Well, here comes another film to reflect the season of love, Spring. We’re in a short “window” in which romance rules the multiplex just as the big noisy Summer blockbusters start to trickle in (hopefully the MINECRAFT chaos and calamity don’t spill into the other screens). Now last week we saw a “first date movie that was also a “thriller-diller” (DROP). And what follows the initial meeting, perhaps much later? The big nuptuals, natch’. As with the former flick, this one is a mix as it can be considered a comedy-drama, or “dramedy’, while also tossing in another element: it’s a remake. And you’re beginning to feel your age when you can recall going to that original film almost 32 years ago. Oh, and some more plot twists are tossed in to add more flavor and a bit of spice to THE WEDDING BANQUET.
Now, the story actually focuses on two couples involved in the title event. We first meet millennial Lesbian couple Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) at an awards function honoring PFLAG mother-of-the-year, the latter’s mum, May Chen (Joan Chen). But the evening’s not over after she receives her plaque. The duo hastily retreats to an art show for textile creator Min (Han Gi-Chan), who is the domestic partner of Angela’s old college pal, stockbroker-in-training Chris (Bowen Yang). At the end of the night, the quartet heads back to the home they share, actually, the ladies live in the main house (which Lee inherited) while the men have made the garage their “space”. Things start to change for all of them in the coming days. Min is called into the Seattle branch of his family’s international company for an online chat with his Korean grandmother Ja-Young (Youn Yuh-jung), who, along with her hubby, raised him after the death of his parents. She belives that it’s time for him to return to his homeland to run the family business since his schooling is finished and he has no wife (Min hasn’t “come out’ to his conservative family). Meanwhile the IVF process for Lee and Angela to start a family has suffered another setback. The latest treatment didn’t “take” so Lee has only a couple more chances for motherhood.. Meanwhile Chris rejects Min’s proposal for marriage as he doesn’t want a “green card” wedding and cause Min’s family to disown him. Later, back at the house, Lee and Chris are stunned when Angela and Min hatch a plan. They will get married so that Min can stay in the country while helping to fund Lee’s next IVF try. Min sends word of his engagement to Korea and all seems well…until Ja-Young tells him that she’s boarding the family jet and will be there to meet his fiancée in just a few hours. Can the quartet pull off this ruse in mere hours? And what happens when Grandma insists on staying to attend and plan the big ceremony and celebration?
The many dramatic and comedic moments somehow work seamlessly thanks to the talented quartet at the story’s center. After several heavy tragic roles, Gladstone flexes her humor “chops” as the partner who is set on enduring any medical procedure in order to bring a child into her and her partner’s life. Her Lee is warm and caring, even as she must deceive a few folks in order to see her dream through…up to a point. Sparks fly when she must make a stand and attempt to get Angela to “open up”. In that role, Tran often “shuts down” rather than deal with her disappointments and frustrations, particularly with her flighty mother. Tran is also very funny as she awkwardly dons the disguise of subservient “wifey”, until she gets a chance to cut loose with her ole’ college pal. As Chris, the comic gifts of Yang, so good on SNL, is tempered with the character’s longing to be with his love, while knowing that his passion could cost Min everything, and forcing Chris to push him aside to avoid being a “family crusher”. Yang continues to be the master of reaction shots, from disgust to complete panic, especially when he must hide all the “gay decor, running about as if he were in a zany 1950s sitcom. He’s a terrific counterpoint to Chan as the sweet, somewhat naive artist Min, who doesn’t understand why Chris doesn’t believe that he’ll give up everything for him. There’s also wonderful supporting work from two veteran screen actresses. Welcome back, Ms. Chen (can THE LAST EMPORER really be 37 years ago) as Angela’s brassy, often clueless martiarch who now relishes and exploits her role as the proud “media mom”. And Yuh-jung proves her MINARI Oscar was no fluke as the stern but sweet grandmother who can’t be easily conned. Also of note is the raunchy, funny work of Bobo Lee as Chris’ wild, free-spirited cousin.
Director/screen-adaptor Andrew Ahn takes many of the basic plot points of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic and puts a fresh modern spin on the family dynamics and the alternative lifestyles, though these characters today are much closer to the urban “mainstream”. Ahn makes excellent use of the Vancouver locales that stand in for Seattle, and gives us a superb inside “peek” into the tradition of Asian unions, melding the cultures of Korea and China (those post-event feasts will have you drooling). Most importantly, Ahn’s riff on Ang hits all the right romantic notes as lovers squabble and reunite, while trying to navigate around those still rigid in the “old ways”. The pace is fluid, buoyed by a vibrant soundtrack. And, as mentioned, this exceptional cast never hits a flat or false”note”. Much like the meal itself, THE WEDDING BANQUET is warm, tasty, and very satisfying.
3 out of 4
THE WEDDING BANQUET is now playing in select theatres
