CRAZY RICH ASIANS has everyone saying FINALLY

Everyone Asian in my social newsfeed which is a lot of people, were all simultaneously jizzing and crying when Crazy Rich Asians came out and  again when it hit the record breaking box office numbers it did. Most successful studio Rom Com in 9 years! First all asian cast in studio film in 25 years! Best labor day weekend release of all time! Everyone says Asians love doing math and this time they certainly did.  The "finally" part came through in the #goldopen trending hashtag that circulated in our networks to encourage people to buy tickets, multiple tickets to send a message to the studios about the bankability of Asian product.
1. FINALLY we are seen as part of the pop culture conversation and we needed a fun funny light rom com to do it. NEEDED that. Before this the vibe was "oh you are asian so do a, you know exotic story about Asian Stuff." Something serious that justifies you taking up screen time. About Asian Stuff. Like a college class you will force audiences to take about asian-ness. (But no interest in a story about things everyone can relate to like love, and greed and mean girls. Led by Asians) or "There is an Asian lady part in this so we need an Asian person to tell this part of the story." (Not, There is a lady character let's see if we can cast an American who happens to be Asian to embody her story. ) so finally our Asianness didn't have to be plot point or a piece of exoticism or stunt casting.
2. FINALLY Asians had a clear platform on which to prove the Money Talks Bullshit Walks thesis of all American business and media. There was no ignoring these numbers and everyone celebrated out collective success at being seen as human persons with love and mean moms and hot guys and drunk parties. And no one had to do martial arts.
3. FINALLY my colleague Lyris Hung said "finally a movie where i don't feel like an outsider looking in at other peoples lived experience and trying to localize myself in it. I grew up in Connecticut. I am an American. But nobody ever sees me as that."
4. FINALLY a studio also had to acknowledge an audience wanting to see fun cool scripts made with or, WITHOUT "name stars". Everyone in that cast meant something to us and there were familiar faces. But no one was a marquee blockbuster star and a lot were pretty unknown.  Surprise! a good movie works with passionate, talented people in it!
I don't have a point other than to echo the op ed in the new york times that says we need more like this, including and perhaps especially crazy normal mundane and even mediocre Asian American films and stories. The right to tell a just ok, just amusing, not earth shattering story seems o be the domain of the shite privileged mucky mucks who run the entertainment business. And David Spade. We should be able to have our own David Spades and you know sort of Ok actors who make us laugh. Or do a two hour movie staring into the camera which everyone knows sucks but still wins oscars. We get to suck and be great with the same freedom as the white people. That's equality!