The story is simple, a Manhattan NYU professor heads to Singapore with her boyfriend to join him for a vacation and a wedding. Upon arrival she finds out that her boyfriend is basically the son of one of the richest families in Singapore…practically Asian royalty. Think about Meghan Markle unknowingly going to visit London with Harry only to discover he’s a Prince. The movie deviates only slightly from the book, but the deviations, for the most part are okay, and probably make for a smoother movie viewing experience. One character is changed drastically from the book, probably for comic relief, but this ends up being an enjoyable change because this character truly makes the film great. She is hysterical! I love that this is the grist American movie with an Asian led cast in 25-years (the last film being “The Joy Luck Club”). If this story were set in LA and filmed with the typical white cast, it probably would be an average to okay movie. The type of rom-com that you’ll watch on a Saturday night when you’re bored at home. However, setting the film in Singapore with an all-Asian cast and adding in the history and visuals of that world suddenly make it not only fun (and beautiful) to watch, but it also is a more interesting and dynamic story suddenly. I had a smile on my face the entire film and am already planning on watching it again.  A fun, dazzling and heartwarming experience all around.

Grade: A