Last week, “Crazy Rich Asians” soared above box office expectations – grossing $35 million in its first five days. It’s the most successful rom-com debut in nearly three years and a sequel is already in the works.
Beyond the box office numbers, many are calling the film long overdue. It’s the first film in years with an all-Asian cast that’s been widely released.
One of our guests, Stephanie Foo, wrote about the film’s impact:
As a radio journalist, I’ve crafted hundreds of intimate narratives for “Snap Judgment” and “This American Life.” I understood the power of story and of representation in media. But I couldn’t have predicted how impactful seeing my story onscreen would be. And yes, despite the whole gobs-of-money thing, it did still feel like my story, because “Crazy Rich Asians” is not so much about money as it is entitlement — especially the entitlement to unapologetically be yourself.
[…] For those of us who’ve been “ching-chong ching-chonged” or catcalled to “go back to China” or called a “zipperhead” or asked if we speak English, for those of us who ever held ourselves back because we didn’t see people like us living those dreams, who for so long never dared to hope to see a reflection of themselves, for those of us who anxiously hold the mainstream acceptance of a single film as a judgment on whether we’ll ever really belong in this country — well, we could use a little entitlement.
Will “Crazy Rich Asians” be the catalyst for change in Hollywood?
For this meeting of The 1A Movie Club, we’ll discuss the film — spoilers and all — and what enduring impact it may have on the industry at large.
*Show produced by Bianca Martin, text by Kathryn Fink*.
GUESTS
Stephanie Foo, Journalist; former producer, This American Life and Snap Judgment; @imontheradio
John Horn, Host, KPCC’s “The Frame”; @jghorn
Jeff Yang, Podcast co-host, “They Call Us Bruce;” CNN contributor; author, “I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action;”
For more, visit https://the1a.org.
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Copyright 2018 WAMU 88.5
