The characters depicted, whether sympathetic or unsympathetic, are amusing to watch despite the banal plot—a rich guy is in love with a woman with no money or social distinction and she faces a hostile reception when brought home to mother. In the buildup the gal is almost overpowered by the utter luxury and massive rejection that she faces. Care to guess how it works out?

The lovers are Nick Young, ardently played by handsome Henry Golding, and Rachel Chu, enacted with charm plus by Constance Wu. Rachel is a professor of economics at New York University. She and Nick look every bit meant for one another, but among Rachel’s drawbacks in the eyes of Nick’s mother is that she is Chinese-American, viewed as a deviation from pure Chinese in the tradition of the Young family dynasty. The occasion for returning to Singapore is a wedding at which Nick is to be best man.

Nick’s mother, Eleanor Young, played by Michelle Yeoh, is a piece of work. Dominating and imperious, she wants her son back after a year of his absence and wants to get rid of Rachel in a hurry. It is amusing to watch the performance of Ms. Yeoh, who as Eleanor establishes her power in an earlier London hotel scene. When she is denied her reservation as a result of discrimination, with a phone call she quickly arranges for her husband to buy the joint, and into her suite she moves. Rachel has a formidable adversary. Can she stand her ground and survive a face-off with her potential mother-in-law from hell?

The film is populated with a wide assortment of characters, including Rachel’s oddball friend comically played by Awkwafina. There are expensively dressed women galore, who are mostly portrayed as bitchy and hopelessly vacuous. Conversely, within its plot the film also strikes a blow for women becoming more independent.