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CRAZY RICH ASIANS

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CRAZY RICH ASIANS

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(Asian soap opera)

The good news is that Asian actors have an opportunity to star in a major Hollywood film. The not-so-good news is the story is little more than soap opera.

To its credit, the romantic comedy has two likable stars in Henry Golding and Constance Wu as the young lovers, Nick and Rachel. Rachel is a Chinese-American college economics professor who was raised in near-poverty by a single mother. Nick is the son of a wealthy Singapore family, rich in tradition and swimming in the luxury of their money.

Nick brings Rachel home to meet the family and attend a posh family wedding. Rachel finds herself in the middle of family spats, a major culture clash and deep-rooted jealousies, as the major differences between traditional Chinese lifestyles and those of Chinese-Americans rises to the surface.

Nick's mother has sacrificed much to build the family's stature and does everything in her power to break up the romance, send Rachel packing, and lure her son back to his family and homeland. Rachel is looked down upon as a "gold digger" and accused of being a "banana" (yellow on the outside, white on the inside). The movie presents a lavish look at the lifestyles of China's rich and famous, who also have skeletons in their closets.

Can love conquer all?

Rated PG-13, with some profanity.

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