Where are the brown people? Crazy Rich Asians draws tepid response in Singapore | Film | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/21/where-are-the-brown-people-crazy-rich-asians-draws-tepid-response-in-si
It has been heralded as a milestone for representation of Asian people on screen, the first Hollywood blockbuster to feature an all-Asian cast in 25 years.
But Crazy Rich Asians, which raked in $26.5m (£21m) at the US box office over the weekend, has proved polarising among the community it is supposed to represent, many of whom have said it perpetuates racist stereotypes and presents a single version of Asia that is “palatable” for Hollywood audiences.
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The film, set in the opulent world of Asia’s hyper-wealthy in Singapore, is an adaptation of a popular book by Kevin Kwan. The story follows a New York University professor who flies to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family, only to discover they own one of Asia’s largest fortunes. A whirlwind of wealth, champagne, extravagant parties and designer handbags follows.
The film has been praised by critics, both for challenging the norms of Hollywood, where Asian characters are few and far between, and often played by a non-Asian actor, but also for being a highly enjoyable “glimpse through the curtains at an intensely insular world, the 1% of the 1%”.