David’s Download: The Wedding Banquet Review

Every once in a while, The Drive Home crew sneaks in a trip to the movie theater but doesn’t record an episode on “the drive home.” Last week, we saw The Wedding Banquet between our weekend viewings of Sinners and Thunderbolts. Even without a recorded episode, I wanted to share some thoughts about the queer romcom starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone.

The Wedding Banquet is a remake of the 1993 Ang Lee original and follows two queer couples, Chris (Yang) & Min (Han Gi-chan) and Lee (Gladstone) & Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) who live together in the house Lee inherited from her parents. When Min, a gay man, needs a green card to stay in the U.S., he devises a plan to marry Angela, a lesbian, since he is not out to his conservative Korean family. Things get complicated when Min’s traditional grandmother comes to visit from Korea and decides to throw them an extravagant wedding celebration.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, even though I think the filmmakers could have leaned further into the comedic aspects of the story. Weddings and cultural misunderstanding are fertile ground for comedy, but writer/director Andrew Ahn only scratches the surface - feels like a miss when you have SNL fave Bowen Yang at your fingertips. Ahn’s screenplay and direction shine more during the movie’s tender, heartfelt moments.

Among the cast, Yuh-Jung Youn is the standout as Min’s grandmother. Her performance here is a reminder why she is an Academy Award winner for 2020’s Minari. She taps into that same matriarchal energy and becomes the emotional center of The Wedding Banquet. The best-acted scene of the movie occurs when she and Angela’s mother, played by Joan Chen, discuss their feelings around their children’s queer identities. Grab your tissues! Lily Gladstone also gives a strong performance as Lee, and Han Gi-chan is very likeable as the sweet-natured Min.

Sadly, the weakest link among the cast is Bowen Yang, and part of that spawns from Ahn’s more saccharine approach to the story. Yang’s talents lend themselves best to silly slapstick humor, and he is out of his league during the dramatic, heartfelt scenes, especially opposite Youn and Gladstone.

In short, I would give the movie a thumbs up (or as we sometimes say on The Drive Home, three-quarters-of-the-way thumbs up). Despite a mixed bag of performances and my grievances about the vibe Ahn landed on for this remake, it’s always wonderful to see a queer romcom receiving a wide release, especially when the gay characters are more nuanced than the “sassy best friend.”

Here are some thoughts from the rest of The Drive Home team:

Jason - “The costume designer of this movie should stop and never design another look ever again. Same for Yang, he should probably re-think acting and maybe just stop altogether. And don’t get me started on messy love triangles. Yikes!”

Jose - “The Asian matriarchs made this movie! Even though it wasn’t my fave, I’m so glad we can see different stories that represent our community. Also, gays… don’t sleep with your school bestie, no matter how much you drink!”

Matt/Tacco - “I really enjoyed this movie. I saw it for Bowen Yang, but ended up liking all of the characters. Character development was good, however Lily Gladstone wore some questionable outfits that made her seem smelly.”