WEDDING BANQUET, THE
(director/writer: Andrew Ahn; screenwriter: James Schamus; cinematographer: Ki Jin Jim; editor: Geraud Brisson; music: Jay Wadley; cast: Bowen Yang (Chris), Lily Gladstone (Lee), Kelly Marie Tran (Angela), Han Gi-chan (Min), Joan Chen (May Chen), Youn Yuh-jung (Ja- Young), Bobo Le Le (Kendall), Camille Atebe (Monica), Jeffrey Liang (Lady Shu Mai), Emma Yi (Lawyer Sun), Jeremy Hoffman (Marshall), Marlee Walchuk (Marge), Sherine Menes (Kal), Nick Preston (Stanley), Francoise Yip (Susan): 103; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Caroline Clark, James Schamus, Joe Pirro, Anita Sou; Bleecker Street; 2025-English, Korean, Mandarin Chinese)
“An entertaining LGBT pic for all sorts of viewers.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Korean-American queer filmmaker Andrew Ahn (“Fire Island”/”Driveways”) directs this colorfully-filmed queer rom-com, a reboot of Ang Lee’s 1993 film “The Wedding Banquet,” which was set during the AIDS pandemic. Ahn co-writes the update with James Schamus, who also wrote the original.
The lesbian couple of Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone), though broke, want to start a family. They reside in a house in Seattle that Lee inherited from her parents. Their first IVF treatment on Lee didn’t work, as they’re concerned her biological clock is ticking and want to act before it’s too late.
Their best friends Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-Chan), a talented textile artist, live in their garage. Chris frets over accepting Min’s marriage proposal, concerned if Min’s wealthy parents in Korea found out he was gay, they would disinherit him. If married, the benefit would be that Min would get a green card and stay in the country.
Min decides to risk it all and marry Chris over his objections, and to pay for the IVF treatment for the girls.
When Min’s granny (Youn Yuh-jung) hears about the wedding, she decides it will be an elaborate banquet and will attend. Thereby Min has to marry Angela instead to fool granny.
It’s a gentle and amusing farce, but with no big belly laughs. The talented cast, however, do a good with the slight material and make it an entertaining LGBT pic for all sorts of viewers.
It played at the Sundance Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 4/17/2025 GRADE: B
dennisschwartzreviews.com