Revisiting Ang Lee’s 1993 classic, the new “Wedding Banquet” brings new dynamics and new truths to the table.
By James Verniere/Boston Movie News
Even low-budget independent films are remakes these days. A re-imagining of the groundbreaking Ang Lee film from 1993, a time when AIDS was still taking many lives in the gay community, “The Wedding Banquet” attempts to create a version of the gay screwball comedy for a new generation.
The action has been transported from chic 1990s Manhattan to neo-hippie, notably phallic Space Needle-pointed Seattle on the West Coast. The action revolves around two LGBTQ couples. Chris (“SNL” regular Bowen Yang) is a local nature guide with artistic talent who likes to draw the animals in the reserves, where he takes his tour groups. Chris’ partner Min (tall, lanky and sing-songy Han Gi-Chan) is an artist and fashion designer from a prominent South Korean family, whose visa is about to run out, an even more dire development now than when the film was completed in the summer of 2024. Angela (Kelly Marie Tran of “Star Wars” sequels) is a scientist who wants to have a child with her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”). They have tried IVF. But the latest attempt has failed. Also in the mix are Angela’s intrusive and egotistic mother, May Chen (Joan Chen), and Chris’ “hot mess” cousin, Kendall (Bob Le, TV’s “The Flash”), a young rebel. Chris and Min live in a garage behind Angela and Lee’s home, which Lee inherited from her family.
Min wants to marry Chris. But Chris is not ready, and if Min’s homophobic grandfather discovers that he is gay, he will be cut off. Min and Angela agree to marry to solve Min’s visa problem. In gratitude, he will supply Angela and Lee with money for another IVF attempt. His wealthy grandmother, Ja-Young, played by Academy Award-winning, Korean acting legend Youn Yuh-jung (“Minari”), arrives from Korea, demanding that Min and Angela have a lavish wedding banquet. In one of the film’s funnier sequences, Lee and Angela must “de-queer” their home before their grandmother arrives, removing art, DVDs, clothing, and other signs that the residents are gay women.
At times, “The Wedding Banquet” is like “Crazy Rich Asians” with some Asians who are not so rich. Min and Angela agree to a traditional Korean wedding paid for by their grandmother, which involves costumes, a band, ritual dance, food, and even hair and make-up. While Min carries Angela, she pukes down his neck. Is this the result of a crazy, drunken evening Angela spent with cousin Chris?
The screenplay, reworked by director Andrew Ahn (“Spa Night”) and also attributed to executive producer James Schamus, one of the three credited writers of the original film, adjusts the focus from gay men to gay women. Tran and Gladstone are winning as gay women longing for motherhood. The film is full of scenes of people expressing their feelings, which gets a bit tiresome. Yuh-jung, whose grandmother has worked a delicate balance between her beloved gay grandson and her intolerant husband, provides gravitas and wisdom. Chen is quite funny as Angela’s preening beauty queen mother. Yang excels in the film’s unique “speak now or forever hold your peace” moment. Fans of funeral marches will appreciate the score along with quirky original music by Jay Wadley (“The Friend”). As we stand at a moment in history when gay rights can suffer a dreadful reversal of fortune, “The Wedding Banquet” reminds us how far we have come and how far we could go back.
‘The Wedding Banquet’
Rating: R, profanity, sexual themes, nudity.
Cast: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran
Director: Andrew Ahn
Writer: Ahn and James Schamus
Running Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Where to Watch: AMC Boston Common, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport, Landmark Kendall Square, Coolidge Corner, and other suburban theaters.
Grade: B+
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