Crazy Rich Asians: A Little Green Lie
Photo provided by Devour.Asia
“Pursuing one’s passion. How American. Well, your mother’s very open-minded, not like here, where parents are obsessed with shaping the life of their children.”
- Eleanor Young
I recently watched this movie for a second time, and it was better than I remember. Based on Kevin Kwan’s novel, Crazy Rich Asians, the film details the adventures of Rachel Chu, a young Asian-American New Yorker, who discovers that her boyfriend (Nick Young) is Singapore’s wealthiest and most eligible bachelor. Although Nick’s family's money is modern, their beliefs are antiquated. In traditional Chinese culture, women are expected to abandon their passions to raise their children and tend to their spouses. Rachel is an Economics Professor at New York University (NYU) and she loves her job. On top of that, she was raised by a single mother. In Eleanor’s eyes, Nick’s mother, Rachel is playing a losing hand.
Dr. Solomon Asch conducted a psychological study at Swarthmore College in 1951, the Asch Conformity Study. Similar to the bandwagon effect, it was designed to evaluate a person’s willingness to conform to a standard. In the study, participants were shown photos with lines of various lengths and they were asked to identify the longest line. Each group contained one true participant; the rest of the participants were actors, instructed to give the wrong answer. The true participant always agreed with the actors, although they knew that the answer was wrong. In conclusion, we are tempted to conform to a standard within group settings, because we care more about having the same answer than we do about having the right one.
In the film, there is a scene where Rachel and Nick are making handmade dumplings with his family at his Ah Ma’s (grandmother) home. Rachel asks Eleanor about her wedding ring in front of everyone. Eleanor stated, “Nick’s father had it made when he proposed to me.” One of the aunties, Felicity Young, glares at Eleanor. At that moment, she is the true participant. Eleanor later explains (when they are in a more private setting) that Nick’s father did have that ring made for her, but only because his mother would not give him the family’s ring. Ah Ma didn't and still doesn’t think that Eleanor is a suitable spouse for her son. Because they were in a group setting, Auntie Felicity felt pressured to conform to the story that Eleanor originally told Rachel about her ring. She decided to corroborate Eleanor’s story, by saying nothing, then tell Rachel the truth.
I am not one for romances; they are trite, exclusionary, and boring. However, this romantic comedy stands out because it’s informative (about Chinese culture), entertaining, and aesthetically pleasing. This film goes against everything our parents taught us about telling the truth, in the best way. If a little white lie can buy some time, a little green one can buy a box office hit!
