An updated version of Ang Lee’s 1993 movie of the same name, The Wedding Banquet stars Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon), Kelly Marie Tran (The Last Jedi), Bowen Yang (Wicked) and South Korean star Han Gi-chan as two gay couples and a close group of friends, who become embroiled in each other’s romantic lives in some unexpected ways.
Gladstone and Tran are Lee and Angela, desperate for a family but going through their second failed attempt at IVF. Yang and Han are Chris and Min, living at the bottom of Lee and Angela’s garden and struggling to move forward with their relationship in the face of Min’s wealthy family’s disapproval if he were ever to come out – as well as the imminent expiry of his visa. Min comes up with a solution: he proposes marriage to Angela, so that he can secure a green card, in exchange for paying for her and Lee’s next round of IVF. But when Min’s grandmother (Minari Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung) comes to town, things don’t go entirely to plan.
The tactile, nicely shot world of this quartet feels truly lived-in, even if the chemistry between the couples isn’t always entirely believable.
The core performances are charming – Tran in particular gets the most to chew on, through her fears over parenthood and long-term issues with her own mother. Gladstone is solid and witty, and it’s good to see Saturday Night Live star Yang in a more dramatic role, though you can’t help but want him to let his comedic chops loose. Han is the outlier of the four, working on a far more melodramatic level than those around him.
Directed by Fire Island’s Andrew Ahn, this is a slow, steady affair. The tactile, nicely shot world of this quartet feels truly lived-in, even if the chemistry between the couples isn’t always entirely believable. The main issue here is pacing: aside from an unexpected move around halfway through, the script often sets up tension only to quickly dissipate it, making it hard to stay invested in whatever happens next. Everything feels quite slight, with little real fleshing out of the characters and a barely there score (when deployed, the music adds depth – it needs more of that). And though it’s pitched as a romcom, in reality it’s an out-and-out drama, with the occasional injections of levity and slapstick feeling out of step with the too-heavy overall tone. It’s always a pleasure to see queer love stories depicted with lightness and care, but overall, The Wedding Banquet doesn’t live up to the potential of its quality cast or interesting concept.
