If we’re able to get the TL;DR out of the way first the point of this opinion piece is this: Watch Crazy Rich Asians, it’s one of my favourite romantic comedies, it’s incredibly entertaining & charming, and filled with plenty of hot people and is endlessly rewatchable, that about covers most of the things needed for this genre. To go even further than that let’s actually discuss one scene that stands out to me as a highlight of the film showing off the talented writing, and that is the Mahjong Scene near the end of the film.
Now, if you’re anything like me you have absolutely no idea how Mahjong works yet thanks to Jon M Chu’s direction that is completely irrelevant, regardless of your knowledge it is perfectly clear throughout the scene who is winning the match, but even then that’s not what’s important, Mahjong is just a template to allow the true competition between our two characters Rachel (Constance Wu) and Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) to play out.
By this point in the film it has been long established that Eleanor does not like Rachel despite how happy she makes Eleanor’s son Nick (Henry Golding). Rachel has all but given up on convincing her but still requires closure and hopes to use the game as a chance to have an honest conversation with Eleanor before she leaves for good. At the opening of the game Rachel begins by mentioning her mother, saying she taught her how to play, Eleanor admits to learning the same way. It establishes a common ground, a similarity between the two creating a neutral ground. From there Rachel jumps right into the deep end, asking why Eleanor disliked her from the beginning, regardless of her status, but her views on family. Eleanor’s ideology and lifestyle is based around protecting and growing the family, doing what’s best for everyone over oneself.
We then get a close-up of this one tile piece Rachel picked up, focusing heavily on it as Rachel then discusses Nick’s proposal to her, Eleanor’s greatest fear and what would have been Rachel’s happy ending. The tile is the symbol for Rachel’s winning story as well as her literally winning the game. Again, I know this is far more obvious for those who know the rules to Mahjong and it’s less symbolic and more literal there but shush! The point of this piece is to point out you don’t need to know these things to understand who’s winning the game. She confesses to turning down the proposal and puts the piece back into the shuffle, confessing that is not truly a winning hand as Nick was forced into said ultimatum of picking his girlfriend or his family when really he shouldn’t have to sacrifice either.
Eleanor wins the game as she has “won” the conflict, but Rachel gets the last word. Her actions have proved that Eleanor’s perception of her was wrong, that Rachel is more than capable of making sacrifices for the sake of those she loves. The comes the big closer; as Rachel leaves we see her mother Kerry (Tan Kheng Hua) was sat at the other end of the room, she makes eye contact with Eleanor and despite a word been spoken, an entire argument begins and ends within a matter of seconds. Two mothers, both of wildly different backgrounds but both uphold their children as the most important things in their lives, Eleanor no longer viewing Rachel as just ‘Nick’s girlfriend’ but also as someone’s daughter, someone’s family who likewise they care about their happiness and well-being above everything else, and while Kerry encouraged her child, Eleanor has failed hers.
The succinct storytelling and conflict portrayed in this scene through its visuals is purely wonderful, the change in dynamics and imagery used to represent who wins is incredibly well done. The scene is simply a microcosm of greatness that a large majority of the film contains and I truly hope more people check it out.
-Danny
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