When reading the list of movies that were playing at the local theater this week, “Crazy Rich Asians” did not strike me as something I’d want to see with my friends. Many people had told me it was a really funny love movie, but I really wasn’t looking forward to sitting through 2 hours of cheesy comedy. Well with only a few other options in mind, and a major craving for movie theater popcorn I ended up buying a ticket to what I thought would be a relatively stupid film. Let me just tell you how wrong I was. This romantic-comedy perfectly displayed an adorable love story while still managing to make me laugh out loud in the theater. On top of that, it incorporated some very interesting Asian culture which kept me engaged in all scenes of the movie.

The plot was surprisingly very engaging and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen. Nick Young and Rachel Chu travel to Nick’s hometown in Singapore for his best friend’s wedding. Of course Rachel didn’t know just how wealthy Nick was until she met his family. The story is all about the struggles that Rachel encounters trying to fit into an upper class family when she doesn’t have the best roots herself. She makes friends along the way, but makes frequent enemies as well. Nick and Rachel are in love, but is it enough for them to survive the coldness of his family’s expectations?

The cast of “Crazy Rich Asians” was extremely fun and made the movie just that much more indulging. The main male role of the film, Nick Young, was played by Henry Golding who is not only an actor but a television host. A host must be someone bold and social and he surely showed these personality traits through his role in the movie. The main female role, Rachel Chu, was played by Constance Wu. Rachel and Nicks on screen chemistry was so exceptional that I thought they might be in a relationship in real life. Finally, though Ken Jeong didn’t play a very important role, he still found a way to make his screen time count. On multiple occasions I found myself laughing at his portrayal of Wye Mun Goh in the film. The cast all seemed very dynamic and their dialogue was actually the opposite of cheesy.

The film primarily took place in Singapore, Asia, known for it’s tropical setting and incredible scenic views. That was obvious in the way the country was shown during the movie. During multiple scenes I found myself saying “I wish I lived there”. The radiant beaches, and stunning resorts made the setting aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to watch. Of course the fact that they were so wealthy may have contributed to the scenes, but that’s not to take away from how majestic and beautiful the country looked.

Overall, I would rate this movie a solid 5/5 stars, and can easily say that I was pleasantly surprised with this film’s content.