Images courtesy of Bleecker Street
THE WEDDING BANQUET– 4 STARS
LESSON #1: IS THERE SOMETHING NEW TO SAY, BORROWING SOMETHING OLD?— For a movie remake not to be seen as a sign of creative bankruptcy or lazy nostalgia bait, the new film has to offer something new. Do the borrowed themes and storylines fit the current times after the passing years since the original? A remake normally arrives shouting to the masses for attention. That begs the more important question: Is there something substantive or new to say that’s worth updating? The new rendition of The Wedding Banquet adamantly answers those questions positively.
One would think remaking Ang Lee’s 1993 seminal gay romantic comedy in 2025 couldn’t be that groundbreaking compared to then. 32 years ago, The Wedding Banquet courageously became a refreshing jolt in a time when LGBTQ+ stories were extremely hushed and taboo, and that’s precisely the point these many decades later where acceptance and legality have grown. Fire Island and Driveways writer-director Andrew Ahn is not here to replace a cornerstone. He’s here to show the aging, or lack thereof in some cases, on the weathered rock.
Two couples who share a living situation in Seattle are presented at the center of Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet. Angela (Kelly Marie Tran of Raya and the Last Dragon) and Lee (Killers of the Flower Moon Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone) are comfortable homeowners who have reached the point where they want to start a family. Living in their refurnished garage/coach house is Chris (Saturday Night Live Emmy nominee and the top-lined Bowen Yang), Angela’s best friend since college. He’s in a long-term relationship with Min (Han Gi-chan in his feature film debut), the heir to an international corporation.
The combined quartet creates an inseparable support network for each other, especially when each finds themselves faced with difficult crossroad decisions. Lee is north of 35 and has been repeatedly unlucky with IVF treatments. The younger Angela does not want to take on that physical challenge, stalling their familial plans and casting a shadow of doubt on their relationship. Her resistance also upsets her ultra-active and socially popular mother, May (the incomparable Joan Chen, continuing her comeback after Didi), who has dreams of a big wedding to plan and grandbabies to enjoy.
Meanwhile, the men have their own issues in The Wedding Banquet. Min is given the ultimatum to get married or lose his green card, cutting him off from the rich benefits he enjoys as part of the family empire. Accelerating things, he proposes to Chris, who says no, wanting the leap to marriage to be genuine and not a hurdle of convenience to solve a problem. Making matters worse, Min’s traditional grandfather does not know Min is gay. He is expecting a heterosexual relationship, and the well-respected grandmother, Ja-Young (Minari Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung), is coming stateside to see her grandson’s life for herself and add to the potential society event nuptials.
The convergence of these two pickles in The Wedding Banquet leads to a grand scheme among the four central characters. Min asks Angela to become his legal wife, granting him an acceptable marriage for his family and the essential green card while allowing May the big event she wants. In exchange, he will pay for the next round of Lee’s IVF. This charade pushes The Wedding Banquet into a calamity of hilarious action like “We need to de-queer the house!” This course also temporarily separates the two couples.
LESSON #2: BE HONEST WITH YOUR FEELINGS– The breakdown of decisions all starts with Chris’s refusal of Min’s fast and informal proposal. During this middle act of the film, the feet-dragging Chris weighs the ramifications of losing Min, and Lee continues to question Angela’s commitment level compared to hers. Everyone undoubtedly loves their partner more than life itself, but, in typical romantic comedy fashion, they often fumble their words and intentions when they should be clear and honest with their feelings. The effect, as trope-matching as it is to its genre, is far more endearing than frustrating. You truly root for shared and universal happiness.
The two top catalysts for the comedy transpiring in the movie are Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran. With Yang’s well-known chops on display every week in Saturday evening sketches, seeing screwball-level hijinks spun from his actions and words is like watching a great conductor direct a symphony. He’s an absolute star, and it shows. The revelation is Kelly Marie Tran going joke for joke and gag for gag with Bowen Yang. Her level of frazzle and uprooted comfort to find Angela’s gumption is perfect. If there’s one shortchanged ensemble member, it’s Lily Gladstone, who’s slightly relegated to the worry-and-wait zone away from the central clashes and the best bits.
The hilarity of The Wedding Banquet will bring people into the movie for a casual date in theaters or on the couch. Yet, it’s the sweet affection and renewed declarations of love, no matter the acronyms involved, that will endear its complementary place next to Ang Lee’s original. Andrew Ahn’s shrewd and topical storytelling for this take on The Wedding Banquet grants that a level of unnecessary shame, green card hurdles, and the need for hiding still exist in some cultures and circles in the present-day setting of this adaptation. The callouts are live and deserved.
LESSON #3: DO WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE I COULDN’T– This relevancy is also where 32 years of changed landscape embolden the heart of the story. Other than societal acceptance at large, there’s not a proverbial individual villain to be found in the film. Moreover, as seen most poignantly through Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-jung’s brilliant and beautiful contributions to the plot at the matronly level, the antiquated generational pushback since 1993 has softened wonderfully. The overarching hope and wish remains the freedom to create one’s own family. As miraculously messy as it describes itself at one point, bringing those feelings and themes forward was very much worth the effort.
LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#1299)
