You'd be forgiven if, like me (and based on the film's marketing materials), you anticipated something of a more raucous, raunchy modern romcom from filmmaker Andrew Ahn (Driveways). Perhaps something more akin to Crazy Rich Asians?
But that's not the film Ahn and co-writer James Schamus (who co-wrote the original film on which this remake is based, Ang Lee's 1993 The Wedding Banquet) deliver, and that's not a complaint. Instead of opulence and over-the-top antics, the film, about two gay couples who strike up a convoluted but comical agreement to get them each what they want most, is something quieter and more thoughtful, finding its laughs more sporadically than one might expect.
Bowen Yang (longtime SNL cast member) is Chris, who is dating Min (Han Gi-Chan); Kelly Marie Tran (the Star Wars franchise) is Angela, who's dating Lee (Lily Gladstone, Flowers of the Killer Moon). The boys live in the girls' garage and the four friends are navigating their relationship challenges and personal life hurdles alongside each other. Not least among them is Lee's desire to start a family with Angela and Min and Chris's desire to get married (not just because Min's visa is expiring, but that doesn't hurt).
Min's grandmother, Ja-young (Youn Yuh-jung) a conservative woman and head of the family business in Korea, has expectations for her grandson and absolutely would not accept his being gay. Angela's mother, May (Joan Chen), has overcorrected in the opposite direction becoming a community leader in her local PFLAG chapter. These kids have it coming from all sides, is what I'm saying.
Then Angela and Lee get advice from their doctor that conceiving may be harder than they expected and Min gets word that he'll be shipped back to Korea to assume his role at the company, and we're off. It's not a spoiler (watch the trailer) to disclose that Min concocts a scheme where he'll marry Angela in order to appease his grandmother and get his green card; in exchange, he'll pay for Angela and Lee's expensive IVF procedures.
The film unfurls from there as a series of misunderstandings, mishaps and light gags that probably can be tracked from a cinematic mile away. But that's all well and good, because these four young actors are charming enough in Ahn and Schamus's modernized script (in the original, there's no lesbian couple) that we're happy to go along with them. What's more, the filmmakers aren't afraid to let the film get serious and, quite literally, quiet. Despite what the trailer would have you believe, there's very little score or soundtrack here, typically a hallmark of the fun and flitty romcom. It's a subtle choice, but as the film progressed, I found myself noting it more and more and appreciating the space this lack of background tracks gives the audience to really connect with the characters and their journeys.
No one here is interested in watching any of the players suffer, and thankfully the film is as aware of this as anyone; by the third act, everyone is on their way to resolution, even mom and grandma. The moment of honestly shared between Min and Ja-young is especially touching, to which anyone who's lucky enough to have a special relationship with their grandmother can attest. That it's a story set in the Asian American community makes The Wedding Banquet that much more special, relishing as it does in the culture and characteristics of those communities, surely to be recognized and appreciated by those who are a part of them and warmly appreciated by everyone else.
The Wedding Banquet is now in theaters.
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