'Crazy Rich Asians' sets new Hollywood standards by refusing to get whitewashed
'Crazy Rich Asians,' has garnered enough hype and in less than two weeks we will know if the hype was all worth it. Based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling 2013 novel of the same name, the reason why the movie has generated excitement among the Asian Americans in particular, and Holywood in general, is because this particular flick has refused to get "whitewashed," which means there are no white actors for non-white characters.
The upcoming film qualifies to be the first Hollywood movie to feature Asian Americans in leading roles after 25 long years, its predecessor being 'The Joy Luck Club' starring Ming-Na Wen and Tamlyn Tomita. 'Crazy Rich Asians' has an all-Asian cast but more importantly, it's not just another Hollywood movie casting Asians on a side role. You are not going to see martial arts, a nerdy act or even a comedy act. The film, dubbed as a romantic comedy, follows the story of a Chinese-American woman, Rachel, who travels back to Asia to meet her boyfriend’s family before the wedding. A quintessential immigrant, Rachel is an economics professor and her boyfriend is her colleague, but little does she know that he is “the Prince Harry of Asia,” a royal son of one of the wealthiest families in Singapore.
