The Wedding Banquet (1993)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This is the earliest film from the respected and great Taiwanese director Ang Lee that seems to be available in the U.K - even then it seems only on VHS or as a Korean import (which is how I got mine.)Why that is so is beyond belief and credibility - The Wedding Banquet is a warm, universal and fine film about what Lee does best - people and relationships. Cross cultures and cross sexualities add dynamism and colour and more than hint of later films such as The Ice Harvest and (of course) Brokeback Mountain.You don't have to be gay, or otherwise, or anything in particular, other than being human to appreciate the story and its characters - a 20 something gay Taiwanese man living with his boyfriend in New York and whose far-away mother is spending all her time setting him up with a possible wife. The obvious and gleeful scenario set-up when for the sake of convenience a Chinese girl that he knows is after a Green card Mother (and ex Commander with high-blood pressure Father) decide to visit for 'the $30,000 wedding banquet', that friends and relatives back home have donated for this gift of a lifetime, that the film's title is dedicated to.This, we juicily anticipate and we are definitely not disappointed, except with a master story teller that we obviously have here, the twists are unexpected and superbly done; so naturally that even the predictable parts are done with flair and of course, aren't so straightforward.So many lesser films on this subject are flaunted at us seemingly daily - here is a finely crafted movie, but one that, perhaps thankfully, is lighter and more humorous than some of Lee's later works. I won't carp on (again) about its relative unavailability but would say that if you want to see more of Lee's work, specially his 'pre-fame' era and want a humane, touching and often funny film, grab it with both hands if you ever get the chance.

The Wedding Banquet was the first Ang Lee film that I watched. I remember I was about 10 or 11 years old when I watched it. At that time, I did not understand the movie at all. However, as I grow older, I watched it again and I realized what a masterpiece that Ang Lee had accomplished. Coming from the same background, as Taiwanese immigrant to the United States, I can certainly relate many of issues with the protagonist Wai-Tung. My parents are exactly like Wai-Tung's parents. They have high expectation of the son and carry on the family name is the most important thing. Ang Lee did a very good job on depicting the traditional father figure in Taiwanese society. My father, very much like Wai-Tung's, is a very serious person. To him everything has to be done straight and upright. My mother on the other hand is very sentimental. She would just cry like Wai-Tung's mother in the movie. Taiwanese mothers always care for their son so much that they literally do everything for their son, just like how Wai-Tung's mother sets up a blind date for him. My parents are so serious that sometimes if I joke about me liking a man they would get upset. Therefore, I really can understand how Wai-Tung has to hide his secret for such a long time in the movie.I like how Ang Lee uses Wai-Tung to represent Taiwan; Wei-Wei to represent China, and Simon to represent the US. In the movie, there is one scene where Wei-Wei wears a red dress in the air port picking up Wai-Tung's parents, I just could not help myself but laugh at the expression that Wai-Tung's dad gives when he sees Wei-Wei. He must think her as another communist he fought in the Chinese civil war. Another fascinating thing about this movie is that I watched it again in my film study class and even the movie is in mandarin, my classmates seem to understand the messages and laugh about them. I guess it is the magic of the movie. It really can transcend time and languages. Overall, Wedding Banquet has became my all time favorite of all the Ang Lee films.

A successful young professional Asian man in a long term relationship with his American male partner is worried about the imminent visit of his parents, who he fears will not accept his homosexuality. To hide the truth, the illegal Chinese housekeeper is presented as the fiancé. Believing the charade would only be played for the duration of the parents' visit, all agreed on the plan. Little did anyone know that the old Chinese Tradition required a boastful wedding banquet, all paid and insisted upon by an old family friend. Unexpected complications seem to end in disaster, yet there is nothing that can ever stop true love. A bitter-sweet ending is testimony to our changing world and the growing acceptance of all people, regardless of ethnicity or sexual orientation.This film not only deals with its gay theme in a matter-of-fact way, but there also never is any mention of the fact that the main characters are interracial. This should never matter, however it seems that our society adds another stigma when someone enters an interracial relationship. Unusual and even shocking to contemporary society, The Wedding Banquet will appear free of any issues in another 10 or 20 years. For a European audience the "big whoop" may already be illusive.Believing that exotic cultures are least likely to part with traditional social norms can be quite wrong. Family bonds and strong character are valued above all, with sexual orientation not even being considered at all. The elderly are given too little credit for their capacity to understand life and social issues. This film gives strength to the argument that all people are quite willing and able to live peacefully without passing judgment on others.

The very definition of 'nice': an Asian man, living in New York with his male lover, pretends to be both straight and engaged to appease his Old World parents, who travel from their homeland to attend their son's "wedding". Heterosexual viewers unaccustomed to gay-themed dramas may find this early Ang Lee film palatable. A fast-moving comedy-drama from China (in both Chinese and English), it was seemingly made with the determination not to be offensive or controversial in the slightest--which, of course, is both pro and con. The well-acted film is certainly tolerable, yet rather routine, breaking no new ground (1993 wasn't soon enough to break some taboos?). Performances by the Asian players are fine, but big, bland American Mitchell Lichtenstein seems out of his element. Think of this as a situation comedy with subtitles. **1/2 from ****