# "Crazy Rich Asians" = Asians Who Are Crazy Rich, Or Crazy Asians Who Are Rich? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300 "2022-05-29T13:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/1 "2022-05-29T13:25:14Z")
Which interpretation was the author’s intention? Or was it meant to be ambiguous? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/2 "2022-05-29T13:34:50Z")
100% intended to be ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/3 "2022-05-29T13:53:52Z")
Having seen the movie I can say that the characters are extremely rich, and are only “crazy” in the way that rich people can be eccentric, showy, and dramatic. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/4 "2022-05-29T14:21:33Z")
Rich Asians who are crazy. ---
**Author:** ![CardboardBoxx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardboardboxx/32/7079_2.png) [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/5 "2022-05-29T14:32:11Z")
Both at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/6 "2022-05-29T14:39:44Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > 100% intended to be ambiguous. This. It’s just a “clever” movie title. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/7 "2022-05-29T15:37:04Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > 100% intended to be ambiguous. Perhaps the filmmaker intended it to be ambiguous whether they intended it to be ambiguous. Is that less than 100% ambiguity or more than 100%? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/8 "2022-05-29T15:42:53Z")
It’s ambiguous turtles all the way down. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/9 "2022-05-29T15:51:52Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > It’s just a “clever” movie title. Strictly speaking, it’s a “clever” novel title. The movie’s named after the novel it’s based on. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/10 "2022-05-29T15:56:28Z")
Crazy people who are rich in asian heritage? ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/11 "2022-05-29T15:57:14Z")
I believe at one point Awkwafina’s character refers to another family as “not just rich–crazy rich.” ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/12 "2022-05-29T16:04:50Z")
Not in the book, only in the movie. Presumably to clarify that it’s not slamming Asians. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/13 "2022-05-29T17:38:35Z")
In interviews the author was careful to say that he meant “crazy rich,” not that he was demeaning the characters as crazy. But, you know that he knew that you knew the game he was playing. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/14 "2022-05-29T17:50:43Z")
The other two novels in the trilogy are titled _China Rich Girlfriend_ and _Rich People Problems_, for what it’s worth. Seems more focused on the $$$$ than 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/15 "2022-05-30T06:10:58Z")
To me it reads: Extremely Rich Asians Anything else feels like it’s flirting with bigotry. Which I don’t think the producers would want to do. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/16 "2022-05-30T06:15:52Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > 100% intended to be ambiguous. That may have been the intent, but the movie itself was pretty clear: they were not crazy, only crazily rich. Calling it a comedy (in the modern sense of the word) was false advertising. Not only did I not laugh, I could not bring myself to care at all about the characters. If I wanted wealth on display, I’d Google pictures of luxury settings. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2022, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-rich-asians-asians-who-are-crazy-rich-or-crazy-asians-who-are-rich/965300/17 "2022-05-30T09:54:16Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > That may have been the intent, but the movie itself was pretty clear: they were not crazy, only crazily rich. The OP asked about the author, so I was replying about the book. The line was inserted into the movie to clarify that this wasn’t some racist jibe.