THE WEDDING BANQUET Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Andrew Anh
Stars: Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, Han Gi-chan, Youn Yuh-jung, Joan Chen, Bobo Lee.
This crowd pleaser is a reimagining of Ang Lee’s Oscar nominated 1993 film The Wedding Banquet about a marriage of convenience. The director Andrew Anh (Spa Night, etc) has updated the original script from Lee and his regular collaborator James Schamus and relocated it from Manhattan to Seattle. The film gives the source material a contemporary makeover and explores themes of family, love, cultural identity, immigration, tradition, gay marriage and sexual identity, surrogacy and parenthood, and provides some insights into Korean culture and tradition.
The film centres around two ethnically diverse gay couples who are friends and neighbours. Angela (Kelly Marie Tran, from The Last Jedi, etc) lives with her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone, from Killers Of The Flower Moon, etc) and they are desperate to have a child. But the IVF treatments have so far proved unsuccessful, and this has put pressure on their relationship. But Angela also worries what impact motherhood will have on their relationship. Angela’s mother May (the wonderful Joan Chen) is supportive of Angela’s lifestyle and is and active supporter of the local PFLAG chapter.
Angela’s best friend is Chris (Bowen Yang, from SNL and Fire Island, etc), who lives in her converted garage with his art student boyfriend Min (Korean actor Han Gi-chan, making his English language film debut here), whose student visa is due to expire. They have been in a relationship for five years. Then Min’s wealthy grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung, from Minari, etc) informs him that he may have to return home to Korea and fulfill his grandfather’s wish of running their multi-national company. She is unaware that Min is gay. Min proposes to Chris, hoping that by marrying him he can gain a green card and remain in America. But Chris seems reluctant to make a permanent commitment.
Min and Lee come up with an idea. Min will marry Angela, which will appease his grandmother and allow him to stay in America, and in turn he will pay for Lee’s IVF treatments. Min’s grandmother arrives in America to meet his fiancée and insists on a traditional Korean wedding for the couple. The foursome try to hide all evidence of their relationships and sexuality, but grandmother soon deduces the truth.
The film gets off to a slow start as the writers take some time to introduce the characters and establish their complicated relationships. Ahn tries to balance the emotional beats of the narrative with the more comedic elements. But ultimately, this is a charming and entertaining crowd pleaser. Cinematographer Ki Jin Kim has done a good job with the visuals. Production designer Charlotte Royer has created the interiors for Angela and Lee’s house, while costume designer Matthew Simonelli has created some very colourful traditional costumes for the wedding sequence.
This is Anh’s fourth feature film and he infuses the material with a strong queer sensibility and sense of compassion. The performances of the ensemble cast are sympathetic and strong, and the four leads develop a strong and convincing energy and chemistry. Chen is good as Angela’s self-absorbed mother. Veteran Oscar winning Korean actress Yuh-jung is a standout as Min’s grandmother who changes her attitudes and undergoes an evolution as the film progresses. She brings grace, gravitas, intelligence and compassion to her performance and gives the film its emotional core.
★★★☆
