certain stereotypes.
I can’t remember how many times I have heard, “Chinese people are rich” or seen people connecting Chinese or Asians to money laundering, house flipping or bad driving. Someone even asked on my personal Facebook page why I don’t launder money or flip houses “like other Chinese.”
Granted, there are a large number of wealthy Asian people here – not everyone can afford to come to Canada in the first place. But there are also many Asians, like myself, who paid for their school themselves and are working hard but can’t afford to buy a home.
It’s also true that some Chinese investors have made headlines due to illegal schemes, but there are also Chinese millionaire immigrants here, some of whom I have interviewed, who don’t own property for investment purposes.
Watching a film is fun, but perpetuating stereotypes about certain groups won’t do anything to counter one-sided views or ignorance. Blaming “Asians” for all our problems is even more laughable.
Regardless, I do appreciate the fact that the film has introduced different schools of thought and family values from the other side of the planet to a wider audience here – I’ve watched many more realistic Asian films here with less than 10 people in the audience.
Ironically, sometimes a catchy title based on a stereotype is what’s needed to improve cross-cultural understanding.
