Hollywood has an Asian problem. Throughout the history of Western cinema, Asians have caught the shortest end of the straw. The entirety of the Asian race has been typecast into stereotypical roles: the martial artist, the math geek, the awkward introvert. Likewise, Asian-led Hollywood films are few and far between.

Due to this disparity, John M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians opened to a standing ovation from Asians all over the world. However, the film’s Asian obsession only underscores deeper problems in Asian representation. Chu’s romantic tale is polarizing and, at most, farcical.

Except for the Asian-American Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), most of the characters come from an entitled yellow Asian elite, a minuscule subset of the Asian population. For the most part, the film’s portrayal of Asian culture breaks free from the shackles of Hollywood stereotypes. Unfortunately, Crazy Rich Asians installs an entirely new archetype: the rich Asian man with six-pack abs, a British accent, and too much disposable income. Nick Young (Henry Golding) is a yellow Asian man fulfilling the white American dream.

Meanwhile, the real Asians linger in the background -- maids, butlers, guards, masseuses. The silent workers toil unquestioningly serving the scant one percent, the opulent Asian-American dream. Purposefully, this blue-collar majority consists of brown Asians from South and Southeast Asia.

To a yellow audience, Crazy Rich Asians breaks through the glass ceiling, spawning a beloved, well-represented blockbuster. However, to a brown audience, the film represents another hurdle of misrepresentation: a nauseating blend of yellow and white.