The Wedding Banquet

In 1993, Ang Lee and James Schamus released The Wedding Banquet. It was groundbreaking for being an English language film with a protagonist who was gay and Chinese at the same time. In the 90s, intersectionality on film basically hadn’t been invented yet. I’m being flippant, but that representation genuinely was a huge deal. Over 30 years later, Andrew Ahn’s remake of the The Wedding Banquet pays respect to the original. It takes that foundation of progress and pushes it further. Because of The Wedding Banquet and other films like it, there is a foundation for exploring multiple identities on film. Ahn’s remake finds space for numerous identities and plots that would’ve been too far to do in 1993 and still address a dearth of representation in 2025. It’s also really funny!

Lee and Angela are a lesbian couple and close friends with gay couple, Min and Chris. They’re tied together primarily because of the long and somewhat codependent friendship between Angela and Chris. Lee and Angela are currently experiencing financial and physical difficulties with IVF. Meanwhile, Min’s rich grandmother tells him he must return to Korea to take up a role in the family business. As a solution to both problems, Lee and Min suggest a plot: Min marries Angela for a green card and in return, Min pays for Lee’s IVF. This ruse becomes increasingly elaborate once Min’s grandmother comes to town with requirements for a lavish and traditional Korean wedding banquet for the couple.

Many of the subplots in The Wedding Banquet are ones I see often in queer cinema. For once, I’m not going to complain about that. On all fronts, this is a high quality execution of said subplots. This is the bar by which I have been and will continue to judge other queer films about family planning, lavender relationships or concealing and revealing queerness to one’s family. One of my favourite things this movies changes from the original is that Min’s grandmother learns of his homosexuality early on. I don’t think there’s much left to cover in the plot of concealing your sexuality from relatives because that plot is based around incomplete information. Because Min’s grandmother spends much of the movie clued in, we get a richer character in her and a richer narrative thread in how she relates to Min and her own feelings about marriage, relationships and tradition.

Tradition and culture are a huge theme in the film in a way that feels effortless and easily bakes into a larger narrative. Gay, lesbian, Korean, Chinese and American Indigenous culture are all on display among the four leads. And the film has things to say about most of these identities. Sometimes those things are really funny and specific jokes. Sometimes they’re larger and often sadder observations about tradition. Sometimes, it’s both. This is such a great example of how to use representation and especially in regards to diverse casting. These characters are well-rounded. Their culture is part of, but not the sum total of who they are. It adds texture and context but never overtakes any of the characters’ abilities to be individuals outside of their identities. I often talk about things having both universal and specific themes. Both are things The Wedding Banquet has in spades.

As a remake and really, as a queer film for someone as jaded as me, The Wedding Banquet exceeded my expectations. This is a pitch-perfect dramedy and a really excellent remake that expands on the original’s themes in a way the original could not have done. While I’ve tried to express in words why I love the film so much, a lot of it is just how The Wedding Banquet made me feel. I felt strongly though the whole movie. I felt joy and sadness and all the other emotions from Inside Out. And at the end, I was left with a feeling of profound gratitude that a movie this good that covers these topics exists and that I got to see it.

Overall rating: 9.0/10

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