Why the CRAZY RICH ASIANS Mahjong Scene Slays Me (and not just for the reason you think)
Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor Young in CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to catch a showing of CRAZY RICH ASIANS, and like many other viewers afterward, I went running to the Internet to read reviews, look up the cast, and - most importantly - find out what the heck was going on in that mahjong scene!?!?
There are a number of in-depth articles explaining the symbolism behind the scene (I recommend Jeff Yang’s at Vox, which was adapted from his original post at Angry Asian Man). And while the underlying symbolism is ingenious, I want to discuss another aspect of the scene that resonated with me even more.
(Spoilers below!)
Before I dive into exactly why the mahjong scene impacted me so much, I want to say that I went into the movie theater expecting to definitely cry at the typical dramatic rom-com moments and to maybe cry at seeing people like me on the silver screen.
I was not expecting to cry when Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) reveals to Rachel (Constance Wu) that because she knew she was not favored by her mother-in-law, she arranged for her son Nick (Henry Golding) to be mostly raised by his paternal grandmother, thus ensuring that he became the favorite grandchild and the heir apparent.
And yet, cry I did. At first this was because I could relate to it personally - I was my late grandmother’s unofficial favorite, and even though my family is nowhere near crazy rich, the privilege that comes with being the favorite grandchild is one that cannot be bought with any amount of money.
I cried again later when I realized that this revelation from Eleanor ties in with the end of the movie. During the mahjong scene, Eleanor realizes the depth of the love that Rachel has for Nick. Rachel is willing to give up Nick as a husband so that he can have a better future. In a similar way, Eleanor gave up Nick as a son so that he could have a better future.
This is why Eleanor ultimately gives her approval: because she sees herself and her own sacrificial love in Rachel.