The “Crazy Rich Asians” movie didn’t have time for all the drama from the book.
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| Astrid (Gemma Chan) and Michael (Pierre Png) had a much more complicated breakup in the “Crazy Rich Asians” book. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures |
By Nicole Massabrook, International Business Times
“Crazy Rich Asians” hit theaters Wednesday, but it looks a little different from the Kevin Kwan book that was published in 2013. Like all adaptations, changes had to be made for the big screen. These were some of the biggest differences between the novel and the film.
1. Astrid’s Story Was Simple — The book actually gave Astrid a lot more time with readers. After seeing a text on Michael’s phone, she launched into a full investigation, following him to another city and learning about another woman and child he appeared to be supporting. He revealed that he only made it look like he was cheating because he so desperately wanted Astrid to leave him.
[post_ads]She investigated with the help of Charlie Wu, who was only seen in the last second of “Crazy Rich Asians,” locking eyes with Astrid at the engagement party. In the book, Charlie is her ex-fiancé, who is now married to someone else, but he is so intent on making Astrid happy that he buys overpriced shares of Michael’s business to try to stop Michael’s stress at work (which was obviously turning into stress on the marriage).
2. Rachel’s Missing Mama Drama — In the movie, Rachel learns her mother left an abusive marriage after having an affair with another man and getting pregnant. That’s pretty similar to the book, as is Rachel learning this information from Eleanor.
However, in Kwan’s novel, she gets very angry with her mother for keeping information from her. Nick brings her mom to Singapore so they can make up. That’s when Rachel learns how dangerous it was for her mother to leave with her and that her biological father isn’t even aware she exists.
3. Timeline — The “Crazy Rich Asians” movie takes place over spring break. The book, however, has Nick inviting Rachel to Singapore for the entire summer. The change speeds everything up and makes Rachel’s feelings of being overwhelmed even more understandable.
4. Where’s Phillip? — Phillip Young is Nick’s father, who spends the entire movie away on business. In the book, it is explained that he spends much of the year in Australia working. This is a choice. He doesn’t want to be around the family drama, so he ignores it.
5. The Engagement — The “Crazy Rich Asians” book is the beginning of a trilogy following Rachel and Nick, so their relationship wasn’t ready for happily-ever-after at the end of the first novel. The two got back together following their breakup, but they weren’t engaged.
6. Eleanor’s Disapproval — Since there was no engagement, that means there was no engagement party where Eleanor signals that she accepts Rachel. Rachel also didn’t have a confrontation over a game of Mah Jong. Nick remained estranged from his mother and grandmother, and Rachel wanted to head to China to meet her real father.
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8. Peik Lin and Her Dad — They were there in the book, but they certainly weren’t as hilarious. They also didn’t know about the Young family. Nick’s ancestors are from old money, so not everyone knows their business. They also make a point not to flaunt their wealth, unlike their cousins. Peik Lin instead knew he was important because of his presence in Colin and Amanita’s wedding party, which was the wedding of the year in both the book and movie.
9. Language Switches — In the book, everyone’s dialogue is peppered with slang and phrases from various Asian languages, like Cantonese, Malay or Hokkien. The novel is filled with footnotes letting readers know what they mean. Aside from the occasional “lah” or “alamak,” the movie mostly sticks to English in casual conversations.
Though it’s not quite the same as the book, the “Crazy Rich Asians” movie is still just as much fun as the source material. Both are available now.
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