Film Review: THE WEDDING BANQUET (2025): An Intriguing Remake with Laughs, Tears and a Likable Cast
The Wedding Banquet Review
The Wedding Banquet (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Andrew Ahn, written by James Schamus and Andrew Ahn and starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-jung, Bobo Le, Camille Atebe, Jeffrey Liang, Emma Yi, Francoise Yip, Marlee Walchuk, Jeremy Hoffman, Sherine Menes, Nick Preston, Andrew Woo and Carolyn Yonge.
Over 30 years have passed since Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, so times have certainly changed. Director Andrew Ahn attempts to tackle many different sensitive topics in the new remake of the same name. While the results play a little implausibly at times, there is a fine cast which has been assembled for Ahn’s movie which makes it more enjoyable than it has any right to be given a few of its absurd plot twists. Oscar-nominee for Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone, is very good in the movie and the always phenomenal Joan Chen is in fine form here as well, but it is Youn Yuh-jung as the wise grandmother, Ja-Young, who runs away with the film’s most memorable performance.
The Wedding Banquet is a loose remake of the 1993 movie because many of the themes the original film portrayed were new at the time and, in some ways, a bit unique for that particular time period. Ahn co-wrote the twisty new comic script which has several key problems, yet it can still win the majority of audiences over since the movie has more than enough heart to spare. In-vitro fertilization plays a key role in the manipulative story which this remake presents. However, the movie reveals a plot twist towards the end that pulls the rug out from everything the movie seemed to be about and that is a somewhat disappointing flaw of this otherwise hugely enjoyable dramedy. Thankfully, the film is still emotionally satisfying by the time the closing credits appear.
A fabulous Bowen Yang plays Chris, an average guy taking time off from graduate school and spending the present with his lover, Min (Han Gi-Chan). When Min decides to propose marriage to Chris in order to avoid working for his family’s company, Chris denies the proposal for one simple reason: If he accepted it, there’d be no movie. It’s clear that Chris and Min are happy together but Chris gets cold feet. With the thought of having to lead his family’s business, Min comes up with an idea: To propose marriage to a female friend, Angela (Kelly Marie Tran).
Angela is involved with a partner named Lee (Gladstone) who loses the baby she became pregnant with via in-vitro fertilization. Lee admits she can’t afford to take an expensive risk trying to get pregnant again and then Min comes up with an idea that involves him marrying Angela. This would help Min stay in America to pursue his dreams. Min has plenty of money that Lee and Angela could use for another attempt at in-vitro, but Min wants to stay in America because he has big visions for himself, including eventually getting Chris to come around and marry him.
As the story progresses, Min’s grandma, Ja-Young (the absolutely terrific Youn Yuh-jung), arrives in America to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Angela and Min. With Ja-Young comes the promise of some traditional Asian cultures to help make the (fake) wedding an unforgettable one. Things get further complicated, however, when Chris and Angela sleep together after getting drunk one night. You can probably see where some of this is leading, but it all isn’t as predictable as one may think.
Angela’s mom, May Chen (Joan Chen), shows up to help Angela in her efforts to get married, but fairly quickly, the secrets are revealed and the film shifts focus to the family aspect as the mothers of the supposed bride and groom learn to try to adapt to their kids’ lifestyles which is easier said than done, but nevertheless possible.
Though the characters in this film are all somewhat relatable, they can be frustrating to watch on-screen. Why Chris consistently rejects Min’s proposal of marriage seems to have more to do with advancing the wild plot rather than feeling completely genuine as a story line. Lee and Angela appear to be soul mates, but they fight after other secrets come out which makes them believable as flawed people. All the flaws of each and every character ring true, but the movie still struggles to find some of its footing despite this fact.
Whenever Youn Yuh-jung is in the movie is when it works the best. Ja-Young married into an arranged wedding so she can understand Min and Angela’s predicament although she still makes the whole circle of friends go through with traditional marriage customs that end up falling flat on their face, especially when Angela vomits on camera. If you don’t know why she is vomiting, you’ve never seen a movie before especially when you see how the story progresses here.
Yuh-jung and Chen are, without a doubt, the most valuable players here. These loving aging characters they play are full of heart and want what’s best for their kids although they learn quite a few important lessons along the way. Meanwhile, Gladstone and Tran as well as Gi-Chan and Yang do everything in their power to roll with the movie’s absurdly comic surprises which could (possibly) realistically happen in today’s ever-changing society.
Kelly Marie Tran has the film’s most difficult role as she goes through a wide array of emotions throughout this picture. She’s a good actress and Gladstone holds her own beside her. Yang and Gi-Chan play their characters with a lot of insecurities that feel genuine and, thus, the movie is eventually more believable than not despite its implausibilities.
The Wedding Banquet is slightly different from 1993’s piece of perfection. All the acting in the new picture is reasonably enjoyable to watch. Then, Ahn hits us with one emotional scene after another. As good as these sequences can be, they still make us yearn for more time between the main characters than the movie allows them to have before making final life decisions.
In the end, The Wedding Banquet is not on the level of the original 1993 film, but it still works. While people search for happiness in their lives, they sometimes learn all about the things which challenge the human condition. I didn’t buy a scene set in City Hall towards the end as characters go to get married, yet the movie is sweet and makes valid points about how hard it is to make a “go” of life in today’s problematic world which needs to get with the times.
The Wedding Banquet is still a smart and funny dramedy with enough genuine heart to please fans of the original and although this new picture isn’t as good, it is still solid on its own merits for taking some fairly big thematic risks. In a culture which often likes their romantic comedies to be a little more cut-and-dried than the new film turns out to be, The Wedding Banquet nevertheless offers surprises amidst the laughs and may inspire its audience to feel all the right emotions the film tries to get across in its relatively briefer than expected running time. It’s a likable picture about how traditions can hold people back from finding their own way in life. It’s the people who get us through those every day slumps that inspire the premise of this enjoyable film.
Rating: 7/10
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