Though its box office opening wasn’t a record breaker like “Black Panther,” Jon M. Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians” had the same impact on Asian-American moviegoers that the Marvel blockbuster had on African-Americans, filling a demand for representation that had long been ignored in Hollywood.
As the film steamed towards a strong $34 million five-day opening — among the best for a romantic comedy this decade — Asians who saw the film took to social media to express their gratitude to Chu, Constance Wu and the rest of the film’s cast and crew for finally giving them the chance to see characters that reflected themselves on-screen.
Among the most widely shared was a Twitter thread from Huffington Post editor Kimberly Yam, who talked about her lifelong struggle with her Chinese-American identity.
“You’re 8 years old. Your 3rd grade class orders Chinese food & your father delivers it. You are so excited to see your pops in school. He’s your hero,” Yam begins. “But apparently other kids don’t think he’s so cool. They laugh at him and mimic his accent. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore.”
You’re 9 years old.
You attend ballet camp. Someone tells you that another girl *hates* you. She thinks your eyes are an “ugly shape.” You don’t have the vocabulary to describe why that’s hurtful. But now, you hate your distinctly Asian face. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore.– Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You don’t want people thinking you’re uptight. You laugh along with everyone else. You don’t want to be Chinese anymore.
– Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
Yam goes on to discuss how after she went to college, she began to fight back against the self-hatred that a childhood filled with classmates making fun of Asians instilled in her, and that watching “Crazy Rich Asians” just added to the pride she now feels as an adult.
“You’re 25 years old. You see a movie with an all-asian cast at a screening and for some reason you’re crying and you can’t stop. You’ve never seen a cast like this in Hollywood. Everyone is beautiful,” she concludes. “You’re so happy you’re Chinese.”
But you know you rejected your culture a long time ago. You know you refused to speak Chinese & you remember calling your mother’s food “disgusting.” It’s fucked. It clicks. It’s a race to reclaim everything you’ve hated about yourself. For the 1st time, you want to be Chinese.
– Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
You’re 25 years old.
You see a movie with an all-asian cast at a screening and for some reason you’re crying and you can’t stop. You’ve never seen a cast like this in Hollywood. Everyone is beautiful.
You’re so happy you’re Chinese. #CrazyRichAsians #RepresentationMatters– Kimberly Yam (@kimmythepooh) August 18, 2018
“Aquaman” director James Wan echoed Yam’s statement, saying he wish he had a film like “Crazy Rich Asians” growing up.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a mainstream Hollywood movie with an entire cast that looks like — well, me and my family — before, and my heart is bursting,” he tweeted.
Everyone, do yourself a favor, go see this superbly made romantic-comedy! With a stellar cast, headlined by the incredible & exquisitely talented @ConstanceWu, dashing & charming @henrygolding, and living-goddess Michelle Yeoh! THANK YOU, @jonmchu, you had me at laksa and durian!
– James Wan (@creepypuppet) August 19, 2018
Check out more tweets from people who saw the film this weekend below, as well as thanks from the cast.
Everyone, do yourself a favor, go see this superbly made romantic-comedy! With a stellar cast, headlined by the incredible & exquisitely talented @ConstanceWu, dashing & charming @henrygolding, and living-goddess Michelle Yeoh! THANK YOU, @jonmchu, you had me at laksa and durian!
– James Wan (@creepypuppet) August 19, 2018
in my #crazyrichasians feelings pic.twitter.com/vQdPet1Fs4
– mc jin (@iammcjin) August 18, 2018
Hearing the amount of 1st gens that are taking their parents & grandparents to the movies for the first time is the coolest thing about this. Never thought a rom-com could bring families together. #CrazyRichAsians
– Harry Shum Jr (@HarryShumJr) August 18, 2018
#Representation: when it’s been absent most of your life, sometimes you have to see it to realize just how much you needed it.
Adored #CrazyRichAsians. Made me proud and made me cry. Hilarious, touching, a total delight! Congrats to all.— David Hwang (@DavidHenryHwang) August 19, 2018
The funny thing about #CrazyRichAsians is that asian people aren’t treating it like their Black Panther moment, we’re just happy to see other asian people on a screen not throwing roundhouse kicks at a white protagonist
— Noah B (@noahfloods) August 16, 2018