If you weren’t already going into Crazy Rich Asians obsessed with Michelle Yeoh, you will definitely be leaving the movie obsessed with Michelle Yeoh. She is a legend. And for many, many years, she was one of the few, if not only, Asian women repping the side internationally. I asked her in our interview a couple of a weeks ago what it’s been like through this process, watching a new generation stepping through the door that she’s been holding open, sometimes all by herself. She seemed to be moved by the experience and to be further motivated, knowing that her work is finally paying off. Her work in this film is some of the best of her career – and you know that’s saying something.
Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan’s book, is family satire. The film focuses more on the family and the romance and the comedy and less on the satire. Michelle, then, before signing on, says that she wanted her character, Eleanor Young, Nick’s ma, to be more than just the Dragon Lady/Tiger Mother. She wanted to show a side of the Chinese wife, the Chinese mother, that goes beyond the stereotype. And she would know. When I was growing up, spending time in Hong Kong, Michelle’s marriage to Hong Kong billionaire Dickson Poon was major gossip. If you’re unfamiliar, Dickson Poon owns Harvey Nichols. It’s just one of his assets.
After they got married, Michelle quit her job. She gave up acting. The rumour is that Dickson expected it. The marriage lasted three years. When she left him, she rebuilt her career. So, as Eleanor, in the movie, when you see her clashing with Constance Wu’s Rachel about different cultural values and commitments, she’s coming at that dialogue from personal experience. This is what gives Crazy Rich Asians its soul. And while, of course, Michelle plays the most high profile mother in the movie, all of the performances by the actresses in mother roles, taken together, present a broader range of Asian motherhood than we’ve seen in a while.
Chieng Mun Koh is Peik Lin’s (Awkwafina) ma, over-the-top and tacky but also hilarious and warm. Tan Kheng Hua is Kerry Chu, Rachel’s ma who raised her on her own in the US, who reminds Rachel that she is both – from the old country and of America – and that doesn’t make her less-than. Pay close attention to Kerry during a scene near the end of the film, as she supports Rachel after a pivotal moment in the conflict. She doesn’t say anything. But she does something with her arm in a show of solidarity with her daughter. And the expression on her face at that moment, I get a lump in my throat just remembering it. Because it’s familiar, recognisable, powerful. It’s the fiercely loving tug of a proud mother at the side of her child who will always steadfastly remain on her child’s side, just as Michelle Yeoh’s Eleanor, with a different perspective, but no less formidable, believes herself to be acting on the side of her child. These are the details that make the movie more than just mindless fun. You get a LOT of fun. But you get so much f-cking heart. The moms bring the heart.
PS. The moms also bring the fashion. Do not sleep on Eleanor’s wardrobe in this movie. Much of the jewellery you see on her is from her own personal collection.
