The Reel Review
When Rachel (Fresh Off the Boat’s Constance Wu) agrees to travel from New York to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) for his best friend’s wedding, she makes a shocking discovery – Nick is from an astoundingly wealthy family, making him the most eligible bachelor in Asia, and her, the target of every woman, especially his status conscious mother (Michelle Yeoh).
Despite a first few minutes that feels like it was produced by a money-obsessed employee from the Singapore Tourism Board, the film – a modern day hybrid of Monster-In-Law and Pretty Woman – finds its voice – and heart – in its second half, smartly highlighting the challenges of relationships between people from different social classes. This adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel gets a big boost, thanks to strong performances by Wu, Yeoh and the hilarious Awkwafina. (This movie will do for her career what Girls Trip did for comedian Tiffany Haddish.) It also doesn’t hurt that this crowd pleaser has a super sweet, heartfelt ending.
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