What took so long for Hollywood to launch Asian-lead rom-coms? The ongoing popularity of the two films released last August, Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before have shown how the public evaluates movies by the quality, not the race of actors and actresses. While To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before conveys a more relatable story about the love life of a normal teen girl, Crazy Rich Asians carries a dramatic class conflicting love story between a “crazy rich” heir and a middle class girl. Among many attractions, I believe the greatest appeal of both films is conveying universal themes such as the importance of family and overcoming one’s fear.
Crazy Rich Asians, directed by Jon M. Chu and released in theaters last August 15, starts with Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an Economics professor at NYU accompanying her boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Rachel meets Nick’s family, shockingly the wealthiest family in Singapore. The conflict sparks when Nick’s family, especially his mother, Eleanor, disapprove of Rachel, scheming to break them apart. While the plot contains a rich Asian stereotype, Rachel Chu stands alone as an exception. Rachel is a typical middle-class, Chinese-American girl, raised by a single mother. Despite their poor household, we can see stronger support and respect in Rachel’s family compared to Nick’s. By contrasting these two families, the movie highlights the value of true families loving you for who you are, not for your power, skill, or wealth.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, directed by Susan Johnson and based on Jenny Han’s novel, was released on Netflix last August 17. The story is narrated by Lara Jean Song Covey (Lana Condor), a self-conscious and shy highschool girl. Lara Jean used to write secret love letters everytime she had a crush on someone, and kept them hidden. However, the letters are mysteriously delivered to all her past five crushes one day, including her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. To cover up the situation, Lara Jean pretends to date Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), who also wanted to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. Beyond underlining the value of family, the film is also all about maturing and overcoming your fears. Lara Jean was always afraid of building relationships because “the more people that you let into your life, the more that can just walk right out.” However, love enables her to overcome every obstacle in the end, as she bravely speaks out, “I needed you to know that I like you.
Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before captivate the audience with ongoing humor delivered through sassy scene-stealers, and natural depictions introducing Asian culture. Because Asian actors and actresses still take up only 1% of Hollywood’s leading roles, and this is the first attempt hollywood presented films of Asian-American lead roles in a long time, the success of these two films are especially meaningful. Hopefully, with the start of rising Asian representation in Hollywood, our film industry can move forward in accepting performance from more diverse people and culture.