The Wedding Banquet

​There are not generally many comedic films about a couple who can’t get pregnant despite numerous failed attempts at in vitro fertilization, simply referred to as IVF. Humor is used to touch on the subject here and it works.

This is a sincere, often touching reimagining, not a remake, of the original Ang Lee film, which was released when director Andrew Ahn was only seven. I couldn’t help but wonder how much the original meant to Ahn. Destiny Jackson of Deadline, interviewed Ahn and he said that it played a significant role in his life both in his being queer and Asian. I’m glad Ang Lee was honest with the film, otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten this fun, invaluable film.  

Couples Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), along with Chris (Bowen Yang) and his boyfriend Min (Han Gi-Chan), all live together. They’re two gay couples who somewhat represent the situations many people are in. Can you preserve your rights and persuade the older generation of your family to adopt your way of thinking? How?! Min loves his grandmother, Youn Yuh-jung (Ja-Young), possibly the best part of the film, and loves his friends. Lee and Angela want a child, and he wants to help them achieve this goal. It’s a costly procedure, and he has plenty of what they need to have it done. They have something he needs, as well. His grandmother is blackmailing him to work in the family business. It’s a tradition for him to work there, and he also needs to protect his grandfather’s legacy. If he doesn’t, he’ll be cut off and be forced to return to Korea anyway. Not wanting to leave his boyfriend, friends, and art behind, he figures that problems can be solved if he marries a U.S. citizen. The real heart of the story begins when his grandmother arrives.

The comedy is fast-paced, the love is undeniable, and the characters are well written. Yes, there are some formulaic moments, but you embrace the cliché because it leads to the true heart of the story. Min’s grandmother, who seems to want more for her grandson (she knows what’s best for him after all), learns that maybe he can give her more.

She’s a large part of the joy in this film. The actress overwhelms, so does Yang’s Chris when he speaks about “Kingdom Hearts.” All gamers will love and appreciate this scene. And we’ll all like the line about the brat going off to college. There’s truly something here for everyone.