Rachel Chu has no idea what she’s jumping into. Flying from New York to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young to attend his best friend’s wedding, she discovers that there’s more to their relationship. Secreted from her, Nick is a very wealthy heir, yet tightly tied to his influential family especially to his ever meticulous mother.

Obviously, the movie Crazy Rich Asians based from Kevin Kwan’s novel has a cliché plot: poor girl meets crown prince, falls in love, then is antagonized by the prince’s mother, so on and so forth. However, Scriptwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim have sprinkled some magic to cover up this problem. They have injected imagery, idioms and all the clever techniques in the screenplay. For this, dialogues are striking and notable. Best examples are “Our own kind of people” and “Only a fool folds a winning hand” which are delivered during Rachel and Nick’s mom’s encounter in the mahjong table. Furthermore, they have crafted the flow of the story in a smooth and wise approach. The audience gets along easily but is negated to formulate predictions especially in the end.

Breathing life to the script are the brilliant performances of the main actors: Constance Wu (Rachel), Henry Golding (Nick), and Michelle Yeoh (Nick’s mom). Wu and Golding’s chemistry even flourishes the sweet scenes that make the theater giggle in love. Meanwhile, the appearance of Yeoh gives a heavy weight to the drama. Moreover, Gemma Chan (Nick’s cousin) and Akwafina (Rachel’s friend) greatly contributes to the movie’s appeal especially the latter who carries most of the comedic side of the film. Thus, Crazy Rich Asians becomes a spectacular drama-comedy story because of these portrayals.

The direction and musical score also thickens the movie. Director Jon M. Chu cleverly highlights the beauty of Singapore by projecting aerial and landscape views. He also utilizes creative color combinations, awesome lightings and amazing camera angles. Bryan Tyler’s sound selection is even more commendable. From the beginning until the end of the film, the musical backgrounds like the Chinese version of Madonna’s Material Girl and other upbeat English songs don’t disappoint and are pleasing to the ears.

In conclusion, Crazy Rich Asians is a big treat for everyone. Layered in compelling screenplay, actors, direction and soundtrack, the film has all the means to satiate your taste buds.