The Wedding Banquet
In Andrew Ahn’s charming reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 film of the same name, Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone) are left in a difficult situation when their second attempt at IVF fails. Without the finances to try again for what could be their final chance, the couple are unsure about what to do next. Meanwhile, their art student friend Min (Han Gi-Chan) needs to secure a green card or be forced to return to Korea by his wealthy grandmother (Youn Yuh-Jung). His initial plan is to propose to his boyfriend, Chris (Bowen Yang), but when Chris tells him that he’s not ready, the group arrive at a solution to their problems: in exchange for Min paying for their IVF treatment, Angela will agree to marry him. However, the situation becomes more complicated when Min’s grandmother arrives to organise their wedding.
Although this concept has become a familiar sitcom trope since the 90s, Ahn breathes some refreshing new life into it by shifting the focus to contemporary issues about queer families and acceptance, updating the premise for modern audiences. At the centre of it all is a collection of well-rounded characters, each of whom is wrestling with their own issues on top of the stress caused by the impromptu wedding. Angela, for example, is unable to confront her overly enthusiastic mother (Joan Chen), while Chris is unsure of how to best express his worries to Min. Each conflict feeds into the wider themes of the script and is told with an abundance of sincerity and heart.
This film’s main strength lies in its performances. Tran, Gladstone, Yang and Gi-Chan are all outstanding and are given their own moments to shine. Chen and Yuh-Jung are also fantastic whenever they’re onscreen, with Bobo Le as Chris’s angsty cousin being another constant highlight. Despite the familiarity of the main premise, the script takes events in unexpected directions at points. However, the narrative still falls into a lot of predictable genre conventions, consequently turning this version of The Wedding Banquet into a more generic outing than its fresh coat of paint would have viewers believe.
Although its cliché-filled plot dampens what makes this updated take on Lee’s film compelling, the cast’s strong performances are enough to keep viewers entertained throughout.
Andrew Murray
The Wedding Banquet is released nationwide on 9th May 2025.
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Watch the trailer for The Wedding Banquet here:
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