Movie Poster

God forbid we lose the ancient Chinese tradition of guilting your children.

# Review

I've been meaning to watch this for so long and I've even read the books. On my flight to Singapore, I finally decided that it's the appropriate time to watch this. The story follows NYU professor Rachel (Constance Wu) as she visits Singapore with her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) for Nick's best friend's wedding. Rachel quickly realizes that Nick's family is more than just "comfortable" financially.

Having read the book it's interesting to see the characters being portrayed. Wu's determined and independent Rachel is fantastic and she did a great job portraying Rachel's character development and the cultural gap between Rachel and Nick's family. Golding's Nick is a tad bland but serves as a decent foil for Wu's Rachel. The supporting cast is where the film really shines; Michelle Yeoh's commanding Eleanor and Awkwafina's energetic Peik Lin were very fun to watch. The lavish settings and costumes are lifted straight from the book and the soundtrack is great (Katherine Ho's version of "Yellow" is still in some of my playlists). Much like the book, the film does cover some interesting topics, like the role of family in Asian cultures and the conflict between duty and individualism. As with the book, the themes are mainly covered on a superficial level.

# Conclusion

An entertaining romcom with deeply Asian themes.

# Overall rating: 7.6

What does the rating mean?