The Wedding Banquet
Dustin Chase
“Cute” isn’t usually the adjective filmmakers prefer hearing about their film. Director Andrew Ahn’s blend of cute and sweet is charming in this updated remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 film of the same name. Creative additions, including dual couples and more shenanigans, help usher in the tale for a new generation. The trailer sells the films on laughs, which are plenty, yet it’s the script’s dramatic undertones that make “The Wedding Banquet” resonate so deeply. Despite great work from “Star Wars” Kelly Marie Tran, “Wicked” and SNL’s Bowen Yang, and Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon“), it’s Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung (“Minari”) who outshines them all. Sure, at times it’s overdramatized, and the situational irony is over the top. The conversations about living your happiest life, maybe the one your parents were never afforded, is the most prolific theme.
Angela (Tran) and Lee (Gladstone) live upstairs in Lee’s family home. Their relationship is enthusiastically supported by Angela’s triggering mother (Chen), making up for lost time. Downstairs in the garage apartment are Min (Chan) and Chris (Yang), together for five years. Min, from a very respectable and wealthy family in Korea, is about to propose to the bird-watching Chris before his conservative grandmother (Yuh-jung) announces her arrival in Seattle for a visit. The four friends come up with a ridiculous plan for Min and Angela to marry. Min will pay for Angela & Lee’s IBF, giving Chris more time to think about what he wants in life. Things don’t go as planned for anyone involved.
It’s how the film warms your heart and magnifies those few quiet moments that really says the most.
In “Minari,” Youn Yuh-jung was the outspoken, twinkling-eyed grandmother, playing against stereotypes. It won her the Academy Award, and her post-awards career has been in smaller films and television series. Her inclusion in this cast elevates everyone’s performance; once again, she plays the character you don’t quite expect. Han Gi-Chan is a newcomer to American/English cinema, and his quiet, calm discussions with his grandmother amidst the chaos of the other characters give “The Wedding Banquet” its gravitas. The cliches and sitcom situations keep you entertained, despite its flirtations with absurdity in the baby plot.
Ahn lets the actors, and the script do all the work. There isn’t a lot going on here with the camera, music, or special effects. It’s how the film warms your heart and magnifies those few quiet moments that really says the most. The 90’s style romantic comedy is mostly extinct in today’s cinematic universe. Yet as with the characters featured in the story, Ahn focuses on what’s ultimately important, friendships and family coming together despite cultural differences, language barriers and traditions. The juxtaposition of such a heartwarming film coinciding in our cynical world is both welcome and reassuring.
Final Thought
A tender and heartfelt remake that improves on the original.