Back in 2013, Crazy Rich Asians hit shelves and became a hit. The novel by Kevin Kwan was a success and led to two follow-up installments before it was turned into a major film release in 2018. The movie adaptation was met with widespread critical and commercial acclaim but wasn't totally faithful to the source material.
While many aspects of the story, characters, and setting remained the same, a handful of key components were different. Some were simple changes about character interactions or inclusions, but others were plot points that were altered or even completely cut from the big screen version.
10 There's More Of A Bond Between Peik Lin & Oliver
When Peik Lin (Awkwafina) drives Rachel (Constance Wu) to the big party at the Young mansion, she's invited in to join the fun. As soon as she changes clothes, Peik Lin finds Rachel and is introduced to Oliver T'sien (Nico Santos), Nick's hilarious second cousin who helps them going forward.
While they don't get a ton of scenes together, a friendship clearly brews between Peik Lin and Oliver. Audiences adored this, especially given the comedic talents of Awkwafina and Santos. This relationship barely exists in the book but it's one change that fans welcomed.
9 Eleanor's Investigation Into Rachel
The film opted to go for a bit more shock value with this particular storyline. In it, Rachel and Nick are pulled aside by Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) and Nick's grandmother to reveal an envelope explaining the history of Rachel's family. It wasn't anything the viewers saw coming and was more impactful that way.
Things are quite different in the books, where Eleanor is more of a sleuth herself. She doesn't really focus on a private investigator to get the dirt on Rachel and instead actually follows her and Nick around, doing the work herself.
8 The Wedding Scene Is Shorter
There's no question that one of the most iconic moments in the film is the wedding that Rachel comes to Singapore to attend. It's spectacular to look at, features some truly breathtaking imagery and outfits, and there's a ton of romance all over the place. The book goes much deeper with the event, though.
For starters, it expands past the reception itself and it moves to a private space on a boat that is even more extravagant. There are also several fancy aspects like a notable molecular gastronomy dinner. The $40 million spent on the wedding is seen in more vivid detail on the page.
7 Rachel Fixes Things At The Bachelorette Party On Her Own
It could be argued that Rachel is a better and stronger character in the film. However, there is one scene in the book that gives her much more agency. It comes during the bachelorette party where some of the other women plant a disgusting fish on her bed and call her a gold digger.
In the film, Astrid (Gemma Chan) arrives and helps her calm down and take the high road. In the book, Rachel buries the fish in the sand but makes the decision to not freak out on her own. She proves that she can be the bigger person without needing the help of another character.
6 Nick's Father Is Never Seen
When Rachel is first introduced to Eleanor, a passing remark is made that Nick's father is away on business, as he often is. Due to that, the character never actually appears throughout the film. While he's away at work in the book, he communicates with Eleanor and has a handful of lines.
An example of this comes when Eleanor calls him about Nick showing up with a girlfriend from the United States. It seems like Philip isn't as stressed as she is about who his son marries and he feels more like the voice of reason. Philip also lives in Australia to run the family business in the book, rather than just traveling.
5 Michael's Affair Is Real
Since Astrid is such a likable and popular character, it hurts when the audience finds out that her husband Michael (Pierre Png) is cheating on her. It leads to some of the most emotional scenes of the film not featuring Rachel and eventually sees them split up.
The book version is much different as Michael actually fakes the affair. He does it to help get a divorce since he's sick of the way he's looked at by the rest of the Young family (he still does hate that in the movie). Astrid also gets advice from an old flame named Charlie Wu, who actually appears in a mid-credits scene in the movie, but nothing more.
4 The Proposal Happens On A Plane
It seems like every major romantic comedy has that huge gesture of love that becomes memorable for fans everywhere. In Crazy Rich Asians, that happens right at the end when Nick (Henry Golding) proposes to Rachel on an airplane before takeoff, using the ring given to him by his mother, showing her acceptance.
That never happens in the book. Rachel's mother is still there since she does travel to Singapore but the proposal occurs at a bar and not on an airplane. Although it's mostly just the setting that is altered, it's understandable as there's something grand about a plan. Plus, the movie gives a glimpse at the engagement party.
3 Rachel's Father's Subplot Is Cut
The movie does include a mystery of sorts when it comes to Rachel's father. She believed he was dead but the private investigation revealed that he was alive. When Rachel's mom Kerry came clean about the story, she admits that she fled because her abusive husband would've done something terrible about her pregnancy.
The book has a lot more about the character. Zhou Fang Min was said to be the dad and Rachel was upset with her mom, even after discovering his abusive side. She's also set to meet him with Peik Lin but Nick stops them by bringing Kerry to Singapore, who reveals that her dad is actually someone nicknamed Kao Wei, who saved her life. Rachel is remorseful after this but it's an entirely different saga.
2 The Young Family Is Famous
In the films, as soon as Peik Lin's family hears about the wedding that Rachel is attending, they're stunned. That goes even further when they find out that her boyfriend is Nick Young. He's basically a celebrity and the nuptials are said to be the equivalent of a royal wedding.
Meanwhile, the Young family isn't nearly as famous in the books. In fact, Peik Lin's entire family doesn't even really flinch when they hear Nick Young's name. The idea was that families who were old rich and new rich didn't know much about each other.
1 Rachel Finds Out The Truth Early
One of the biggest reasons why Rachel is better in the movies has to do with how long it takes her to find out the truth about the Young family fortune. In the film, as soon as they're sitting in first class and she gets a hint about Nick's wealth, she wisely puts it together and flat out asks him if he's rich.
It takes much longer in the books for her to discover this. It actually makes her look kind of clueless because there are constant displays of lavish wealth around her but she doesn't lock in on it for the majority of the story.
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