Despite its wild popularity and electric performances, Crazy Rich Asians was always going to face an uphill battle with the Academy. It’s a rom-com with an all-Asian cast, at a time when genre films are often overlooked come awards season and nominees still tend to be overwhelmingly white. So it’s not really surprising that Tuesday morning’s crop of Oscar nominees completely omitted Jon M. Chu’s box-office marvel—but that doesn’t mean the Academy’s total shutout of Crazy Rich Asians isn’t disappointing all the same.

Crazy Rich Asians was a box-office wonder last summer, retaining audiences at a nearly unprecedented rate throughout its theatrical run; since its release, it’s earned more than $238 million worldwide. It’s not hard to see why: on top of killer performances from leads Henry Golding, Constance Wu, and Michelle Yeoh, the film itself was gorgeous. The wedding scene, in particular, was a wonderland of lush scenery and ogle-worthy costumes.

The film’s screenplay, too, deserved more notice: despite its deceptively simple formula (fish-out-of-water travels to a strange new place with her boyfriend, struggles to fit in with his imposing family), Crazy Rich Asians beautifully balances the romance between Wu and Golding’s characters (Rachel Chu and Nick Young) with a deeper interest in cultural identity, and the question of how descendants of immigrants construct their own narratives. In truth, the film is more interested in Rachel’s relationship with her mother-in-law, Eleanor (Yeoh), than it is with her and Nick’s courtship; while the wedding scene is by far its biggest tearjerker, the linchpin of the entire film is arguably the mahjong face-off between Rachel and Eleanor, which is rife with symbolism and represents a turning point in the two’s relationship. Like the film itself, in that scene, Rachel proves that there’s more to her than those who would write her off would first suspect.

Which is why Tuesday’s Oscar nominations come as a bitter, if expected, disappointment for the film’s legions of supporters. Yes, above-the-line nominations were always, unfortunately, going to be a long shot—even though Yeoh, in particular, turned in a stunning performance certainly worthy of awards recognition. But there was still hope that the film’s production design or perhaps costumes could snag a nomination or two, given Crazy Rich Asians’ indelibly gorgeous and, well, rich aesthetic. Instead, it was written off completely. Oh well; maybe the sequel will have better luck with Oscar voters.

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