Top 10 Differences Between Crazy Rich Asians Book & Movie
#10: The Goh Family Was More Subdued
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Peik Lin’s family in the books is still distinctly “new money”, but one of the biggest changes is that they’ve never heard of Nick of the Young family. In fact, in the novel its implied that the Youngs are so rich that their entire family is something of a mystery. Also, every member of the Peik Lin’s family was amped up to be even more over the top in the film. Her father especially is one of the most outlandish characters we meet in the film, but in the book he’s much more focused on status and isn’t quite so ridiculous.
#9: Ah Ma Was Known for Her Scones
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The scene in the movie where Rachel makes dumplings with the Young family is one of the most memorable and important for the development of the story. But it never actually takes place in the book! Nick talks in the book about his Ah Ma’s scones, not her dumplings, and there was no way that she was actually making those herself. Because making dumplings is a traditional thing to do in Chinese culture and scones are more associated with British traditions, we can see why they added this to the script.
#8: The Wedding Wasn’t Quite so Extra
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The entire movie leads up to Colin and Araminta’s wedding, and when the scene finally comes, it is just as extravagant as we had hoped. In the film, Araminta appears at the end of the aisle wearing a bananas wedding dress, and then through some sort of movie magic, they have water flow down so that she and her bridesmaids are wading through it while they do their processional. In the book, the wedding is appropriately luxurious, but this particular detail is never mentioned.
#7: Nick’s Dad Is in Australia
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In the movie, Nick’s father is notably absent from all of the events of the story, with the excuse that he is on a business trip in Shanghai. In the book however, Rachel actually gets to meet Nick’s dad, who is retired and spends his time going back and forth between Australia and Singapore. His character has almost no influence in the movie, but in the novel he is actually kind to Rachel and helps sway Eleanor’s opinion in a way that is favorable to her.
#6: There’s Mention of a Threesome
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“Crazy Rich Asians” the film was rated PG-13, but one particular detail was left out of the movie that could have caused it to have a more adult MPAA rating. Rachel’s main adversary among the younger set in the movie is Amanda, but in the book there are even more women trying to keep her and Nick apart. A character named Francesca Shaw tells Rachel that she, Nick and Amanda had a threesome in Italy which understandably gets under Rachel’s skin. We can see why they omitted this one from the final cut!
#5: Nick and Rachel Stay with His Family
In the movie, Eleanor won’t let Rachel stay under her roof as she says the house is going through renovations. They choose to stay at the Raffles hotel in Singapore and therefore have some space from his family throughout the story. In the book however, Ah Ma says that they can’t possibly stay in a hotel and has them moved to Tyersall Park. While they’re there, Rachel has a hard time with all of the services the staff performs for her, and tries to deal with her laundry herself, to no avail.
#4: Amanda Lives in New York
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While Nick’s ex Amanda definitely manages to torture Rachel in the movie, she never really feels like a real threat to their relationship. In the book though, Amanda lives in New York just like Rachel and Nick, and it’s revealed that Nick has been meeting up with her without telling Rachel. Readers also find out that the whole reason Amanda moved to New York was to try to get back together with Nick, which is we’d say is even worse than that fish prank.
#3: Rachel Tries to Meet Her Dad
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After the big reveal about Rachel’s true parentage, she decides that she wants to meet the father who she thought was dead for her entire life. After Eleanor tells her that her snooping revealed that Rachel’s father is alive but in prison, Rachel planned to get on a plane to China to confront him. She only learns after Nick flies her mom to Singapore that Zhou Fang Min isn’t actually her biological father, and that he was abusive to her mother which caused her to flee.
#2: Astrid’s Ex Is Much More Important
If you haven’t read the book, you may have noticed Astrid making eyes at a mystery man in the mid-credits scene of “Crazy Rich Asians” and not known what the significance of that was. Astrid’s story is perhaps the most changed from the page to the screen, because in the source material, she finds out that Michael wasn’t actually cheating on her, but faked an affair to push her away. Not only that, her ex-fiancé Charlie plays a much larger role, and even helps her in her decision to ultimately leave her husband. His role in the film was cut to only include that scene in the credits!
#1: Nick Doesn’t Propose
“Crazy Rich Asians” is the first book in a series, so not everything gets wrapped up in a tidy bow at the end of the novel. Because it’s Hollywood, the movie had to end with a big proposal, but in the book things are left much more ambiguous. Eleanor never gives her approval of Nick and Rachel’s relationship, and there is no proposal or engagement party. When the writers were creating the script, they probably didn’t know if they’d have the chance to produce a sequel, so it makes sense that they wanted to give the characters a happily ever after.
