Winner: Michelle Yeoh —
Crazy Rich Asians

Brief Synopsis: Based on Kevin Kwan’s novel, the Cinderella of our story is NYU economics professor Rachel Chu, who is in a wonderful relationship with a charming, handsome prince named Nick Young. Oh, but something seems to have slipped Nick’s mind: the Young family is the wealthiest, most powerful family in Singapore. While attending a wedding in Singapore, Rachel is thrown into a world beyond her understanding — lavish parties… a taxidermy tiger lunging from the corner of the hallway… the blooming of a tan hua flower, which occurs only one night a year. However, the most imposing aspect of the wedding is meeting Nick’s mother, Eleanor. It’s clear Eleanor does not approve of Rachel. The reasons are plenty — from being a mere Economics professor to not understanding certain Chinese customs — but most of all, Rachel is an American. (In other words, she’s not Asian enough. Oh, the irony.) No matter what Rachel does, she’s playing with a losing hand. If Nick chooses Rachel, he loses his family; if they break up, Nick will resent his mother. No matter what, Rachel is trapped in a Cinderella story, except Eleanor is the one holding the glass slipper.

Behind the excessive partying and Gatsby-esque glamour of Crazy Rich Asians is an intriguing showdown between Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and Eleanor Young (Michelle Yeoh): the stranger in a strange land versus the matriarch of the Young Family. This romantic comedy is pretty to watch because of the extravagant costumes and beautiful sets; it’s memorable because the dramatic tension caused by Rachel seeking the approval of her prospective mother-in-law is poignant. The conflict sets up a highlight performance from Michelle Yeoh as a woman whose gentle tone is balanced by the gravity of her words. The scene that probably gets the most attention is Rachel and Eleanor playing Mahjong because it’s the climactic moment where Rachel makes her stand against Eleanor, but I think the most impressive piece of acting is the staircase scene where Eleanor tells Rachel that — just as Eleanor had once fought to earn the family’s respect years ago when she married into the Young Family — she will never be enough. 

The setup is absolutely brilliant. Eleanor says that her mother-in-law (Nick’s grandmother) did not think Eleanor would be an “adequate wife to her son,” to which Rachel tentatively replies, “But she came around, obviously.” And there’s this pause where we see Eleanor’s head tilt slightly and her expression is all smiles, but her eyes tell us that she’s about to level Rachel with a cold-hearted truth. At first, it almost seems like Eleanor is going to offer some sage advice, but then Eleanor forces Rachel to retreat down the staircase a couple of steps and places her hand on Rachel’s cheek, saying, “You will never be enough.” It’s a lightning strike into Rachel’s heart because until now, it’s uncertain whether or not Eleanor is going to give Rachel a chance to prove herself to the family. And at this moment, we understand that Rachel isn’t just fighting against a mother’s disproval; she’s fighting against generations of tradition. What I love about the way this scene unfolds (and how Yeoh plays Eleanor throughout the film) is that Eleanor is always dignified in her words and actions. Even when she’s being harsh, there’s a confidence behind what she’s saying beyond simply an Eleanor-to-Rachel individual level. Think of it as a royal mask. Queen Elizabeth II can’t just be herself because she’s not Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor — she is the Queen of England, representing a millenium of legacy. And in a similar vein with Eleanor, she understands that she represents more than herself as the head of the Young Family. 

Michelle Yeoh’s performance in Crazy Rich Asians is one of my personal favorites of 2018 because she delivers Eleanor with such solemnity and passion that it actually convinces the audience for a period of time that Eleanor (despite being an antagonistic force) is correct. Rachel and Nick shouldn’t be together. It isn’t until the aforementioned Mahjong scene when Rachel makes her stand that we understand why Eleanor is mistaken. Even then, it’s a great piece of acting from Yeoh because we see the subtle shifts of thought through Eleanor’s facial expressions and body language. It’s a very understated role, but one that deserves recognition for standing out in a film as visually accomplished as Crazy Rich Asians.