Image Credit: bbc.com
Had some time to spare after yesterday’s photoshoot at Bruno Gallery, and before an event in the evening, so my photographer pal and I watched ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ at GV, Tiong Bahru Plaza. I liked the movie more than I thought I would, and I also hated some bits of it. So you really should go catch the movie and decide for yourself if you love or hate it. 
But if there’s a sequel, I’m not catching it. I’ve read the books some time back and I remember thinking the first one was good, and it goes downhill after that. Anyway, here’s a quick review of Crazy Rich Asians…
I’m a bit puzzled at how tightly the scenes are shot. Like, if the characters in the movie are dining at a hawker centre, you’ll not be able to see many other regular Singaporeans. The focus is always on the cast and their FACES. (So don’t sit too close to the screen – pick cinema theatre seats right at the back) That said, the story’s definitely an enjoyable one. And the movie has brought Singapore so much international ‘exposure’. In my humble opinion, I think that should be counted towards ‘National Service’. I shudder at the thought of how many tourists will be visiting our tiny island from now on to explore this place they once thought was a part of China, but which they now suppose is filled with crazy rich Asians. Sigh.
~ Watch Out For Eye Candy, Ladies! ~
Everyone’s crazy about Henry Golding right now but if you compare his shirtless scenes in the movie and Pierre Png’s, you have to (honestly) say that Pierre has a hotter bod. Pierre has well-defined abs (real washboard abs!) while Henry’s look like he might do some sit-ups once in a while? *shrug* If you think my critique is too harsh, well, according to Henry, he was ‘plucked from his honeymoon’ by the Director to shoot this film. And Pierre has been married for goodness-knows-how-long. So, by right lah, Henry should have a hotter bod but, nope.
Pierre Png’s abs:
Image from thecut.com, which was originally credited to Warner Bros Pictures.
Along the same vein (haha), I think Henry Golding lacked chemistry with his co-star. They’re supposed to be madly in love with each other but somehow I didn’t feel it. Sure, the proposal scene on board the plane was awesome. It was touching but more importantly it was so funny because of that uber-Singaporean auntie who went “YES! YES! She will marry you!”
I cringed a bit whenever the female lead wore dresses with plunging necklines, and whenever she stood next to Fiona Xie. If you’re standing beside Fiona, you’re bound to look like you have an ‘airport runway’ chest, so it’s really best to cover up. I do also think that Fiona should have been given more opportunities to shine. After all, they keep featuring her in media interviews. You’d think she got a meaty role in the movie, but when you watch the film, it’s like she could have been an ‘extra’.
On the other hand, I like the character, Peik Lin (the best friend of the female lead, Rachel Chu). I’d love to have a best friend like that. It’d be such fun!
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It’d be totally funny when people make their first visit to Singapore and realise it’s nothing like what’s depicted in the movie! At Tiong Bahru, I saw an elderly lady pushing her trolley stacked high with flattened cardboard boxes, and trying to keep an umbrella up to shield her from the unrelenting sun. At Tiong Bahru Market, there were ‘donation workers’ from a certain TCM institution asking for donations to help elderly people pay their medical bills. And at Tiong Bahru Plaza, right outside the cinema, there was a loud beeping noise coming from the automated massage chairs where older folks wanted to sit and rest without paying any money. (The machines have been programmed to beep loudly in protest whenever that happens)
Maybe we have some people whom we can call Crazy Rich. But for the rest of us, we’re just, according to GCT, “very, very mediocre”. So, if you’ve watched the movie and want to book a flight to Singapore because of it, just hang on for a minute. Some of us are crazy (actually quite a number of us are), some are rich, and yes, only some of us are Asian. 