'The Wedding Banquet' has some surprises on the menu
Remake of 1993 Ang Lee film is more drama than comedy.
I will tell you I went in elbows up, as they say in Canadian hockey, to the remake of “The Wedding Banquet.” How dare someone try to remake Ang Lee’s delightful and sublime 1993 film, especially as (at least judging by the trailer) a broad crowd-pleasing comedy starring Bowen Yang? What’s next, a sitcom version of “Eat Drink Man Woman” on Hulu?
But “Banquet” is a low-key charmer that retains much of the feeling of the original while wisely updating elements of a film about the LGBT+ community that, after all, came out over 30 years ago. Part of that is the presence of original screenwriter James Schamus as producer and co-writer with director Andrew Ahn. Part of that is Ahn himself, who has proven he can ably shift between comedy and drama with “Driveways” and “Fire Island.” And much of that is a powerhouse cast (including, maybe most surprisingly, Yang) who can deftly navigate both the laughs and the tears.
The bones of the story are the same – a gay immigrant plans a fake straight wedding to placate his conservative family and get a green card to stay in the United States. In this case, though, Min (Han Gi-Chan) lives in Seattle, where gay marriage is legal, and has a longtime boyfriend in Chris (Yang). But Chris is reluctant to commit, and Min wants to stay in the United States, become an artist and not an executive in the family business, run by the grandmother who raised him, Ja-young (Youn Yuh-Jung).
Enter Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), Chris’ best friend from college from whom the couple rents a house. Angela and her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone) have been trying and failing to have a baby via IVF. Min proposes that Angela “marry” him to satisfy his grandmother, and he’ll pay for their IVF treatments. Got all that?
Much of the original film turned on the comedic possibilities of this subterfuge, and this “Banquet” has a little of that, such as a scene where Angela and Lee “de-gay” their house before Ja-young comes over, hiding copies of Tegan & Sara’s memoir and, in a very meta touch, a DVD copy of Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women,” which featured Gladstone’s breakthrough role.
But, in a surprise and welcome twist, Ja-young arrives and immediately susses out what’s really going on. With the comic fake marriage subplot jettisoned, “Wedding Banquet” becomes much more of a straight-up dramedy, as the two couples reckon with their futures. Why won’t Chris commit to Min? Does Angela really want to start a family with Lee?
Ahn really excels at intimate two-person scenes of characters revealing themselves to each other, and the actors take those scenes and run with them. Tran (“The Last Jedi”) is a top-notch sobber on-screen, and Yang reminded me of Will Ferrell, another “SNL” vet who can be really effective when he tames his more outrageous comedic talents.
Gladstone fades a little more into the ensemble than one might like, but it might make sense for her to play Lee as the quieter, more grounded counterweight to the emotionally raw Angela. Joan Chen is also very funny as Angela’s mother, who may be a little too supportive of her daughter being queer.
But the real star of the film is Youn, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for “Minari.” She’s effectively imposing as the family matriarch (and company CEO), gradually revealing layers of vulnerability and compassion for her grandson, and for the interlocking sets of found families who love and support him in America.
“Wedding Banquet” doesn’t make any sort of big overt statement about the importance of such unconditional love in and for the LGBT+ community, especially in this political moment. It doesn’t have to.
“The Wedding Banquet” opens in theaters Friday. In Madison, it’s playing in all major theaters (Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, AMC Fitchburg 18 and Flix Brewhouse Madison).
This looks like fun. Thanks for the review!