Crazy Rich Asians

You can appreciate it from a casting perspective, but shouldn’t the bar be set higher for Crazy Rich Asians? Other than the faces on the characters, it mostly feels like a standard-issue romantic comedy about quirky family dynamics and prenuptial squabbles in the social-media age.

After all, we hardly need another slick cinematic exploration of the romantic travails of attractive and wealthy big-city singles, regardless of where its intercontinental setting might be.

The globetrotting story follows Rachel (Constance Wu), a New York economics professor born in the United States, as she travels to Singapore with her new boyfriend, Nick (Henry Golding), to attend his best friend’s wedding and then travel around Asia.

Nick is from a family of extreme old-school industrial wealth and influence throughout Southeast Asia, as Rachel soon becomes aware. Architecture buffs are given plenty to feast upon.

The trip puts Rachel back in touch with a sardonic former college classmate (Awkwafina) and introduces her to Nick’s family, including an overbearing mother (Michelle Yeoh) who’s more concerned with social status than true love when judging the new couple. With his mother testing his commitment, the relationship is threatened.

The predictable screenplay by Peter Chiarelli (The Proposal) and newcomer Adele Lim, based on a novel by Kevin Kwan, manages some scattered big laughs and intermittent charm. It works best when it lightheartedly delves into culture, specifically the evolution of traditional Asian food and customs in a 21st century cosmopolitan society.

While it occasionally flashes a sharper satirical edge, however — the opening sequence is quite amusing, for example — the film primarily mirrors its characters by overflowing with superficial opulence. As directed by Jon Chu (Now You See Me 2), there’s more style than substance, but Wu and Golding generate an appealing chemistry.

Obviously, Asian actors don’t need to be limited to historical epics or relegated to chop-socky stereotypes, as too often remains the case. In the best-case scenario, films such as this use box-office success as a vehicle to promote acceptance — assuming it can break through.

If Crazy Rich Asians leads to bigger and better opportunities going forward, or opens doors to diverse new opportunities for colorblind storytelling in Hollywood, then great. Yet this earnest and heartfelt effort seems too eager to pursue mainstream conformity by emphasizing similarities rather than embracing differences.

Rated PG-13, 121 minutes.