The Wedding Banquet is a charming dramedy with a talented cast of actors. The film highlights that even though humans are imperfect, as long as we do our best to rectify our wrongs or stand up for ourselves, our found family will be there for love and support. This delightful film is a glimmer of hope and positivity in a world that thrives on negativity. 

The Wedding Banquet is a modern-day remake of The Wedding Banquet from 1993. The film stars Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, and Han Gi-Chan as our four main leads and Bobo Le, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung in the supporting roles. Director Andrew Ahn wrote the film alongside James Schamus, who wrote the original film with Ang Lee and Neil Peng. This collaboration was a positive sign that the film would be good. 

The Wedding Banquet centers on one lesbian couple, Angela (Tran) and Lee (Gladstone), and one gay couple, Chris (Yang) and Min (Gi-Chan). They all live in Seattle, Washington. Angela and Chris had a fling in college before coming to terms with their sexualities. Angela is a scientist working with plastic-eating worms, and Lee works for an LGBT organization. They are trying to get pregnant through IVF, with Lee being the one to carry. Their second round failed again, and Lee is heartbroken at the experience. Angela wants what Lee wants but is less sure about being a mom due to her issues with her mother (Chen). Angela has struggled with her mother’s allyship since there were years after she came out when they had no contact with each other. Our other lead couple, Chris and Min, have been together for five years. Chris was a graduate student at one point, but he has stopped working on his dissertation and is now working as a birder. Min is an artist whose student visa is about to expire. This coincides with his grandmother wanting him to return to Korea to work at the family company. Min asks Chris to marry him, but he refuses due to the suspect timing and since Min has not come out to his family, which could cost him his fortune. During the night, Lee and Min scheme up the plan for Angela to marry Min so that he can stay in the country and he can pay for Lee to undergo another round of IVF. They all agree to the plan, although it is not smooth sailing. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to watch the original film, but that also gave me the ability to have an unbiased experience in the theater. I was also concerned that I, as a heterosexual woman, was the right person to be reviewing the movie. Having seen it, I understand that while the film does tackle modern-day LGBT issues, it speaks to universal truths so anyone can find common ground with the characters. Angela’s hesitancy about parenthood due to her parental issues, Lee’s struggles with infertility, Min’s desire to break free of familial expectations, and Chris’s indecisiveness are all relatable to the entirety of the population. The Wedding Banquet centers on community, love, and forgiveness, all of which are important and necessary today. The family these four make for themselves is tighter than most blood relatives. 

One of the best things about the film is how Andrew Ahn handles the tone. The comedy is not ridiculous or excessive but exceptionally natural. One scene could be emotional and heartbreaking, and the next could be laugh-out-loud funny, yet nothing feels out of place. It is a soft, warm blanket of hugs when you are cold. The Wedding Banquet should immediately go into the comfort film canon. The only concern is the trailer leads the viewers to believe that comedy is the primary genre of the film when it is more akin to a dramedy. People with strong comedy expectations might be slightly surprised by what they receive, but whoever watches with an open mind and heart should be satisfied with their moviegoing experience. 

Of all the cast, I have to shout out Kelly Marie Tran. Even though the four of them are all main characters, she has the most to do. Angela is in a relationship with Lee, best friends/exes with Chris, and is marrying Min. One of her standout scenes is with Joan Chen. Tran is vulnerable and emotional, and she is brilliant in that moment. As someone who loved Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi when it came out, it is good to see her be front and center in a role she deserves. Also, Youn Yuh-jung was funny yet so sweet. She had a sharp eye, always watching everyone and picking up on subtle things the main characters thought they were getting away with, exactly how a grandmother typically is. 

Following in the footsteps of a director such as Ang Lee could be a Herculean task, but Andrew Ahn succeeds. The Wedding Banquet is a charming dramedy with a talented cast of actors. The film highlights that even though humans are imperfect, as long as we do our best to rectify our wrongs or stand up for ourselves, our found family will be there for love and support. This delightful film is a glimmer of hope and positivity in a world that thrives on negativity. 

Grade: A-

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: Best Adapted Screenplay

Where to Watch: In Select Theaters