THE WEDDING BANQUET Trailer (2025) Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Joan Chen

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THE WEDDING BANQUET Trailer (2025) Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Joan Chen, Comedy, Romance Movie
© 2025 - Bleecker Street
The Wedding Banquet

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrew Ahn
Screenplay by
Andrew Ahn
James Schamus
Based on
The Wedding Banquet
by Ang Lee
Neil Peng
James Schamus
Produced by
Anita Gou
Joe Pirro
Caroline Clark
James Schamus
Starring
Bowen Yang
Lily Gladstone
Kelly Marie Tran
Han Gi-chan
Joan Chen
Youn Yuh-jung
Cinematography Ki Jin Kim
Edited by Geraud Brisson
Music by Jay Wadley
Production
companies
ShivHans Pictures
Kindred Spirit
Symbolic Exchange
Distributed by
Bleecker Street
ShivHans Pictures
Release dates
January 27, 2025 (Sundance)
April 18, 2025
Running time 102 minutes
Country United States
Language English
The Wedding Banquet is a 2025 American romantic comedy film directed by Andrew Ahn and co-written by James Schamus. It is a remake of the 1993 film. It stars Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung.

The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025.

Cast
Bowen Yang as Chris
Lily Gladstone as Lee
Kelly Marie Tran as Angela
Han Gi-chan as Min
Joan Chen
Youn Yuh-jung
Production
In April 2024, it was reported that a remake of the 1993 film of the same name was in development, with Andrew Ahn directing and co-writing the screenplay with James Schamus, who co-wrote the original film. Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung were cast in the lead roles.[1][2][3]

Filming
Principal photography began on May 27, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada, and wrapped on June 28.[4][1]

Release
The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025.[1][5][6]

References
Malkin, Marc (April 25, 2024). "Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang to Star in 'The Wedding Banquet' Remake From Director Andrew Ahn (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
Raup, Jordan (April 25, 2024). "Andrew Ahn to Remake Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet with Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang & More". The Film Stage. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
"Andrew Ahn to Remake Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet with Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang & More". Autostraddle. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
Vardhan, Harsh (April 23, 2024). "Lily Gladstone to Star in The Wedding Banquet Remake". The CinemaHolic. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
D'Alessadndro, Anthony (December 17, 2024). "Bleecker Street Sets 2025 Slate With Sundance Title 'The Wedding Banquet', 'The Friend', 'Hard Truths' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
External links
The Wedding Banquet at IMDb
vte
Films directed by Andrew Ahn
Spa Night (2016)Driveways (2019)Fire Island (2022)The Wedding Banquet (2025)
Categories: 2025 films2020s English-language films2020s American films2025 romantic comedy filmsAmerican LGBTQ-related filmsAmerican romantic comedy filmsFilms about interracial romanceFilms directed by Andrew AhnFilms with screenplays by James SchamusFilms shot in VancouverFilms about anti-LGBTQ sentimentGay-related filmsHomophobia in fictionFilms about weddings in the United StatesFilms about sham marriageFilms set in SeoulRemakes of American filmsBleecker Street films2025 LGBTQ-related filmsEnglish-language romantic comedy films
The Wedding Banquet

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrew Ahn
Screenplay by
Andrew Ahn
James Schamus
Based on
The Wedding Banquet
by Ang Lee
Neil Peng
James Schamus
Produced by
Anita Gou
Joe Pirro
Caroline Clark
James Schamus
Starring
Bowen Yang
Lily Gladstone
Kelly Marie Tran
Han Gi-chan
Joan Chen
Youn Yuh-jung
Cinematography Ki Jin Kim
Edited by Geraud Brisson
Music by Jay Wadley
Production
companies
ShivHans Pictures
Kindred Spirit
Symbolic Exchange
Distributed by
Bleecker Street
ShivHans Pictures
Release dates
January 27, 2025 (Sundance)
April 18, 2025
Running time 102 minutes
Country United States
Language English
The Wedding Banquet is a 2025 American romantic comedy film directed by Andrew Ahn and co-written by James Schamus. It is a remake of the 1993 film. It stars Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung.

The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025.

Cast
Bowen Yang as Chris
Lily Gladstone as Lee
Kelly Marie Tran as Angela
Han Gi-chan as Min
Joan Chen
Youn Yuh-jung
Production
In April 2024, it was reported that a remake of the 1993 film of the same name was in development, with Andrew Ahn directing and co-writing the screenplay with James Schamus, who co-wrote the original film. Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung were cast in the lead roles.[1][2][3]

Filming
Principal photography began on May 27, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada, and wrapped on June 28.[4][1]

Release
The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025.[1][5][6]

References
Malkin, Marc (April 25, 2024). "Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang to Star in 'The Wedding Banquet' Remake From Director Andrew Ahn (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
Raup, Jordan (April 25, 2024). "Andrew Ahn to Remake Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet with Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang & More". The Film Stage. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
"Andrew Ahn to Remake Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet with Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang & More". Autostraddle. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
Vardhan, Harsh (April 23, 2024). "Lily Gladstone to Star in The Wedding Banquet Remake". The CinemaHolic. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
D'Alessadndro, Anthony (December 17, 2024). "Bleecker Street Sets 2025 Slate With Sundance Title 'The Wedding Banquet', 'The Friend', 'Hard Truths' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
External links
The Wedding Banquet at IMDb
vte
Films directed by Andrew Ahn
Spa Night (2016)Driveways (2019)Fire Island (2022)The Wedding Banquet (2025)
Categories: 2025 films2020s English-language films2020s American films2025 romantic comedy filmsAmerican LGBTQ-related filmsAmerican romantic comedy filmsFilms about interracial romanceFilms directed by Andrew AhnFilms with screenplays by James SchamusFilms shot in VancouverFilms about anti-LGBTQ sentimentGay-related filmsHomophobia in fictionFilms about weddings in the United StatesFilms about sham marriageFilms set in SeoulRemakes of American filmsBleecker Street films2025 LGBTQ-related filmsEnglish-language romantic comedy films
The first trailer for the remake of The Wedding Banquet has been released.

The Wedding Banquet is a new romantic comedy movie directed by Andrew Ahn (Fire Island). A remake of the 1993 film of the same name, it stars Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, and more.

Check out the trailer for The Wedding Banquet below (watch more trailers and clips):

What happens in The Wedding Banquet trailer?
The trailer for The Wedding Banquet introduces queer two couples — Chris (Yang) & Min (Han Gi-chan) and Angela (Tran) and Lee (Gladstone) — who are live under one roof. Needing a green card to stay in the United States, Min proposes to Angela despite still being in a relationship with Chris. Things then take a turn when Min’s grandmother decides to pay them all a visit and attend Min and Angela’s wedding.

“Angela and her partner Lee have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round,” a description of the movie reads. “Meanwhile, their friend Min, the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s skeptical grandmother flies in from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza.”

The cast of The Wedding Banquet also includes Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-jung.

The original Wedding Banquet movie was released in 1993. Directed by Ang Lee, it stars Winston Chao, May Chin, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Gua Ah-leh, Lung Sihung, and more.

Having premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, The Wedding Banquet will be released in United States theaters on April 18, 2025, from Bleecker Street.
Ang Lee's 1993 classic The Wedding Banquet is getting a 21st-century remake that has assembled an all-star cast. Directed by Andrew Ahn as his follow-up to the acclaimed Fire Island, The Wedding Banquet stars Academy Award-nominee Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Bowen Yang (Wicked), Han Gi-chan (Where Your Eyes Linger), Joan Chen (Twin Peaks), and Academy Award-winner Youn Yuh-jung (Minari). Following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 27, 2025, Bleecker Street has released the first official trailer for The Wedding Banquet.

Set for release on Apr. 18, 2025, here's the official synopsis for The Wedding Banquet:

From Director Andrew Ahn comes a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating the disasters and delights of family expectations, queerness, and cultural identity. Angela and her partner Lee have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile their friend Min, the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s skeptical grandmother flies in from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza. With a pitch-perfect cast of multigenerational talent that includes Bowen Yang, Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung, this fresh reimagining of Ang Lee’s beloved, Award-winning rom-com teems with humour and heart in a poignant reminder that being part of a family means learning to both accept and forgive.

The Wedding Banquet is a remake of Ang Lee's 1993 film of the same name, which follows bisexual Taiwanese immigrant Gao Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) as he marries a mainland Chinese woman, Gu Wei-Wei (May Chin), to get his green card. But when his parents come to visit, Gao must hide the truth from his partner, Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein). The original The Wedding Banquet won the Golden Bear at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at the 66th Academy Awards. The Wedding Banquet co-writer and frequent Ang Lee collaborator James Schamus also co-wrote the remake.

Early Word of Mouth Points to 'The Wedding Banquet' Being a Much-Needed Rom-Com

Early word of mouth about The Wedding Banquet coming out of Sundance has been largely positive. Screen Rant's Mae Abdulbaki gave the movie an 8 out of 10 and said, "The Wedding Banquet is up there with some of the best romantic comedies in recent years. It’s touching, with strong themes and a mostly seamless execution. The film will make you laugh and cry in equal measure."

Collider's Taylor Gates also rated the movie 8 out of 10, saying, "The Wedding Banquet is a classic rom-com with modern touches that rarely ring false or feel heavy-handed. The entire ensemble is top-notch, allowing beloved actors like Gladstone and Yang to do something slightly different from their usual fare. With universal themes told in a specific way and special care to highlight the challenges and triumphs of motherhood, The Wedding Banquet will hit especially hard for queer and AAPI audiences but is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for all."

Carlos Aguilar of Variety wrote, "Ahn has successfully forged a career making both indie productions and bigger, broader fare. The Wedding Banquet fits in the latter category, but some of the quiet introspection from his earlier work still finds its way in here."

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The Wedding Banquet is being released on Easter weekend, which looks to be a very competitive timeframe and puts Ahn's latest up against the highly anticipated vampire movie Sinners, from director Ryan Coogler. Opening that same weekend is the comedy Sneaks with Anthony Mackie and Martin Lawrence, as well as Neon's horror comedy Hell of a Summer. While romantic comedies have struggled at the box office, hopefully The Wedding Banquet will find a crowd looking for laughs and love heading into the summer movie season.

the-wedding-banquet-poster.jpg
The Wedding Banquet
Comedy
Romance
Release Date
April 18, 2025
Runtime
102 Minutes
Director
Andrew Ahn
Writers
Andrew Ahn, James Schamus
Producers
James Schamus, Julie Goldstein, Daniel Bekerman, Shivani Rawat, Joe Pirro, Kent Sanderson, Anita Gou, Andrew Karpen
Cast
Cast Placeholder Image
Han Gi-chan
Min
Cast Placeholder Image
Bowen Yang
Chris
Cast Placeholder Image
Lily Gladstone
Lee
Cast Placeholder Image
See All Cast & Crew
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The Wedding Banquet
The Wedding Banquet
Lily Gladstone
The Wedding Banquet trailer reveals Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang stuck in a queer mishap of epic proportions in the buzzy Sundance title. A remake of Ang Lee's 1993 film – directed by Andrew Ahn, who co-wrote the script with James Schamus, the original film's co-writer – the upcoming romantic comedy follows a comedy of errors involving a green-card marriage in exchange for IVF funding, which is upended when one of their grandmothers insists on throwing an extravagant wedding banquet. The cast includes Saturday Night Live's Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung.

Now, Bleecker Street has shared the first official teaser trailer for The Wedding Banquet. The trailer introduces Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone) who, after numerous failed IVF treatments, are unable to afford another round. Their wealthy friend Min (Han Gi-chan), needing a green card after his boyfriend Chris (Bowen Yang) rejects his proposal, offers a marriage deal to Angela in exchange for funding Lee's IVF. However, their plans are upended when Min's grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung) insists on throwing an extravagant wedding banquet. Watch the trailer below:

What The Wedding Banquet Trailer Means For The Movie
It Premiered At The Sundance Film Festival
Min and Chris in The Wedding Banquet
The biggest takeaway from The Wedding Banquet trailer is its stellar multigenerational cast, led by Wicked and Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang alongside Lily Gladstone, who earned an Academy Award nomination for her soulful performance in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, is also among the four main cast members. The cast also includes Youn Yuh-jung, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Minari.

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The release of the first Wedding Banquet trailer comes fresh off its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, where the movie has been the subject of much buzz. Reviews have been positive thus far, unanimously praising it as a funny, heartfelt, and well-cast reimagining of Ang Lee's classic that successfully balances broad comedy, emotional depth, and modern sensibilities. For instance, ScreenRant's Wedding Banquet review by Mae Abdulbaki says "Bowen Yang's hilarious and heartfelt romantic comedy revives what's been missing from the genre."

Our Take On The Wedding Banquet Trailer
It Could Revive The Rom-Com Genre
The cast of The Wedding Banquet laughing while dancing
Judging from just the teaser trailer alone, director Andrew Ahn appears to present a heartwarming comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating the ups and downs of family expectations, queerness, and cultural identity. Featuring a stellar multigenerational cast, the remake appears to be a fresh take on Ang Lee's classic rom-com filled with humor and heart, offering a touching reminder that family is about both acceptance and forgiveness. The Wedding Banquet remake could be a movie that is talked about for a long time.

The Wedding Banquet releases in theaters on April 18.

Source: Bleecker Street

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The Wedding Banquet - Poster
The Wedding Banquet
Comedy
Romance
Release Date
April 18, 2025
Runtime
102 Minutes
Director
Andrew Ahn
Writers
Andrew Ahn, James Schamus
Producers
James Schamus, Julie Goldstein, Daniel Bekerman, Shivani Rawat, Joe Pirro, Kent Sanderson, Anita Gou, Andrew Karpen
Cast
Cast Placeholder Image
Han Gi-chan
Min
Headshot Of Bowen Yang
Bowen Yang
Chris
Cast Placeholder Image
Lily Gladstone
Lee
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See All Cast & Crew
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Bleecker Street has debuted the teaser trailer for the remake of Ang Lee’s comedy of errors ‘The Wedding Banquet.’

The movie follows a chosen family navigating the disasters and delights of family expectations, queerness, and cultural identity. Angela and her partner Lee have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile, their friend Min, the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s sceptical grandmother flies in from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza.

Directed by Andrew Ahn, the cast includes Bowen Yang, Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung.
Director Andrew Ahn was just 8 years old when he first watched Ang Lee’s 1993 “The Wedding Banquet,” and the queer romantic comedy about a gay Taiwanese American man who marries a Chinese woman to placate his parents and get her a green card had a profound effect on the budding young filmmaker.

“My mother saw the VHS at a video rental store and was like, ‘This is the Asian film that white people are watching. We should see what it’s about,'” Ahn recalled at the Variety Studio presented by Audible. “We rented it not knowing it was a gay film. As a nascent gay boy, it was mind-blowing. That was the first time I saw a gay character on screen. And it was a gay Asian character. It really set up my life in many ways.”

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For all those reasons, Ahn didn’t feel the film necessarily merited a remake. “It’s so meaningful to me and so many people.”

Yet he fell in love with the idea after realizing he could update the story to reflect societal progress (and shortcomings) in the quarter-century since Lee’s original film. The modern retelling of the comedy of manners, starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Youn Yuh-jung, Joan Chen and Han Gi-chan, premieres at Sundance Film Festival on Monday. James Schamus, who co-wrote the original with Lee and Neil Peng, also penned this updated take with Ahn.

Set in Seattle, the film follows Angela (Tran) and her girlfriend, Lee (Gladstone), who are trying to have a baby through IVF but can’t afford to pay for another round of fertility treatment. Meanwhile their friend Min (Han), a closeted scion of a wealthy businessman, has a student visa that’s about to expire. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris (Yang) rejects his marriage proposal, he pops the question to Angela, instead. From there, a wedding plot is hatched: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s grandmother (Yun) flies in from Korea and insists on an all-out wedding extravaganza.

“It really took a lot of thinking about how times have changed since 1993 for queer people,” Ahn said. “There was a new version of the story we could tell. We can get married. Now that we can get married, should we? Do we want to? As a millennial, there’s this burden of choice. It shifts the generational focus, and it’s looking toward the future.”

It’s a heavy subject, but one that the film approaches with lots of laughs. Yang, who first worked with Ahn on Searchlight’s gay rom-com “Fire Island” in 2022, shares there were plenty of opportunities to ad-lib on set.

“We all did a lot of improv,” the “Saturday Night Live” star said. “And a lot of it made it [in the film]. It’s a true collaboration.”

Gladstone, a recent Oscar nominee for Martin Scorsese’s dark historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon,” was eager to jump into material that’s more comedic in tone. “I was excited to do something loving and lighthearted,” Gladstone said. “It felt like such an easy yes. It was a quality of life project.”

Tran, best known for playing Rose Tico in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, described a “kismet” experience when she read the script. “I was like, ‘This character is me.’ There were all these specific things of what it was like for her to come out and how her family reacted, that I completely related to,” said Tran, who came out as queer while making the film.

“The Wedding Banquet” also felt like destiny for Chen, who recalled meeting with Lee in the ’90s. They were going to work together on a project, though their collaboration didn’t pan out.

“So this is great closure for me,” Chen said, adding, “We had a great time [making the movie], all these kids.”

“I’m not a kid,” quipped Youn, 77.

The Oscar winner for Sundance breakout “Minari” revealed that she was initially cast to play Min’s mother. But when the 26-year-old Han got the lead part, she told Ahn that she’d portray the grandmother instead. “He was much younger than I expected,” Youn said. “So I sacrificed for him. I know my age.”

Planning a wedding, even a fictional one, brought up some powerful feelings for the actors. “I found myself tearing up,” Gladstone said. “It’s a moving thing to be part of this Korean wedding. There’s symbolism in everything.”

Ahn recalled breaking down in tears when he first saw his cast in traditional Korean wedding attire. “Weddings bring people together. As a gay person, I wondered if I’d ever have that,” he said. “In making this movie, I selfishly threw my own Korean wedding. The first day we shot, I lost it. I started weeping.”

Youn also experienced intense emotions on set, but for different reasons. She felt her director was asking her to shoot the same scene too many times.

“I was exhausted. In real life, we do the ceremony once,” she said. “[Andrew] does so many takes. Over and over. Maybe 30 times or more. I was going to kill him. I’m not young anymore.”

Ahn didn’t deny the (affectionate) accusations that, as a director, he’s not exactly a one-take wonder. But, he conceded with a laugh, “I’ve learned.”

At least one cast member appreciated the repetition of doing the same sequence over and over and over again.

“Neither my friends nor me knew how weddings actually worked,” Han said. “But because of Andrew’s many takes, I mastered it. I know how it goes.”
A lot has changed in queer culture and visibility since 1993, notably marriage equality and expanded LGBTQ parenting rights, even if the threat of legislative challenges from conservatives could mean more change, this time of a regressive nature. Repositioning a movie from more than three decades ago about queer sexuality, coupledom and family for today is no straightforward task. But director Andrew Ahn and his co-writer James Schamus, who filled that same role on Ang Lee’s beloved original, have cooked up a clever contemporary reimagining that honors the source while opening it up to all sorts of new realities.

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What the second iteration of The Wedding Banquet does specifically for this precarious moment is not just add fresh fizz to the romance and comedy but also reaffirm the fundamental right to love who we love and celebrate the warm embrace of the chosen queer family. Funny and poignant in equal measure, the comedy of manners does sag here and there, with a noticeable energy dip around the two-thirds mark. But the winning cast are able to steer it back on track before the irresistibly sweet conclusion.

The Wedding Banquet
The Bottom Line
Worth a toast, even if the bubbly goes flat at times.
Venue: Sundance Film Festival (Premieres)
Release date: Friday, April 18
Cast: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Bobo Le, Camille Atebe, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-Jung
Director: Andrew Ahn
Screenwriters: Andrew Ahn, James Schamus
1 hour 43 minutes
A key variation on the story is the expansion from one gay couple to two, along with shifting it from New York to Seattle. Chris (Bowen Yang) has put grad school on hold and is working as a guide on walking tours for birders. His partner of five years, Min (Han Gi-Chan), is the scion of a Korean multinational corporation, in the U.S. on a student visa that’s about to expire, just as his work in textile art is starting to get attention. They rent the garage of a family home owned by Indigenous community organizer Lee (Lily Gladstone) and her partner Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), who’s also Chris’ best friend from college — and for a hot minute in freshman year before they both came out, his girlfriend.

We meet Angela and Lee during an LGBTQ organization dinner at which Angela’s boundaryless mother May (Joan Chen) is being presented with a Queer Ally Award. Angela’s livid face during May’s speech about giving her daughter all the love and support she needed from the start hints at revisionist family history. Angela is even more furious when her mother tells another guest that Lee is pregnant and she’s soon to be a grandmother, despite having specifically been told to say nothing.

The nurturer in the relationship, Lee desperately wants a child, but when her second attempt to conceive with IVF treatment doesn’t stick, the couple faces the reality that a third try might be financially out of reach. Even if they could scrape together the money, Lee worries that her age might be a factor. But when she suggests that her partner, who’s younger, should try, Angela makes it clear that motherhood was never her goal.

If Angela has mother issues, Chris has commitment issues. Min is being pressured by his sternly matriarchal grandmother (Minari Oscar winner Youn Yuh-Jung) to return to Korea and take on the position of creative director for a major fashion division the company has just acquired.

Min swears the idea was already in his head and the Cartier ring already purchased before the video call from his grandmother (his parents died seven years earlier), but it no doubt hastened his intention to propose to Chris. When Chris says he isn’t ready and doesn’t want the responsibility of his partner’s family cutting him off financially, Min is shattered. But he rallies by proposing to Angela instead, offering to pay for Lee’s IVF treatment in exchange for being able to stay in the country.

Min’s grandmother is instantly skeptical when he shares news of his impending marriage. She flies to Seattle with no warning to see for herself if her grandson’s fiancée is a gold-digger. One of the funniest sequences involves the frenetic efforts of Chris, Lee and Angela to “de-queer” the house in the 45 minutes or so it will take a very nervous Min to drive his grandmother from the airport. Items removed include a copy of Elliot Page’s memoir, a Blu-Ray of Portrait of a Lady on Fire and a framed Lilith Fair poster.

While Tran is the standout of the four principals, given the bumpiest arc to navigate, this is a uniformly appealing ensemble, and both couples secure our emotional investment in them getting over their differences. But the veterans steal every scene they are in.

It’s a pleasure to see Chen (so good in last year’s Sundance hit, Didi) in a rare comedy role. May’s slight distaste is priceless when Angela’s wedding plan takes her by surprise: “My own daughter, marrying a man!” And I chuckled at May sparking the interest of Min’s grandmother in attending a PFLAG meeting.

Youn (also seen recently in Pachinko) is delightful, especially when her shrewd character dismantles the ruse in five minutes. “Are you all stupid?” she asks the four of them, after referring to Angela as “a lesbian snake.” An unapologetic snob, the grandmother’s first question about Angela on an earlier call is, “Who are her family?” One of the biggest laughs comes later when she asks Chris the same question about his parents and learns they are in Kansas. “Hmm, The Wizard of Oz,” she responds. “Many white people.” The grandmother’s refusal to let her limited command of English diminish her authority is divine.

The changes in the attitudes of both older women as they get a complete picture add another layer of warmth to the movie, which is as much about family dynamics as romantic love or sexuality. Building families and protecting their legacies are significant themes, the latter notably in Lee’s reluctance to risk the heavily mortgaged house that her father bought to keep them on Duwamish land. (There’s almost a Tales of the City community vibe to the house and its large garden.)

Perhaps unsurprisingly after the excitement and color of the traditional pre-wedding Pyebaek ceremony, the buoyancy deflates as both couples go through the required rom-com rift and are separated for a while. Min walks off after becoming convinced Chris doesn’t see a future with him (Yang plays his character’s sadness and disappointment in himself with touching sincerity) and Lee feels betrayed after an unforeseen development comes to light, the result of a drunken evening.

But the generosity of spirit Ahn and Schamus bring to their characters inevitably pulls you back in, just in time for the not-unpredictable but no-less-amusing-for-it epilogue. Even if the pacing falters for a spell as it detours into melodrama, this is an otherwise breezy movie with plenty of charm. It’s not as consistently funny as Ahn’s last feature, Fire Island, but it’s a good time.

Full credits
Venue: Sundance Film Festival (Premieres)
Production companies: Kindred Spirit, Symbolic Exchange
Distribution: Bleecker Street, ShivHans Pictures
Cast: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Bobo Le, Camille Atebe, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-Jung
Director: Andrew Ahn
Screenwriters: Andrew Ahn, James Schamus, based on the screenplay by Ang Lee, Neil Peng, James Schamus
Producers: Anita Gou, Joe Pirro, Caroline Clark, James Schamus
Executive producers: Luca Intilli, Daniel Bekerman, Andrew Karpen, Kent Sanderson, Shivani Rawat, Julie Goldstein
Director of photography: Ki Jin Kim
Production designer: Charlotte Royer
Costume designer: Matthew Simonelli
Music: Jay Wadley
Editor: Geraud Brisson
Casting: Jenny Jue
1 hour 43 minutes
Read More About:
Andrew Ahn
Bowen Yang
James Schamus
Joan Chen
Kelly Marie Tran
LGBTQ
Lily Gladstone
Sundance
sundance 2025
Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival reviews
Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet,” a remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 rom-com starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone, will open this year’s BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.

The film, which is world premiering Monday night at Sundance Film Festival, will have its international debut on March 19 at London’s BFI Southbank with Ahn in attendance.

According to a press release, “The Wedding Banquet” is a “joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating the disasters and delights of family expectations, queerness and cultural identity.”

The plot description reads: “Angela and her partner Lee have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile their friend Min, the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s skeptical grandmother flies in from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza.”

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Alongside Yang and Gladstone, “The Wedding Banquet” also stars Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-Jung. The film is co-written by Ahn and James Schamus, who co-wrote the original 1993 script. Producers include Schamus, Anita Gou, Joe Pirro and Caroline Clark.

Popular on Variety
“I’m incredibly excited for ‘The Wedding Banquet’ to have its international premiere at BFI Flare, a festival that celebrates and cultivates queer talent,” Ahn said in a statement. “I’m honored to be a part of a cinema legacy that includes filmmakers like Amrou Al-Kadhi and Hong Khaou. I’ve fallen in love with London on my many previous visits, so it feels fitting to bring this love story to the city.”

The full BFI Flare program will be revealed on Feb. 18.
The Wedding Banquet

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrew Ahn
Screenplay by
Andrew Ahn
James Schamus
Based on
The Wedding Banquet
by Ang Lee
Neil Peng
James Schamus
Produced by
Anita Gou
Joe Pirro
Caroline Clark
James Schamus
Starring
Bowen Yang
Lily Gladstone
Kelly Marie Tran
Han Gi-chan
Joan Chen
Youn Yuh-jung
Cinematography Ki Jin Kim
Edited by Geraud Brisson
Music by Jay Wadley
Production
companies
ShivHans Pictures
Kindred Spirit
Symbolic Exchange
Distributed by
Bleecker Street
ShivHans Pictures
Release dates
January 27, 2025 (Sundance)
April 18, 2025
Running time 102 minutes
Country United States
Language English
The Wedding Banquet is a 2025 American romantic comedy film directed by Andrew Ahn and co-written by James Schamus. It is a remake of the 1993 film. It stars Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung.

The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025.

Cast
Bowen Yang as Chris
Lily Gladstone as Lee
Kelly Marie Tran as Angela
Han Gi-chan as Min
Joan Chen
Youn Yuh-jung
Production
In April 2024, it was reported that a remake of the 1993 film of the same name was in development, with Andrew Ahn directing and co-writing the screenplay with James Schamus, who co-wrote the original film. Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung were cast in the lead roles.[1][2][3]

Filming
Principal photography began on May 27, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada, and wrapped on June 28.[4][1]

Release
The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025.[1][5][6]

References
Malkin, Marc (April 25, 2024). "Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang to Star in 'The Wedding Banquet' Remake From Director Andrew Ahn (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
Raup, Jordan (April 25, 2024). "Andrew Ahn to Remake Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet with Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang & More". The Film Stage. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
"Andrew Ahn to Remake Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet with Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang & More". Autostraddle. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
Vardhan, Harsh (April 23, 2024). "Lily Gladstone to Star in The Wedding Banquet Remake". The CinemaHolic. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
D'Alessadndro, Anthony (December 17, 2024). "Bleecker Street Sets 2025 Slate With Sundance Title 'The Wedding Banquet', 'The Friend', 'Hard Truths' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
External links
The Wedding Banquet at IMDb
vte
Films directed by Andrew Ahn
Spa Night (2016)Driveways (2019)Fire Island (2022)The Wedding Banquet (2025)
Categories: 2025 films2020s English-language films2020s American films2025 romantic comedy filmsAmerican LGBTQ-related filmsAmerican romantic comedy filmsFilms about interracial romanceFilms directed by Andrew AhnFilms with screenplays by James SchamusFilms shot in VancouverFilms about anti-LGBTQ sentimentGay-related filmsHomophobia in fictionFilms about weddings in the United StatesFilms about sham marriageFilms set in SeoulRemakes of American filmsBleecker Street films2025 LGBTQ-related filmsEnglish-language romantic comedy films
The Wedding Banquet

Theatrical release poster
Chinese name
Chinese 喜宴
Transcriptions

Directed by Ang Lee
Written by Ang Lee
Neil Peng
James Schamus
Produced by Ang Lee
Ted Hope
James Schamus
Starring
Gua Ah-leh
Lung Sihung
May Chin
Winston Chao
Mitchell Lichtenstein
Cinematography Jong Lin
Edited by Tim Squyres
Music by Thierry Schollhammer
Chosei Funahara
Production
companies
Good Machine
Central Motion Picture Corporation
Distributed by Central Motion Picture Corporation (Taiwan)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company (U.S.)
Release dates
February 1993 (Berlin)
5 March 1993 (Taiwan)
4 August 1993 (U.S.)
Running time 106 minutes
Countries Taiwan
United States[1]
Languages Mandarin
English
Budget $1 million[2]
Box office $23.6 million[2]
The Wedding Banquet[3] is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Ang Lee. The story concerns a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant man (Winston Chao, in his film debut) who marries a mainland Chinese woman (May Chin) to placate his parents (Gua Ah-leh and Lung Sihung) and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet and he has to hide the truth of his gay partner (Mitchell Lichtenstein). It was a co-production of Lee's Good Machine production company, and the Taiwanese Central Motion Picture Corporation.

Lee's second feature film and his first to get a theatrical release in the United States, The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Bear. It was both a critical and commercial success and won five Golden Horse Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. It received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film, as well as six Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Together with Pushing Hands (1991) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), all showing the Confucian family at risk, and all starring the Taiwanese actor Lung Sihung, The Wedding Banquet forms what has been called Lee's "Father Knows Best" trilogy.[4]

In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot
Gao Wai-Tung is a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant happily living in Manhattan with his gay Jewish partner Simon. He has not come out to his traditionally-minded parents who live back in Taiwan and, as he's in his late-20s, they've become eager to see him get married and have a child in order to continue the family line. When his parents hire a dating service, Wai-Tung and Simon stall for time by inventing numerous impossible demands. They demand an opera singer while requesting that she must be 5'9", have two PhDs, and speak five languages. To their shock, the service actually locates a 5'8" Chinese woman who meets all but one of their qualifications; but having only a single PhD instead of two. She is very gracious when Wai-Tung explains his dilemma, as she too is hiding a relationship with a white man from her parents.

At Simon's insistence, Wai-Tung decides to marry one of his tenants, Wei-Wei, a penniless artist from mainland China in need of a green card. Besides helping Wei-Wei, the couple hope that this will placate Wai-Tung's parents. To complicate matters, Mr. and Mrs. Gao announce they will visit. Before the parents arrive, Simon tells Wei-Wei everything she needs to know about Wai-Tung's habits, body, and lifestyle; and the three hastily take down all gay imagery and décor from the house and hang Mandarin calligraphy scrolls in its place.

Mr. and Mrs. Gao arrive bringing gifts and US$30,000 to hold an extravagant wedding for their son, believing he has a wealthy fiancée. Wai-Tung dares not tell his parents the truth, because his father (a retired army officer) has just recovered from a stroke. As a part of the lie, Wai-Tung introduces Simon as his landlord.

The day after his parents arrive, Wai-Tung announces that he and Wei-Wei plan to be married by a Justice of the Peace. However, the heartbreak his mother experiences at the courthouse wedding, both at the arrangement and at the discovery of the low social class of Wei-Wei, moves Wai-Tung to make up for the 'disgraceful' wedding by accepting the offer of a magnificent wedding banquet from Mr. Gao's former batman, who now owns a restaurant and reception hall. After the lavish banquet, a huge party of relatives and friends barges into the bridal suite for an after party and demand that the newlyweds get in bed naked before they will leave. This leads to Wei-Wei's pregnancy. Simon is extremely upset when he finds out, provoking an argument between the two of them and Wei-Wei, and his relationship with Wai-Tung begins to deteriorate.

Mr. Gao suffers another stroke, and in a moment of anger after the fight, Wai-Tung admits the truth to his mother. She is shocked and insists that he not tell his father. However, the perceptive Mr. Gao has seen more than he is letting on, and tells Simon that he knows about their relationship and considers Simon his son as well, appreciating the considerable sacrifices he made to be together with Wei-Tung. Mr. Gao gives Simon a hongbao, a symbolic admission of their relationship, but has Simon promise not to let on to the others that he knows the truth; saying that without the sham marriage, he'd never have a grandchild. While en route to an appointment for an abortion, Wei-Wei decides to keep the baby; and asks Simon to stay together with Wai-Tung and be the baby's father too.

At the airport before the Gaos' flight home, Mr. Gao accepts Simon and warmly shakes his hand and Mrs. Gao bids Wei-Wei a fond farewell before they walk off to board their plane; leaving the unconventional new family to figure themselves out.

Cast
Winston Chao as Gao Wai-Tung (simplified Chinese: 高伟同; traditional Chinese: 高偉同; pinyin: Gāo Wěitóng; Wade–Giles: Kao1 Wei3-t'ung2)
May Chin as Gu Wei-Wei (顧葳葳; 顾葳葳; Gù Wēiwēi; Ku4 Wei1-wei1)
Mitchell Lichtenstein as Simon (賽門; 賽门; Sàimén; Sai4-men2)
Gua Ah-leh as Mrs. Gao (高母; Gāo mǔ; Kao1 mu3), Wai-Tung's mother
Lung Sihung as Mr. Gao (高父; Gāo fù; Kao1 fu4), Wai-Tung's father
Vanessa Yang as Mao Mei (毛妹; Máo mèi; Mao2 mei4)
Dion Birney as Andrew
Neal Huff as Steve
Jeanne Kuo Chang as Wai-Tung's secretary
Hsu Yung-Teh as Bob Law
Eddie Johns as Haskell
Michael Gaston as Justice of the Peace
Mason Lee as a baby
Ang Lee as a wedding guest
Analysis
Elisabetta Marino, author of "When East Meets West: A Sweet and Sour Encounter in Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet", wrote that the film suggests that there can be a reconciliation between Eastern and Western cultures, unlike in Amy Tan's novels where the cultural differences are portrayed as irreconcilable.[5] About 60% of the film's dialogue is in Mandarin Chinese.[citation needed] Marino wrote that "after striving to read the subtitles for the first ten or fifteen minutes, one finds oneself so completely absorbed in the flow of the story, in the tones of the several voices, in the gestures and the facial expressions of the actors, that one simply forgets to read and reaches an understanding beyond languages, beyond words, following a plot and, most of all, a set of characters who do not conform to the stereotypical portrayals an American audience would expect." Marino argued that "Lee's creative process and his final choice of two languages, Mandarin Chinese and English, for the movie are in themselves symptomatic of his wish to reach a peaceful coexistence between apparently irreconcilable cultures, without conferring the leading role on either of them."[5]

Production
Development and writing
Neil Peng approached director Ang Lee with the idea behind The Wedding Banquet in 1986 by revealing to Lee that one of their mutual friends had moved to the United States and was in a same-sex relationship without the knowledge of the man's parents.[citation needed] Lee and Peng began writing the screenplay two years later and were soon joined by James Schamus. In the published screenplay version of the film, Schamus wrote that the film was "first drafted in Chinese, then translated into English, re-written in English, translated back into Chinese, and eventually subtitled in Chinese and English and a dozen other languages." The script won a Taiwan state film competition in 1990.[6]

Casting
The Wedding Banquet was the debut film of Winston Chao, whom Ang Lee met on an airline where he was working as a flight attendant. Chao, who had no formal acting training, was reticent to take the part, until Lee agreed to coach him with an acting instructor of his choosing. Chao spent three-to-four hours each day before and during filming in in-depth rehearsals.

Filming
Filming took place entirely on-location in New York City. To keep the budget low, the production used free or public locations, including JFK International Airport, the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting, Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, and cast and crew members' homes.[1] The titular banquet scene was shot in the ballroom of a Sheraton Hotel near LaGuardia Airport.

Reception
The Wedding Banquet received positive reviews; on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 96% approval rating based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Ang Lee's funny and ultimately poignant comedy of manners reveals the filmmaker's skill across genres."[7] Alan Jones of the Radio Times said, "Sharply observed and never once striking a false note, this sweet-and-sour rib-tickler is a real treat." Roger Ebert wrote, "What makes the film work is the underlying validity of the story, the way the filmmakers don't simply go for melodrama and laughs, but pay these characters their due. At the end of the film, I was a little surprised how much I cared for them."[8]

The worldwide gross of The Wedding Banquet was $23.6 million. The New York Times reported a budget of $750,000.[9] Considering the $1 million budget reported by Variety, the film was also the most financially profitable movie of 1993, when considered in terms of ratios of return, while overall top grosser Jurassic Park only earned a ratio of 13.8 ($914 million earnings on a $60 million budget).[2]

Accolades
Institution Year Category Nominee Outcome
Academy Awards 1993 Best Foreign-Language Film[10] Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival 1993 Golden Bear[11] Ang Lee Won
(tied with Xie Fei for Woman Sesame Oil Maker)
Deauville American Film Festival 1993 Coup de Coeur LTC Won
Critics Award Won
(tied with Bryan Singer for Public Access)
GLAAD Media Awards 1994 Outstanding Film – Limited Release Won
Golden Globe Awards 1994 Best Foreign-Language Film Nominated
Golden Horse Awards 1993 Best Narrative Feature Ang Lee, Ted Hope, James Schamus Won
Best Director Ang Lee Won
Best Original Screenplay Ang Lee, Neil Peng, James Schamus Won
Best Supporting Actor Lung Sihung Won
Best Supporting Actress Gua Ah-leh Won
Best Film Editing Tim Squyres Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards 1994 Best Film Ang Lee, Ted Hope, James Schamus Nominated
Best Director Ang Lee Nominated
Best Screenplay Ang Lee, Neil Peng, James Schamus Nominated
Best Male Lead Mitchell Lichtenstein Nominated
Best Female Lead May Chin Nominated
Best Supporting Female Gua Ah-leh Nominated
New York International Independent Film Festival 1999 Director's Choice Award Ang Lee Won
Seattle International Film Festival 1993 Best Film Won
Best Director Ang Lee Won
Turkish Film Critics Association 1995 Best Foreign Film 19th place
Remake
A remake from director Andrew Ahn starring Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran and Bowen Yang in the key roles, with supporting parts from Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-jung, is set to premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Principal photography took place in Vancouver, British Columbia from May 27, 2024 to June 28, 2024.[12]

Stage adaptations
In December 1993, a novelization of the film, titled Wedding Banquet (ウェディングバンケット, Wedingu Banketto) and published in Japan, was written by Yūji Konno (今野 雄二, Konno Yūji). (ISBN 4-8387-0508-5)[13]

In 2003, the Village Theatre presented a musical staging of the story. It was directed by John Tillinger, choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, with music by Woody Pak and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Yorkey, Village's associate artistic director, said this of the production, "The film succeeds because of Ang Lee's delicate poetry, and there is no way we can replicate that or translate that into a musical. So we took the story a step further. Whereas the film ends very ambiguously, our musical goes on past where the film ends". The show starred Welly Yang as Wai Tung.[14]

See also
Mixed-orientation marriage
Lavender marriage
List of submissions to the 66th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
List of Taiwanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
"The Wedding Banquet (1993)". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute.
Klady, Leonard (11 January 1994). "Dinos are 'Wedding' bridesmaid". Variety. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
Chinese: 喜宴; pinyin: Xǐyàn; Wade–Giles: Hsi3 yen4
Dariotis, Wei Ming; Fung, Eileen (1 January 1997). "Breaking the Soy Sauce Jar: Diaspora and Displacement in the Films of Ang Lee". In Lu, Hsiao-peng; Lu, Sheldon H. (eds.). Transnational Chinese Cinemas: Identity, Nationhood, Gender. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-8248-1845-6. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
Marino, Elisabetta (2005). "When East Meets West: A Sweet and Sour Encounter in Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet". Postcolonial Text. 1 (2). ISSN 1705-9100. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
Pacheco, Patrick (4 August 1993). "Cultural Provocateur: In 'The Wedding Banquet,' Ang Lee Stirs Up Custom". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
"The Wedding Banquet (Xi Yan) (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
"The Wedding Banquet". rogerebert.com. 27 August 1993. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
Holden, Stephen (4 August 1993). "Review/Film; A Union of Convenience Across a Cultural Divide". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
"The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
"Prizes & Honours 1993". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
Parsad, Sumith (23 April 2024). "Lily Gladstone to Star in The Wedding Banquet Remake". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
ウェディングバンケット (新書) [Wedding Banquet] (in Japanese). Magazine House. 1993. ISBN 978-4-8387-0508-5.
Gener, Randy (2003). "Review: Wedding Banquet". American Theatre. 20 (9): 6. ISSN 8750-3255.
Further reading
Gans, Andrew (16 July 2003). "Wedding Banquet Musical to Make U.S. Premiere at Seattle's Village Theatre". Playbill. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013.
Ebert, Roger (27 August 1993). "The Wedding Banquet". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC.
External links
The Wedding Banquet at IMDb
The Wedding Banquet at Box Office Mojo
The Wedding Banquet at Rotten Tomatoes
Literature, Arts and Medicine Database, NYU
vte
Films directed by Ang Lee
vte
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear
vte
GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release
vte
Golden Horse Award for Best Narrative Feature
vte
Taiwanese submission for Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
Categories: 1993 films1993 romantic comedy films1993 LGBTQ-related films1993 independent filmsAmerican LGBTQ-related filmsAmerican romantic comedy filmsAmerican independent filmsCentral Motion Picture Corporation filmsChinese-language American filmsEnglish-language Taiwanese filmsFilms about interracial romanceFilms directed by Ang LeeFilms produced by James SchamusFilms with screenplays by Ang LeeFilms with screenplays by James SchamusFilms about race and ethnicityFilms set in New York CityFilms shot in New York CityFilms whose director won the Best Director Golden Horse AwardFilms about anti-LGBTQ sentimentGay-related filmsGolden Bear winnersHomophobia in fictionTaiwanese LGBTQ-related filmsTaiwanese romantic comedy filmsThe Samuel Goldwyn Company films1990s American films1990s Mandarin-language films1990s English-language filmsTaiwanese multilingual filmsAmerican multilingual filmsBest Feature Film Golden Horse Award winnersFilms about Taiwanese AmericansLGBTQ-related films about Chinese AmericansFilms about weddings in the United StatesFilms about sham marriageUnited States National Film Registry filmsEnglish-language independent filmsEnglish-language romantic comedy films
The Wedding Banquet

Theatrical release poster
Chinese name
Chinese 喜宴
Transcriptions

Directed by Ang Lee
Written by Ang Lee
Neil Peng
James Schamus
Produced by Ang Lee
Ted Hope
James Schamus
Starring
Gua Ah-leh
Lung Sihung
May Chin
Winston Chao
Mitchell Lichtenstein
Cinematography Jong Lin
Edited by Tim Squyres
Music by Thierry Schollhammer
Chosei Funahara
Production
companies
Good Machine
Central Motion Picture Corporation
Distributed by Central Motion Picture Corporation (Taiwan)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company (U.S.)
Release dates
February 1993 (Berlin)
5 March 1993 (Taiwan)
4 August 1993 (U.S.)
Running time 106 minutes
Countries Taiwan
United States[1]
Languages Mandarin
English
Budget $1 million[2]
Box office $23.6 million[2]
The Wedding Banquet[3] is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Ang Lee. The story concerns a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant man (Winston Chao, in his film debut) who marries a mainland Chinese woman (May Chin) to placate his parents (Gua Ah-leh and Lung Sihung) and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet and he has to hide the truth of his gay partner (Mitchell Lichtenstein). It was a co-production of Lee's Good Machine production company, and the Taiwanese Central Motion Picture Corporation.

Lee's second feature film and his first to get a theatrical release in the United States, The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Bear. It was both a critical and commercial success and won five Golden Horse Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. It received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film, as well as six Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Together with Pushing Hands (1991) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), all showing the Confucian family at risk, and all starring the Taiwanese actor Lung Sihung, The Wedding Banquet forms what has been called Lee's "Father Knows Best" trilogy.[4]

In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot
Gao Wai-Tung is a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant happily living in Manhattan with his gay Jewish partner Simon. He has not come out to his traditionally-minded parents who live back in Taiwan and, as he's in his late-20s, they've become eager to see him get married and have a child in order to continue the family line. When his parents hire a dating service, Wai-Tung and Simon stall for time by inventing numerous impossible demands. They demand an opera singer while requesting that she must be 5'9", have two PhDs, and speak five languages. To their shock, the service actually locates a 5'8" Chinese woman who meets all but one of their qualifications; but having only a single PhD instead of two. She is very gracious when Wai-Tung explains his dilemma, as she too is hiding a relationship with a white man from her parents.

At Simon's insistence, Wai-Tung decides to marry one of his tenants, Wei-Wei, a penniless artist from mainland China in need of a green card. Besides helping Wei-Wei, the couple hope that this will placate Wai-Tung's parents. To complicate matters, Mr. and Mrs. Gao announce they will visit. Before the parents arrive, Simon tells Wei-Wei everything she needs to know about Wai-Tung's habits, body, and lifestyle; and the three hastily take down all gay imagery and décor from the house and hang Mandarin calligraphy scrolls in its place.

Mr. and Mrs. Gao arrive bringing gifts and US$30,000 to hold an extravagant wedding for their son, believing he has a wealthy fiancée. Wai-Tung dares not tell his parents the truth, because his father (a retired army officer) has just recovered from a stroke. As a part of the lie, Wai-Tung introduces Simon as his landlord.

The day after his parents arrive, Wai-Tung announces that he and Wei-Wei plan to be married by a Justice of the Peace. However, the heartbreak his mother experiences at the courthouse wedding, both at the arrangement and at the discovery of the low social class of Wei-Wei, moves Wai-Tung to make up for the 'disgraceful' wedding by accepting the offer of a magnificent wedding banquet from Mr. Gao's former batman, who now owns a restaurant and reception hall. After the lavish banquet, a huge party of relatives and friends barges into the bridal suite for an after party and demand that the newlyweds get in bed naked before they will leave. This leads to Wei-Wei's pregnancy. Simon is extremely upset when he finds out, provoking an argument between the two of them and Wei-Wei, and his relationship with Wai-Tung begins to deteriorate.

Mr. Gao suffers another stroke, and in a moment of anger after the fight, Wai-Tung admits the truth to his mother. She is shocked and insists that he not tell his father. However, the perceptive Mr. Gao has seen more than he is letting on, and tells Simon that he knows about their relationship and considers Simon his son as well, appreciating the considerable sacrifices he made to be together with Wei-Tung. Mr. Gao gives Simon a hongbao, a symbolic admission of their relationship, but has Simon promise not to let on to the others that he knows the truth; saying that without the sham marriage, he'd never have a grandchild. While en route to an appointment for an abortion, Wei-Wei decides to keep the baby; and asks Simon to stay together with Wai-Tung and be the baby's father too.

At the airport before the Gaos' flight home, Mr. Gao accepts Simon and warmly shakes his hand and Mrs. Gao bids Wei-Wei a fond farewell before they walk off to board their plane; leaving the unconventional new family to figure themselves out.

Cast
Winston Chao as Gao Wai-Tung (simplified Chinese: 高伟同; traditional Chinese: 高偉同; pinyin: Gāo Wěitóng; Wade–Giles: Kao1 Wei3-t'ung2)
May Chin as Gu Wei-Wei (顧葳葳; 顾葳葳; Gù Wēiwēi; Ku4 Wei1-wei1)
Mitchell Lichtenstein as Simon (賽門; 賽门; Sàimén; Sai4-men2)
Gua Ah-leh as Mrs. Gao (高母; Gāo mǔ; Kao1 mu3), Wai-Tung's mother
Lung Sihung as Mr. Gao (高父; Gāo fù; Kao1 fu4), Wai-Tung's father
Vanessa Yang as Mao Mei (毛妹; Máo mèi; Mao2 mei4)
Dion Birney as Andrew
Neal Huff as Steve
Jeanne Kuo Chang as Wai-Tung's secretary
Hsu Yung-Teh as Bob Law
Eddie Johns as Haskell
Michael Gaston as Justice of the Peace
Mason Lee as a baby
Ang Lee as a wedding guest
Analysis
Elisabetta Marino, author of "When East Meets West: A Sweet and Sour Encounter in Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet", wrote that the film suggests that there can be a reconciliation between Eastern and Western cultures, unlike in Amy Tan's novels where the cultural differences are portrayed as irreconcilable.[5] About 60% of the film's dialogue is in Mandarin Chinese.[citation needed] Marino wrote that "after striving to read the subtitles for the first ten or fifteen minutes, one finds oneself so completely absorbed in the flow of the story, in the tones of the several voices, in the gestures and the facial expressions of the actors, that one simply forgets to read and reaches an understanding beyond languages, beyond words, following a plot and, most of all, a set of characters who do not conform to the stereotypical portrayals an American audience would expect." Marino argued that "Lee's creative process and his final choice of two languages, Mandarin Chinese and English, for the movie are in themselves symptomatic of his wish to reach a peaceful coexistence between apparently irreconcilable cultures, without conferring the leading role on either of them."[5]

Production
Development and writing
Neil Peng approached director Ang Lee with th

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