I’ve written a few times about how the movie industry has become the battleground for minority representation in the US, and this has led to a number of movies being artificially raised in perceived value and importance simply due to skin color of the cast. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it’s only expected that an overzealous commitment to diversity would lead to tremendous hype around flicks like Wonder Woman and Black Panther (both great movies btw, but admittedly unfathomable ratings for superhero movies without the minority element). But the lingering and ever-itching question remains - is this movie actually amazing or am I getting swept up in the racial hype? In the larger context of film appreciation, this is a vital consideration.
I’ve also talked about the very crossable line that the Left is prone to fall over unknowingly in a previous article, demarcating that the “extreme Left” position is identifiable when a minority position is used to undermine the majority structure. I’ve been using this lens to analyze most liberal-leaning situations and it has helped me understand when I myself am getting too swept up in rhetoric that threatens an extreme stance. I’m going to apply that very logic to these types of films, and in particular, that of Crazy Rich Asians.
The thing to look out for is if the conversation around this movie, and other ones with the highlighted racial element, is undermining the typical approach to critiquing film.
Let’s Compare
Today’s metric is simple - the review structure of Rotten Tomatoes of “CRA” in the context of other acclaimed films. Before the movie was released earlier this month, CRA stood at a whopping 98%.
Let’s see how some other films stack up.
Starting to look a little fishy, eh? Maybe Crazy Rich Asians is a good movie, and by its current reception, you would certainly be led to believe so. Black Panther was a pretty solid film as well and it’s admittedly very refreshing to see narratives that are so different than the typical mainstream, whether they dictated by racial difference or some other form of diversity.
But you have to admit that there’s something strange about these recent movies commanding equivalent or even higher reviews than historically acclaimed classics like Pulp Fiction, The Departed, and even Titanic (surprisingly low in my opinion). Public reception and tastes are bound to change, but shouldn’t we use these past films as benchmarks to keep us grounded? Aren’t these signs that maybe, just maybe, we’re giving these films a leg up because of artificial factors… hmm?? It's one thing to get excited about these particular cultural shifts, but we all have to understand that change happens increments and broad appeal, not a bunch of hyper progressives pushing things out of context and beyond rationale scope.
Luckily, the initial hype has come back a bit to ground level and I expect the overall rating to slide a bit when people realize a Rom-com might not hold its water against historic classics, no matter how much Asianness is exclaimed.
