In the early scenes of “Crazy Rich Asians,” a Singaporean matriarch buys a tony London hotel after her family is snubbed at check-in. As the film version of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel continues, the characters fly first class, rent private islands for a bachelorette party and partake in wild shopping sprees.
It’s a far cry from the sometimes hardscrabble lives depicted in 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.” Yet the two movies have this in common: “Crazy Rich Asians,” opening Aug. 15, features a nearly all-Asian cast. During the...