Unveiling Hidden Details: A Scene-by-Scene Dissection of "Crazy Rich Asians" That Will Change How You See the Film

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

Today: Crazy Rich Asians (2018). You can download a PDF of the script here.

Screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, novel by Kevin Kwan.

IMDb plot summary: This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family.

Crazy Rich Asians
Scene by Scene Breakdown
By Denise Garcia
GoIntoTheStory.com

P 1–4: London, 1995. It’s late night and pouring rain. Two Chinese women (Eleanor and Felicity Young) and two young children (Nick and Astrid) enter lobby of Calthorpe hotel dripping wet to check in. The hotel clerk claims they don’t have a reservation and summons Ormsby, the hotel manager. Ormsby states they’re fully booked and suggests they try Chinatown.

The children stand in the rain as Eleanor calls from a phone booth. She’s not happy. Moments later the Young family bursts into the lobby again. Ormsby threatens to call the police but Eleanor stands up to him, “go right ahead”. Elevator door opens, revealing an elderly Lord Calthorpe, the hotel…