Haiku R
[Slight spoilers] An East-West drama, which is sweet but also profoundly sad - in the end the conservative values of the parents win out, it's not about individual happiness or fulfilment that matter but fulfilling one's familial duty (in this case, to have an over the top wedding and most importantly, producing an heir - mainly making Pa happy). In 1993 it may have seemed open minded, thirty years later we can feel sorry for Simon and Wei Wei, who are innocents caught up in Wai Tung's family drama. It's hard to watch poor Simon, already the giver & carer in a somewhat unequal relationship, smile through the gross heteronormativity of the wedding banquet and weeks of play-acting the landlord/friend while being cut-down by his boyfriend for not speaking Mandarin well enough or giving awkward presents - yet he cares for Wai Tung's parents more tenderly than Wai Tung. Not to mention Wei Wei, who is doing this just for a green card but comes to model the ideal daughter-in-law (and maybe really loves Wai Tung), in the last scene curtly cut down by Wai Tung's father who realizes what is going on - his family is "forever grateful" to her for her role in preserving the lineage but apart from that her happiness and security don't mean much. Both of them saw what was happening and almost took steps to walk away but in the end got carried away with the romance of it; it's a 'happy' ending but in the end neither of them can count on anything; Simon's stuck with this very cool and conflicted boyfriend who won't stick up for him; Wei Wei is an odd third whose value is reduced to her womb, without any hint she deserves a love of her own.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
11/28/23
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PridePosterStudios
Curative r*pe is deplorable. Letting it go is worse.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
04/24/24
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Tony S
It is better to live a lie than suffer the consequences of the truth. Or so it seems, until everyone gets their desired ending. Apparently made to satirize the cumbersomeness of wedding ceremonies, according to Lee, it has the opposite effect, as the banquet itself is probably the most genuine and sincere thing in the movie, even if by design it is an unwilling sham. In comparison, it completely dims the cornerstone relationship between Gao and Simone. The fakest gay couple I have probably ever seen. There is legitimately no chemistry in every intimate scene they have, and with the caveat that Lichtenstein is actually gay, coupled with very awkward English language acting, turns the couple into a farce. And with the addition of Wei-Wei taking over the partner's duties, it becomes even more of a sad display. Aside from that, the film has excellent characterization of all of its main leads, especially the parents. Due to restraint in the portrayal of homophobic, conservative Chinese parents as not some kind of irrational, antagonistic paper cutouts who just need to get on with the times, but as actual, tangible people. As I said in the beginning, the insistence of the film to still deliver the happy ending to the doorstep of every character through really contrived means lessens whatever perceived social commentary about Chinese and western values the movie thinks it has.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
05/21/22
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William L
I'm not so sure where the intense love for The Wedding Banquet comes from; instead of a comedy with melodrama attached, it's the reverse: a pure melodrama that occasionally has flashes of humor.
The premise is entertaining, and progressive for 1993, featuring a gay couple that decide to act straight when the family of one of the men, Chao's Wai-Tung, begin to take a more active interest in his marrying. The resulting charade seems to be suited for a few well-placed jokes and awkward circumstances, but writer-director Ang Lee instead opts for a more serious subtext, exploring the role of Wai-Tung as both a well-adjusted gay man and the product of a traditional, conservative Taiwanese society. Lee does a good job fleshing out the characters in many aspects, particularly introducing complexity to 'antagonists' such as Wai-Tung's mother, who is shown to be acting not so much as an unrepentant force of evil as a product of tradition and simple desires, such as to share the love of a daughter-in-law.
For me personally, there are just a few too many loose threads and points where the film shows its age to call it really necessary viewing. There never seems to be much chemistry between Wai-Tung and Lichtenstein's Simon to garner much empathy from the outset, the jokes in the bulk of the runtime don't exactly come thick and fast, the conflict really seems to be manufactured with unsubstantiated arguments popping up out of nowhere when the plot demands it, and it takes quite some time for any form of emotional involvement. However, despite the shaky setup, it's tough to deny that Lee actually manages to make you care about his characters by the end of the film.
A 28-year old May Chin couldn't find an American to marry to get a green card? Please. (3/5)
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
11/01/21
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Audience Member
This Golden Bear movie is a sweet romantic comedy that tells the story of a gay Chinese boy who lives in New York. With the help of her boyfriend, the latter organizes a fake marriage with a woman to please his relatives with a traditionalist and narrow-mindedness. Already with his second feature film, Taiwanese director, Ang Lee, demonstrates excellent directing and screenwriting skills and a great sensitivity towards LGBT issues, almost 12 years before the Golden Lion film Brokeback Mountain. A small masterpiece to be absolutely watched for encompasses Ang Lee's cinematic style.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
Full Review
david l
Thanks to a deftly written screenplay, excellent dialogue and a surprisingly strong humor, The Wedding Banquet is a rare romantic comedy that really works. The acting is uniformly strong while the characters are wonderfully depicted and the family interactions are quite moving. Depicting the clash between the cultures of East and West as well as the inspirational possibility of a reconciliation of modernity with traditionalism, this is a stupendous proof of the impressive versatility of Ang Lee, one of the most diverse directors of all time.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
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