In an period when homosexual marriage is authorized, same-sex parenting is commonplace and the choice to construct a nuclear household is, for a lot of millennials, difficult not by cultural, sexual or familial impediments however reasonably moral and monetary ones, it would look like an odd option to remake Ang Lee’s 1993 “The Wedding ceremony Banquet.” However whereas watching Andrew Ahn’s amiable dramedy, which expands on the unique premise whereas sustaining its central themes of discovered household and tolerance, one hardly ever questions the story’s relevance. Extra vitally, it lacks panache.
The film follows a lesbian couple and a homosexual couple sharing a split-level Seattle residence: Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) reside within the higher home, whereas Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan) reside within the transformed storage. The story begins conventionally, churning out exposition to introduce the foursome. And for some time, every couple scarcely quantities to greater than a broad stroke and a battle. Lee is a charmer anticipating her in vitro fertilization therapies to end in being pregnant, whereas the crankier Angela worries that her strained relationship along with her mom (Joan Chen) may impression her personal parenting expertise. The rudderless Chris and trust-fund endowed Min, in the meantime, are navigating Chris’s reluctance to decide to a wedding that will enable Min, who’s at risk of shedding his inexperienced card, to remain within the nation.
Enter the wild inciting concept: a wedding and cash trade between Min and Angela, the place Min secures his authorized residency and Angela will get the funds for Lee’s IVF. Why this is the only answer to the {couples}’ troubles is rarely fairly justified. Couldn’t Min, who’s rolling in household cash, merely cowl Lee’s therapies with out the wedding? And why is Chris, an ostensibly rational individual and devoted boyfriend, so categorically against serving to out his associate of 5 years and signing a wedding license?
The screenplay, credited to Ahn and Lee’s authentic co-writer James Schamus, doesn’t waste time lingering in these unknowns. As an alternative, it hurries to introduce its finest character: Min’s sharp-witted grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung), who, upon studying of Min’s (faux) engagement, insists upon flying over from Korea for the marriage. Quickly sufficient, Lee, Angela and Chris are dashing to arrange the home for Grandma’s arrival by cleaning it of queer miscellanea — a intelligent and farcical scene that additionally seems within the authentic film.
Subsequent to the foursome of millennial mess-ups, Lin’s grandmother and Angela’s mother are welcome display presences. Yuh-jung and Chen deliver a depth and dignity to their matriarchal roles that’s misplaced within the youthful technology, who, regardless of a bundle of comedic chops, battle to flesh out the skinny characterizations they’ve been afforded. As our lead, Angela most vividly involves life in scenes reverse her mom, the place the screenplay lets her confront her mommy points head-on as an alternative of reiterating them in dialogue six occasions over. Min receives the identical house to open up in scenes along with his grandmother; and Chris, in moments reverse his spunky youthful cousin (Bobo Le). That leaves the ever-talented Gladstone seemingly stranded in a screenplay that fails to provide her sufficient of a personality — a cardinal sin from which the film by no means recovers.
Stylistically, “The Wedding ceremony Banquet” has the gauzy feel and appear of status tv. Throughout a fake bachelorette occasion for Angela, the buddies collect at a spacious queer dance membership so clearly fictional it made me consider a meme: queer dance golf equipment rule; I want they have been actual. In a broad and agreeable comedy equivalent to this, it’s widespread observe to raise actuality. Ahn’s distinctive “Hearth Island” did simply that whereas remaining grounded in real feeling. However amid this film’s total blandness, the inauthenticity of its want achievement sequences is thrown into sharper aid.
The film does excel at toggling between comedy and sincerity, though the 2 modes are hardly ever channeled inside the identical sequences. If first rate motion pictures could make us chuckle after which make us tear up, the very best ones make us need to do each on the identical time.
“The Wedding ceremony Banquet” is squarely of the previous sort, as evidenced in its ending. By this level, the exposition machine that was on full throttle within the first act appears to have petered out, and the denouement arrives with out grand apology speeches and even that a lot dialogue in any respect. It’s considerably refreshing that Ahn opted to let his characters rebuild their fractured relationships by means of realizing appears to be like and wordless hugs reasonably than tearful exchanges. However there’s one thing low cost about tying a bow round their romances after the chaos they’ve all created.
It additionally feels obligatory to notice that, whereas the film flaunts its progressive bona fides, it nonetheless ends in conventional trend: marriage, monogamy, little one rearing. The subsequent “Wedding ceremony Banquet” doesn’t have to be poly, however hopefully it’ll have a touch extra persona.
Grade: C+
“The Wedding ceremony Banquet” premiered on the 2025 Sundance Movie Pageant. Bleecker Avenue will launch it in theaters on Friday, April 18.
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