The movie:
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Fridge Brilliance
- While it might seem strange at first that Rachel seems to be unfamiliar with the underlying Chinese customs and culture (beyond her fluent Mandarin) to her detriment, it makes sense once you learn that her mother came to the US because of her personal problems in China, and thus might have wanted to give her daughter some distance from that.
- At the first party, you can hear Teresa Teng's pop classic "Tián Mì Mì" (甜蜜蜜) playing in the background. The song borrows its melody from the Malay folk song "Dayung Sampan"
, which tells the story of the arrival of Chinese immigrants in Singapore. It's a subtle nod to the family's own migrant heritage and journey to prosperity - and in a way, a moment of similarity for Rachel, who still struggles to explore her identity as a second-generation immigrant. - The Hens' Party is held on Samsara Island. Samsara is the Buddhist and Hindu concept of the cycle of birth and rebirth, the literal endless hell that buddhists try to break by reaching Nirvana. Buddhist doctrine states that people who are "stuck" on material things and feelings are locked into Samsara forever. A subtle foreshadowing of Rachel's troubles on the island.
- Rachel's last confrontation with Eleanor is laden with meaning. Rachel let Eleanor win even while showing that she had a winning hand, giving Eleanor face, and showing that Rachel was willing to sacrifice everything for her "family", the Youngs. Combined with Eleanor's own background and what she went through, it was the final proof to her that she loved Nick, and knew how to survive in that world.
- Rachel's last confrontation with Eleanor also ties in Rachel's lesson from the beginning of the movie. Because Eleanor is obsessed with building something that will last, she is playing not to lose but because Rachel willingly lost the game, she has the moral victory and as such was playing to win because she was willing to sacrifice a winning hand.
Fridge Horror
- During the last shot at Colin's bachelor party on the freighter, there's what's probably intended to be a Funny Background Event wherein one of the beauty queens manages to fling another one off stage with a rocket launcher. It's Played for Laughs, but the reality is that the girl who went off the stage would almost certainly be extremely dead. The backblast of a SMAW at point blank range is more than enough to kill by concussion trauma alone, to say nothing of the extreme burns it would inflict. If that didn't do it, being flung neck-first into the steel wall of a shipping container did. Either way, the odds of survival are effectively zero.
Fridge Logic
- In Rich People Problems, it makes sense that Charlie would assume that Astrid had a psychotic episode and needs help when she decides to take a step back and leave Singapore: in his experience, that's what's happening when the woman he loves skips town.
