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The Wedding Banquet

Play trailer Poster for The Wedding Banquet R 1993 1h 43m Comedy LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 95 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) and his boyfriend (Mitchell Lichtenstein) live happily as a gay couple in New York City. Wai-Tung has not been open about his sexuality with his Taiwanese parents (Sihung Lung, Ah-Leh Gua), and decides to acquiesce to their wish for a traditional Chinese union by marrying Wei-Wei (May Chin), a struggling artist desperate for a green card. But the simple arrangement turns into a lavish debacle when Wai-Tung's parents plan an extravagant wedding banquet.
The Wedding Banquet

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Ang Lee's funny and ultimately poignant comedy of manners, The Wedding Banquet reveals the filmmaker's skill across genres.

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Critics Reviews

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Christopher Harris Globe and Mail Oct 8
3/4
A wise little social comedy with a deeply touching denouement. Go to Full Review
Russell Smith Dallas Morning News Aug 20
The screenplay and the performances are compelling enough to overcome technical shortcomings. Go to Full Review
Alexander Walker London Evening Standard Apr 16
The characters grow interesting in unanticipated ways. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 12
3.5/4
This early effort from Ang Lee is a delightful confection that’s ultimately as poignant as it is humorous. Go to Full Review
Alan Jones Radio Times Aug 31
4/5
Sharply observed and never once striking a false note, this sweet-and-sour rib-tickler is a real treat. Go to Full Review
Mike Pearson Denver Rocky Mountain News Aug 21
This sleeper succeeds on the strength of its script. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Joy B. @9mr_0 Jan 6 الفيلم جيد . يقدّم سردًا متوازنًا يجمع بين الدراما و الكوميديا والمواقف العائلية، مع تصوير دقيق يعكس الثقافة الصينية كنت سعيد بالتعرف عليها و كانت قريبه من ثقافتنا العربية .أداء الممثلين الرئيسيين قوي و خصوصا الاب و الام حظورهم كان طاغي وادائهم كان يسيطر على المشهد . الشخصيات تطورت بشكل جيد ، بينما الشخصيات الثانوية تضيف لمسة كوميدية خفيفة. من الناحية الفنية، العمل متقن في الإخراج، التصوير، والموسيقى التي كانت اكثر من رائعه . من منظور شخصي، وبصراحة: الفيلم يعرض موضوع المثلية الجنسية وهذا لا يتوافق مع قيمي وموقفي الشخصي، لذلك بالنسبة لي، هذا الجانب يقلل من ارتباطي العاطفي بالفيلم. ومع ذلك، يمكن الاعتراف بأن الفيلم جيد من ناحية السرد والتمثيل والإخراج. See more Kalissa H. @kali_416 Nov 5 Really emotional at times. I was not a fan of the fact that there was no consent in the after wedding scene, not a great. The remake does that storyline better with consent from both parties. See more Noel L Oct 26 Now I know where the idea of Just Go With It came from. Except this movie was way better in quality See more thiago s @Thiagostone Sep 19 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Haiku R 11/08/2023 [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. See more PridePosterStudios 09/20/2023 Curative r*pe is deplorable. Letting it go is worse. See more Read all reviews
The Wedding Banquet

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Movie Info

Synopsis Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) and his boyfriend (Mitchell Lichtenstein) live happily as a gay couple in New York City. Wai-Tung has not been open about his sexuality with his Taiwanese parents (Sihung Lung, Ah-Leh Gua), and decides to acquiesce to their wish for a traditional Chinese union by marrying Wei-Wei (May Chin), a struggling artist desperate for a green card. But the simple arrangement turns into a lavish debacle when Wai-Tung's parents plan an extravagant wedding banquet.
Director
Ang Lee
Producer
James Schamus, Ted Hope
Screenwriter
Neil Peng
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co
Good Machine, Central Motion Pictures Corporation
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 1, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 13, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.9M
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)