How the Representation of Weddings and Marriage in Crazy Rich Asians and Ready or Not Comment on Female Class Mobility
Throughout history, marriage has been one of the only avenues that offered women the opportunity to change their socioeconomic status. Women are often confronted with a multitude of challenges when attempting to join the upper class. The films Crazy Rich Asians (Chu, 2018) and Ready or Not (Gillett and Olpin, 2019) explore how class mobility affects its female characters, specifically exploring how marriage adds extra pressure onto those seeking to adopt their new status. The ideas presented in “The Wedding Film” by William V. Costanzo and “Conclusion: Formula, Genre, and Social Experience” from Stephen Sharot’s book, Love and Marriage Across Social Classes in American Cinema can give insight into how the inclusion of a wedding is significant in each movie. Although the two movies belong to separate genres, marriage is an inciting incident in both narratives; in Crazy Rich Asians Araminta and Colin’s wedding is what causes Rachel and Nick to visit Singapore and meet Nick’s family, while in Ready or Not Grace’s marriage to Alex is the reason she has to participate in a twisted game of hide-and-seek that is meant to end with her death. These films exhibit how women are punished for trying to improve their social capital through marriage.
The wedding film is a specific type of movie where a wedding is used as either the inciting incident or the main focus of the narrative. The characteristics of this category are fourfold. Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy that not only uses the marriage between Araminta and Colin as a major plot point, but the potential of a union between Rachel and Nick is used as the movie’s key area of suspense. Firstly, Costanzo believes that one of the main goals of the wedding film is to show “how certain rituals of daily life are shaped by religious doctrine, consumerism, patriarchy, romanticism, and other systems of belief” (Costanzo, 129). Marriage is a ritual that supports the patriarchal structures of society and when weddings are depicted in film audiences can see the ways systems of power function in a variety of cultures. Secondly, Costanzo highlights how the wedding film can be used to express cultural difference: “Movies may become a way to transport cultural practices from one place to another. They become agents of change in an age of global exchange” (Costanzo, 150). This statement is especially true when applied to Crazy Rich Asians as most of the story explores Rachel’s attempt to adapt to Nick’s wealth as well as his cultural background. Rachel struggles to acquaint herself with the costumes of Nick’s family and her status as a middle-class immigrant threatens Nick’s family structure, creating further challenges for Rachel in the form of Eleanor. Thirdly, Costanzo explains that a typical trope of the wedding film is to include the in-laws as a significant obstacle between the couple and their happiness (Costanzo, 134). In Crazy Rich Asians, Eleanor serves as the film’s main antagonist, while in Ready or Not, Grace’s biggest challenge is avoiding her in-laws so she can remain alive. Finally, Costanzo states: “marriages and weddings are institutions, devised by organized communities to channel instinctive drives and formalize their place within the sphere of civilized society. Put another way, love is a sensation, but marriage is a decision” (Costanzo, 133); Ready or Not presents a story where this is especially true. Throughout the film, it’s repeatedly pointed out that Grace could have avoided this life or death situation had she not gotten married. Alex could have either not proposed or told her what would happen after their wedding, but instead decided to bind himself to Grace without telling her the truth. The requirement that Grace must play a game to be officially inducted into her new wealthy family shows another ritual she must perform to enter “the sphere of civilized society.” Even though these two movies belong to opposing genres, they both function as wedding films and can give insight into how this category is used to show the challenges women face in attempting to change their class through marriage.
As Sharot points out in his conclusion, many wedding films are used to display the challenges of cross-class relationships. Sharot remarks on the history of marriage as a gateway for women to improve their socioeconomic status, writing “the limited opportunities for women in the labor market, made the social mobility of women dependent on marriage” (Sharot, 264). Understanding the importance of marriage as an option for women to change their class is extremely relevant when examining both Crazy Rich Asians and Ready or Not as not only are they both wedding films, but most of the problems their respective protagonists face are because they come from lower-class families. This idea is also pointed out by Heather Havrilesky in “Fifty Shades of Late Capitalism.” Havrilesky writes “The underlying message is that Prince Charming swooped in and saved her from the indignities of the underclass” (Havrilesky, 78); this is most exemplified by the end of Crazy Rich Asians where Nick chases Rachel down at the last moment and proposes with Eleanor’s ring in the middle of the plane’s economy section. The setting serves as a stark contrast to the start of the movie when Nick brought her to Singapore surrounded by the height of luxury, the choice to have him propose here suggests that Nick has saved her from being a middle-class citizen. Historically, marriage has acted as a symbol of security for women; this solidifies Rachel’s ending as a satisfying one and increases one’s unease when watching Grace find anything but safety in her union with Alex.
Crazy Rich Asians depicts Rachel, a middle-class Chinese-American immigrant, and her interactions with her boyfriend Nick’s wealthy Singaporean family. The film primarily functions as a romantic comedy and prepares its two leads for their eventual marriage. In “Momcom as Romcom” Kelly Oliver points out the importance of romantic comedies in exhibiting stories that merge people from different backgrounds, writing “crossing over and passing into another world is the essence of romance in that it affords the opportunity for opposites to attract, to overcome obstacles, and finally to come together as a couple. The tension between two worlds and the misfit trying to fit in, or the misfit being educated in the ways of the other world, provide the comedy” (Oliver, 58). Rachel and Nick certainly represent this “tension between two worlds” and most of the film presents Rachel as a “misfit” inexperienced with the upper-class who must fight to be with Nick. This tension and Rachel’s status as the odd one out is the main conflict and therefore must be solved to reach a happy ending. Rachel is mocked for not dressing in elite brands and called out for not following proper etiquette. Over time Rachel slowly becomes desensitized to the wealth around her; her relationship with Nick remains strong up until the moment Eleanor expresses her distaste for Rachel’s background. It is Rachel’s immigrant identity and the revelation that her father was not married to her mother that acts as the main climax. Many marriage films attempt to prepare their leading couple for marriage and Crazy Rich Asians is no different. Sharot writes that viewers “will be dissatisfied if a particular fiction deviates from the formula, such as ending with the separation of the romantic couple” (Sharot, 262). This film ends with a happy reunion between Nick and Rachel but Rachel must first acquaint herself with upper-class society and gain the approval of her soon-to-be mother-in-law. In comparison, Nick does not have to change or work to the same extent as Rachel for their marriage. Rachel is forced to deal with beratement from others and convince Eleanor she is worthy simply because she is attempting to form a union with a man in a higher class. Rachel is repeatedly called a gold digger and her feelings for Nick are perceived as false. It is likely that even though Rachel now has acceptance from Eleanor she will continue to be targeted after marrying Nick as a result of her class background and her gender; she will continue to be punished for her relationship with a wealthy man.
While everything seems to work out for Rachel and Nick, the same cannot be said for the film’s other female characters. The secondary storyline of this movie focuses on the deteriorating relationship between Astrid and her husband Micheal, who was not rich before their marriage. Astrid is forced to hide her wealth and downplay her power to avoid emasculating him. It is later revealed that Micheal is cheating on Astrid, and right before Colin and Araminta’s wedding, Astrid decides to leave him. While Rachel and Nick can overcome their difference in class, that is not the case for Astrid and Micheal. Crazy Rich Asians presents its audience with the narrative that relationships between wealthy men and middle-class women can work but when a woman has more influence and money than her male partner the challenges are insurmountable. Even women who have accumulated their own wealth are punished for their ambition. Astrid is reprimanded for thinking she could keep a relationship with Micheal while also trying to continue advancing in both her business and personal life. Another character forced to change in order to join the Young family is Eleanor. The main reason Eleanor dislikes Rachel is because Eleanor believes she is more interested in pursuing her passions than raising a family. It is also hinted by the Grandmother’s distaste in Eleanor that she came from a family less wealthy than the Young’s, although likely still in the upper class; it’s reasonable to assume this contributes to Eleanor’s negative opinions of Rachel as Rachel comes from a poorer background than herself. Oliver explains that “romance still requires that the woman give up her career for the sake of marriage and, presumably, eventually family” (Oliver, 67). Eleanor was forced to give up her life as a lawyer for her husband; her marriage required her to change her desires and focus on having a family. Both Astrid and Eleanor exemplify how even wealthy women cannot have it all within marriage. In this film, marriage proves to be a destructive force for the women who prescribe to it. Rachel is mocked and attacked for even trying to marry into Nick’s wealthy family, Astrid is forced to separate from her husband because she holds more power than him, and Eleanor is compelled to give up her aspirations to raise children.
When it comes to Ready or Not this movie acts as an extremely unique example of a wedding film as it belongs to the horror genre. Its function as a horror and wedding film allows for unique commentary on the negative consequences of marriage as well as how the women who use this ritual as a chance to improve their status are punished by the wealthy. Unlike Rachel, Grace is aware of her husband’s wealth, what she is not aware of is that every time someone marries into the Le Domas family, said person must play a game the night of their wedding. While those in the movie who were already a part of the family were asked to play games like chess and old maid, Grace draws the unlucky card of hide-and-seek which requires her to hide until dawn or risk being sacrificed to the devil by her newly acquired in-laws. An important element of this movie is that the Le Domas’ believe if they do not succeed in killing Grace their whole family will die. Most romantic wedding films lead up to a wedding or end with a proposal, but Ready or Not opens with the marriage of Alex and Grace. Sharot’s text mostly focuses on romantic comedies and dramas and as a result states: “Most cross-class romance films, both dramas and comedies, have ended with the couple about to marry and their life after marriage (the ‘happy ever after’) is rarely shown” (Sharot, 260). The fact that Ready or Not breaks this rule and starts with a wedding hints that in reality what happens after this event is not a “happily ever after” but rather a gory terrifying nightmare. In “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film,” Carol J. Clover explains the common characteristics of the final girl, describing her as an androgynous figure who must adopt masculinity to defeat the antagonist (Clover, 247). In Grace’s case, she can become a final girl not by becoming more masculine but by accepting her role as a married woman. When Grace realizes that she is not participating in the average game of hide-and-seek she rips her wedding dress and puts on sneakers, accepting that she is out of the honeymoon phase and must now fight to survive her marriage. At the start, she does not try to attack her family; this all changes after a scene where Grace must use a ladder to climb out of a pit of corpses. As she ascends the ladder breaks and the only way she can keep herself from falling is by slamming a nail through a bullet hole in her palm. The imagery in this moment alludes that Grace is not a virgin to violence anymore; it has gotten to the point in her wedding night where she is a new woman. The symbolism hints that Grace has participated in one of the most important rituals of one’s wedding, sex; as a result, her eyes are now opened to the world and she is ready to address the realities of her situation and marriage. From this point on Grace does not hesitate to harm those trying to kill her and as a consequence, her wedding dress slowly becomes stained with blood. In the end, Alex betrays Grace but before he can sacrifice her the sun rises and the Le Domas’ explode, covering Grace and Alex in blood. Grace completes the cycle of marriage when she turns to Alex, throws her ring at him, and says “I want a divorce” before he too explodes. Grace has survived the night by breaking out of her marriage. Making each new person who enters the family play a game exhibits how marriage acts as an institution built to keep wealth within the upper-class and to win the game Grace must destroy that which was meant to imprison her. While it is not directly stated that Grace goes through these events because she is poor, it is repeatedly hinted and her socioeconomic status is constantly used by the family as the reason they should be able to kill her easily. At the end of Crazy Rich Asians, Rachel is happy to accept Nick’s proposal even after enduring a series of attacks just for dating him. It would be interesting to see if Rachel maintains this attitude once she is married to Nick as Grace—who is already married to someone in a different class at the start of the film—eventually comes to reject marriage. Clover writes: “by the end, point of view is hers” (Clover, 237); Grace goes through many of the trials of marriage during her wedding night and by confronting those who view her as less because of her background she becomes the final girl and remains the sole survivor.
When it comes to the other female characters in Ready or Not, they too are punished for marrying above their socioeconomic position. Becky Le Domas is the head of the family. While her husband pretends to be the leader Becky asserts her dominance throughout and the viewer is aware she is the glue keeping them together. The audience is told that Becky also comes from a poor background and is portrayed as a loving mother who just wants her son back in her life. As the movie continues Becky is proven to be cutthroat and will not hesitate to harm Grace. Out of everyone, Becky should be the most sympathetic to Grace as they share similar upbringings but instead, the viewer sees how her marriage to a wealthy man and her role as a maternal figurehead has made her willing to do anything to keep what she has. Comically named Charity is the wife of Daniel, Alex’s older brother, who also had to enter the family through marriage. It’s apparent that the relationship between Charity and Daniel is toxic; Daniel repeatedly calls her a gold-digger and states he knows she would have done anything, including risk drawing the hide-and-seek card, to be wealthy. When Daniel attempts to protect Grace, Charity kills him to keep her status. Both Becky and Charity act as a warning for what can happen after someone attempts to improve their situation. The two are punished for marrying into a wealthy family with gruesome deaths.
Both Crazy Rich Asians and Ready or Not present narratives in which women seeking to improve their class through marriage have to overcome a range of obstacles to gain and keep their power. They also propose that wealthy women can not maintain healthy relationships because of the authority they have. Despite the fact these two films belong to opposing genres they both utilize the tropes of the wedding film to display how marriage is a potential avenue, however treacherous, for female class mobility. These movies show the challenges women face as a result of their gender and class, and how even when one participates in patriarchal rituals such as marriage, women can not appease society.
Works Cited
Clover, Carol J. “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film.” Feminist Film Theory: A Reader, by Sue Thornham, Edinburgh University Press, 1999, pp. 234–250.
Costanzo, William V. “The Wedding Film.” World Cinema Through Global Genres, by William V. Costanzo, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2014, pp. 127–158.
Crazy Rich Asians. Directed by John M. Chu, SK Global Entertainment, 2018.
Havrilesky, Heather. “Fifty Shades of Late Capitalism.” The Baffler, no. 22, 2013, pp. 76–81. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43307943. Accessed 20 Apr. 2021.
Ready or Not. Directed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Mythology Entertainment, 2019.
Oliver, Kelly, and Kelly Oliver. “Momcom as Romcom Pregnancy as a Vehicle for Romance.” Knock Me up, Knock Me Down: Images of Pregnancy in Hollywood Films, Columbia University Press, 2012, pp. 56–80.
Sharot, Stephen. “Conclusion: Formula, Genre, and Social Experience.” Love and Marriage Across Social Classes in American Cinema, by Stephen Sharot, Springer International Publishing, 2018, pp. 259–266.