Hello Singapore!

This stop-over on the way to Europe has never looked as good as it does in director Jon M Chu’s fabulous rom-com, Crazy Rich Asians.

From the sheer incredulity of Marina Bay Sands, to the grandeur of Raffles Hotel, and to humming hawker stalls with some of the most original food around, the film is a Singapore tourism promoter’s wet dream.

Based on a bestseller by Kevin Kwan, which I am ashamed to say I have not read, it follows whip-smart NYU Economics Professor Rachel Chu (stunning Constance Wu) as she journeys home to meet boyfriend Nick Young’s (played by Henry Golding) family for the first time.

This development sends the wagging tongues of the Young family’s far-reaching network into overdrive.

Rachel has barely accepted when Nick’s overbearing mother (the one-and-only Michelle Yeoh) phones from her glamorous Singapore home, having heard the rumours via a prayer circle of meddling, gossipy women.

Rachel quickly learns Nick’s family dynasty is one of the richest and oldest on the Malay Peninsular and the wedding she has been invited to, one of Singapore’s biggest social events.

Rachel is colloquially referred to as a “banana” in the film: yellow on the outside but white on the inside.

And it simply means she is more a native New Yorker than she is attuned to the high-society world of Mandarin-speaking Singapore.

Raised by a single mother, Rachel’s lack of family connections become a source of high anxiety for Nick’s mother, Eleanor Young.

As an outsider, Rachel is the wellspring of intense gossip for the entire, Gucci-clad entourage, who accuse her of being a “gold digger” and worse.

She finds refuge and her feet in this hotbed of high-fashion and expensive cars, with former college roommate Akwafina (Peik Lin Go) who provides hilarious and exacting advice on how to navigate the treacherous family dynamics.

Akwafina coins one of the funniest moments of the film when she encourages Rachel to defy Eleanor Young with the catch-cry: ‘Bok bok, bitch!”

It’s a hoot.

The movie provides a brilliant insight into family dynamics, duty and relationships.

Nick’s older sister Astrid Young Teo (Gemma Chan) is a beautiful yet tragic character who minimises her own worth in order to navigate her marriage with husband, startup founder Michael Teo (hello gorgeous Pierre Png).

Encountering the Young family means impossibly high-standards. Even the fierce and original tiger mum, Eleanor Young, has been tested.

Her relationship with the Young family matriarch, grandma Ah Ma (an incredibly high cheek-boned Lisa Lu) is fraught with its own complexities.

It is fantastic to see such a brilliant all-Asian cast bring to life what is ultimately, a wonderful Cinderella story.

Crazy Rich Asians don’t shy away from taking the West to task for racism and an appalling lack of diversity (I'm looking at you, Hollywood).

The opening scene is brilliantly confronting.

Eleanor Young traipses into a London hotel in the rain with her family in tow, only to be rudely refused a room.

She makes a quick phone call (from a pay phone in the rain) before the hotel’s owner appears and quickly ushers the family through to the best suite.

As the family trudges through the lobby dripping mud and water, the owner chastises the front desk staff for leaving the hotel’s new owners out on the street.

There’s not many people subjected to blatant racism who can turn around and buy the hotel, but that’s the kind of family the Youngs are!

This film is playful, the spectacles are ridiculous and the characters are incredibly enjoyable.

The soundtrack is fabulous, with many Western songs (Coldplay’s Yellow and The Beatles' Money, That's What I Want) are given brilliant big band treatment with vocals in Mandarin.

Nothing beats Wo yao ni de ai (I want your love) set at a party in the fabulous Gardens by the Bay precinct near Marina Bay Sands, though!

Come to gape at the luxurious sights of Singapore and stay for the love story.