JEANNE’S REVIEW

Writer/director Andrew Ahn has reimagined Ang Lee’s 1993 film THE WEDDING BANQUET with co-writer James Schamus, who also shared writing credit with Lee. Ahn, a queer Korean American filmmaker, saw the original with his family and it became a defining experience for him.

In Lee’s version, the story revolves around a bisexual Taiwanese man who lives with his boyfriend in New York City. He marries a female artist who needs a green card to placate his parents. Ahn’s movie follows two couples, Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone), who are trying to have a child through IVF, and Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-Chan).

Chris and Angela have been best friends since college. Angela and Lee live in Lee’s Indigenous ancestral home in Seattle, with Chris and Min occupying their garage. Min is a closeted, up-and-coming artist, but his student visa is due to expire. He proposes to Chris, who turns him down because, should they marry, Min will be disinherited by his extremely wealthy grandfather who runs a multinational corporation in Korea.

So instead, Min devises a plan to marry Angela so he can get his green card --- and he offers to pay for a third attempt at IVF for Lee. What could possibly go wrong? When Min’s grandmother (Youn Yuh-Jung) learns of his plan to marry Angela, she makes a hasty, unexpected trip to Seattle to find out what’s really going on.

Rounding out this superb cast is Joan Chen who plays Angela’s mother, May. Each of these accomplished actors is well suited to their roles, especially Yang and Tran. When they are on screen together, THE WEDDING BANQUET comes alive. They also provide much of the comedic relief, though truthfully, I was expecting a lot more comedy from Ahn and Schamus’ screenplay.

This is Gi-Chan’s first feature film, as well as his first English-language movie. He’s quite darling as the quiet, artistic scion who eschews his wealth over his love for Chris. Unfortunately, Gladstone’s Lee is a lesser role, which is a shame because she is memorable in what she is given.

But it is Youn and Chen who steal THE WEDDING BANQUET from the younger actors. Youn, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in MINARI (such a terrific film), adroitly takes over Ahn’s reimagining in a most unassuming manner. Youn’s portrayal of the grandmother is sly and amusing, allowing nothing to get by her. Her remarkable scene with Gi-Chan when she explains her unhappy marriage to a man she never loved is spellbinding.

Chen’s performance as May is flawless. She tries so hard to be supportive of her lesbian daughter after years of friction between the two of them because of Angela’s life choices. She even wins an award for her efforts in the gay community --- much to Angela’s chagrin. And Chen was thrilled to be able to be in a comedy --- it’s a definite departure for her and she’s delightful.

David, my illustrious partner, is not enamored with THE WEDDING BANQUET, so just skip his review. As I have written more than once --- what does he know? It’s a lovely little slice-of-life movie that will charm anyone open to its appeal.

Opinion: Mild See It Now!

DAVID’S REVIEW

When a film is billed as a comedy/romance, viewers have a right to expect that what they see on the screen will reflect those attributes. THE WEDDING BANQUET is neither. The film is actually a reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 movie of the same name, and co-writer/ director Andrew Ahn professes that this 2025 version is different because of cultural changes in the last 32 years, such as gay couples having the right to marry.

No argument there, and although the movie tries very hard to be poignant, it just did not register as such with me. As for the comedy portion, I did laugh --- once, when the pastor at a civil wedding did a hilarious double take. Other than that, I found THE WEDDING BANQUET to be less than entertaining.

There is no quibbling with the considerable talent of the cast, particularly Bowen Yang (Chris) and Lily Gladstone (Lee), both of whom are underutilized. Other cast members include Kelly Marie Tran (Angela) and cinema newcomer Han Gi-Chan (Min) in major roles.

Oscar winner Youn Yuh-Jung (MINARI, 2020) and veteran Joan Chen round out the players. Chen’s performance as Angela’s mother was easily the most interesting and fun to witness. Youn’s portrayal of Gi-Chan’s grandmother was a realistic representation of different generations who nonetheless share some emotionally charged similarities.

Obviously, the outstanding cast is not the problem here. The writing by Ahn and his co-scribe James Schamus, who was also a co-writer with Lee on the original film in 1993, is disappointing and somewhat trite.

Opinion: Wait for VOD