The Wedding Banquet (2025)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
For fans of Ang Lee’s 1993 original film, this updated, reimagined version of the beloved film brings a talented cast together for an entertaining modern romantic comedy/drama.
All the performances are terrific in their own way, but Lily Gladstone and Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-Jung steal the show.
Easy to absorb into, The Wedding Banquet is a movie that will likely stand up to many repeat viewings when it lands on streaming services in the future.
NO
Bigots need not apply.
The film’s narrative shifts can be jarring - are we sad, supposed to be laughing, or just experiencing the dramatic and comedic moments as they happen? Ahn struggles to maintain a consistency in his directing which may prove distracting to some viewers.
Marketed as a comedy, viewers may perhaps be disappointed. This is more of a dramatic film, with comedic elements added in, then a straight-up screwball comedy (despite the premise).
OUR REVIEW
In a polarizing political climate, queer cinema finds itself at a crossroads. While queer characters populate a large number of streaming programs and series, theatrical releases have seen less representation of the queer experience in recent years. While there are certainly films telling stories from the LGBTQIA+ community being released, major studios seem to have retreated a bit from embracing stories with gay characters. The films which do get released, tend to be from independent studios or receive a smaller, platform-type of distribution.
That’s why I am hopeful that a sincere film like The Wedding Banquet can break through. Playing on a fraction of the screens that major, high-profile films like Sinners and A Minecraft Movie are seeing currently, Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s beloved 1993 film is a film with a big, beating heart, rom-com tendencies and wonderful performances from an impressive cast of actors. In fact, there’s even a screwball premise to the thing which adds a layer of comedy to the proceedings. In short, there are a number of wonderful reasons why the film could be a crowd-pleaser. People just need to find it and watch it.
Loosely restructured from Lee’s film, Ahn’s version is set in Seattle where lesbian couple Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) are excited at the prospects of having a child together through an IVF procedure. Inhabiting their garage are best friends and gay couple Min (Han Gi-chan) and Chris (Bowen Yang). Min comes from a wealthy family, and Chris is spinning his wheels and birdwatching on the side while struggling to complete his dissertation.
Both long-term couples and long-time friends, we find them at something of a crossroads. Min wants to get married to Chris but Chris struggles with making commitments in all aspects of his life. Lily has had the IVF procedure fail previously and is nervous that it will fail again. The cost for Lee and Angela is enormous - emotionally, physically, and financially.
Though Ahn infuses humor in the film’s dialogue and interactions, but to call The Wedding Banquet a “comedy” is something of a stretch. There is a fair amount of conflict and drama established in the story, adapted in part by original screenwriter James Schamus. Ahn’s film uses humor and comedic moments as something of a ripple than a wave, aiming for a more realistic approach to how levity and a lightening of mood can help people navigate difficult, complicated circumstances.
Of course, there is a screwball element to the story. Min’s grandmother Ja-Young (Youn Yuh-jung) insists that he return to his native South Korea and join the family’s clothing business. Min does not want to return home, but also has hidden his being gay from his family. With his visa set to expire, Min’s marriage proposal to Chris leads to a freak out by Chris and a rift between the two. Concurrently, Lee and Angela have also suffered another pregnancy failure and are struggling to pick up the pieces.
Naturally, since Min is not out to anyone outside of his friends, he proposes marrying Angela to stay in America and please his grandmother. Min offers to pay for another IVF attempt. Soon, Min and Angela are engaged and Chris and Lee begin “de-queering” Lee’s home to keep up the ruse as Ja-Young embarks on a visit to meet her grandson’s new fiancé.
What carries The Wedding Banquet are strong performances. Gladstone is wonderful yet again, sliding into the role of Lee as effortlessly as possible. Tran balances a lot of complex emotions extremely well, including expressing the nuances of a complicated relationship with her mother (a wonderful Joan Chen).
While Yang is still finding himself as a dramatic actor, his reactions and comedic timing are on point. He is tasked with portraying the “friend-we-love-but-frustrates-us” role and Gi-chan’s love and exasperation with Yang’s character shines through exceedingly well.
Truly, Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung is the heart and soul of the film. Keenly aware and observant of everything occurring, even as characters think she’s aloof and uninformed. Ahn frames her as the wise sage in some ways, but also the conscience of the piece. She shares a wonderful scene at the dinner table with Angela’s narcissistic mother, where the two matriarchs find gentle, common ground over a table full of leftovers.
For all that The Wedding Banquet does well, the film is surprisingly quiet at times, even subdued. Tonal shifts between laugh-out-loud comedy and emotional drama occasionally clash. While Ahn grounds his characters in honest realities, the narrative pivots can feel jarring.
As a result, I circle back to the performances which carry us through. In a cinematic landscape where queer stories are increasingly rare, The Wedding Banquet has its heart in the right place. Life, for all of us, is a bit like this movie - often messy and confusing, and at the end of the day, that is perfectly okay.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Youn Yuh-jung, Joan Chen, Bobo Le, Emma Yi
Director: Andrew Ahn
Written by: Andrew Ahn, James Schamus
Based on the film “The Wedding Banquet”, written by Ang Lee, Neil Peng, and James Schamus
Release Date: April 18, 2025
Bleecker Street Media