+++++++   Possibly spoilers.
I won’t know until after I write it.  ++++++++++

Yesterday, my sister wanted to watch a movie.
It was a toss up between “The Spy who Dumped Me” and “Crazy Rich Asians.”
Ultimately, she decided on “Crazy Rich.”     I was A-OK with that.  It got better Tomato reviews that “Spy.”

Also, with the gym conversation about “Black Panther,” I felt that I really should watch a movie that wasn’t dominated by white people.   (Still haven’t watched “Black Panther,” by the way.)

After an issue with the multi-drink fountain and a conversation with a female employee who feels underappreciated, we went to see “Crazy Rich.”

I was 110% predisposed to like this movie.
I hadn’t read any reviews to sway my opinion.  There wasn’t a super hero involved.  My sister had been addicted to Harlequin romances since she was a child.  I figured that she may gush on it after, which may help dispel any unfavorable impressions I got.

But… no.
Rather, “nope.”
(Isn’t that the “in” word now.   I’ve been seeing “nope” everywhere.)

Yes, the movie is pretty.
If the setting isn’t a mock-up, I think Singapore is on my movie traveling bucket list – right after the setting for Lord of the Rings.   I’ve never really considered Singapore, but there’s a lot of visual setting porn that I liked.

I really don’t have anything bad to say about the actors.
I particularly liked the actresses who played Astrid and Eleanora, the evil mother.

The movie never failed to impress upon the audience just how rich “rich” is with lavish parties, jewelry, cars, clothes, you name it.   But, I was expecting that.  “Crazy Rich” is in the title.  I couldn’t complain about that.

The downside is simply the plot.
Oh my goodness…. predictable and boring, I felt like checking the time to see when the movie would end.    —  I didn’t like I did in Hereditary, but I really, really, really wanted to.

It’s a typical Cinderella story with a dose of Mamma Mia mixed in.
The girl is poor, but a college professor, who has no family and no history.  The boyfriend is handsome, “crazy rich,” and loves the girl despite knowing that his mom will pitch a fit.

Blah, blah, blah… stuff happens.   The girl finds out just how rich he is and does her best to assimilate to the family who generally rejects or ignores her.  Okay, fine.    The evil mom hires a detective and learns that Cinderella’s mother lacks ‘honor’ because she left an abusive husband.

Cinderella freaks out, but eventually understands her mother.  They get on a play to come back to America.    Prince Charming proposes in the commoner section of the airplane.  (How he got on the airplane without a ticket it beyond me.   Barging in on a flight ready to take off should have at least warranted a Taser and a spot on the ‘no fly’ list, no matter how rich he is.)

And, everyone lives happily ever after and has lots of babies who all go to college because mommy and daddy are rich.    Life and the social status goes on.

The only real lingering question comes from the conversation between Cinderella and the evil mother.  Cinderella gives this not-so-passionate speech that she is giving up Prince Charming because she doesn’t want her prince to be alienated from his family.
Specifically, Cinderella sets forth the notion… I don’t know all of the exact words… but the gist was…  “You will owe your future happiness to me because I gave up your son.”

I can see that.
Instead of letting this whole thing about social class and money get in the way, maybe Cinderella didn’t think it was fair for the Prince to have to chose.   So, she chose for him.

After that little scene, evil mom and Prince talk.   Evil mom gives her blessing for them to marry.

So, here’s my question.

Was evil mom moved by Cinderella’s speech?  Was she impressed that Cinderella would sacrifice her happiness so the Prince would be happy and not have to make a choice?

Or —

did evil mom, being evil and very rich mom, didn’t want to be indebted to a commoner for the rest of her life? Maybe she didn’t want to have her entire family for generations to come owe their happiness and security to some poor, no-name Chinese-American.

Maybe, just maybe, evil mom was so evil that she was willing to sacrifice her Prince son to Cinderella to protect her own honor.

This question is certainly not going to keep me awake at night.   It’s unlikely that I’ll even think about this dilemma after today.  But, it just seemed like a lose end.    I’m sure the audience think that evil mom became good mom, but that’s the easy non-thinking route.

Oh well.

Grade?
I’m always grading stuff…..  Probably like a C or a C-.
I’m sure the book is better, but based on the movie, I’m not going to take the time to read it.

Would not pay… or suggest that my sister pay… to see that movie again.