It takes some guts to observe within the footsteps of author James Schamus and director Ang Lee, however Andrew Ahn has achieved one thing fairly particular right here along with his big-hearted reinterpretation of the pair’s 1993 arthouse hit The Wedding Banquet. Its unapologetic strategy to all of the which-ways of human attraction could be a bit full-on for mainstream audiences (it’s arduous to think about one thing so in any other case healthful being any gayer), however don’t be shocked to see Ahn’s movie pop up within the awards dialog this time subsequent 12 months, even when it doesn’t do Crazy Rich Asians figures on the field workplace.
The explicit stroke of genius at play right here is that Ahn has truly put some thought into the way in which the unique story—by which a closeted homosexual Taiwanese-American man goes by with a faux straight marriage to please his conservative dad and mom—may keep its relevance to date into the age of homosexual marriage. His workarounds are ingenious and really humorous, and his greatest modifications see a playful inversion of historically uptight Asian stereotypes.
First out of the gate is Mae-chen (Joan Chen), who we see receiving an Ally Award at a LGBTQ+ occasion in her native Seattle. Far from being ashamed of her homosexual daughter Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and her girlfriend Lee (Lily Gladstone), Mae-chen is exhilarated, laughing in regards to the time she caught the younger Angela watching lesbian porn, solely to obtain the pitiful excuse that she was truly watching a figure-drawing artwork class. Mae-chen additionally talks loudly in regards to the couple’s latest try to get pregnant with I.V.F., their second attempt, utilizing a highfalutin Taiwanese Yale grad as a donor (“His sperm was very expensive,” she purrs). As they worry, Mae-chen’s enthusiasm is a jinx, and Lee solely has yet one more course of therapy left earlier than the clinic closes her file for good.
Angela lives with Lee in her associate’s late father’s home, which they share with downstairs neighbours Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-Chan). It’s a cordial family, however the peace and quiet is damaged one night time by an surprising commotion: Min has proposed to the clearly commitment-phobic Chris, and Chris is freaking out. In his defence, Chris is aware of that Min’s scholar visa is about to run out, and that his rich grandma (Youn Yuh-jung) is about to yank him again to Korea to take up a job within the household enterprise. This is true, however Min will not be after a Green Card. “I asked you because I thought you would say yes,” he says.
Chris goes out for a boozy night with Angela, an previous buddy from school, returning to seek out that Min and Lee have been scheming. To preserve his grandmother at bay and keep in America, Min shifts the item of his proposal to Angela, providing to pay for Lee’s final spherical of I.V.F. in return for citizenship. It’s not very best, nevertheless it’s not ridiculous both, and so all 4 buddies resolve to go all-in.
There’s just one downside; Min’s grandmother is coming over from Korea and insists on staying with Min and his fiancée, precipitating a mass filter of something incriminating, from CDs and DVDs to a poster promoting the all-female music pageant Lilith Fair (“Everything in this house is GAY,” screams Angela). Needless to say, Mae-chen is horrified by the information of Angela’s impending nuptials: “I put years into campaigning for gay marriage,” she says, “and this is what I get. My daughter is marrying a man”.
But grandma has a extra shocking response, which is the place the movie leaves the prepare tracks and actually comes into its personal. And Ahn has one other trick up his sleeve, a bombshell twist that slyly comes into play on the couple’s comfortable day.
Sadly, it doesn’t fairly maintain its opening momentum, because the revamped premise leaves rather a lot much less room for the subtle farce of the unique and the ending ties up just a few dangling unfastened ends just a bit bit too neatly. But this explicit Wedding Banquet 2.0 is about journey greater than vacation spot; between the core forged of six, this actually is an ensemble piece, and the comedy springs, virtually sitcom-like, from the sparks that fly between them.
Best of all although, are the matriarchs; Joan Chen, as ever, leaves us wanting extra, whereas the Youn Yuh-jung—so sensible in Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, to not point out E J-yong’s terrific 2009 meta piece Actresses—is, as soon as once more, this charming movie’s M.V.P. You gained’t cry laughing however chances are you’ll chuckle crying. This, one suspects, is what Andrew Ahn was gunning for all alongside.
Title: The Wedding Banquet
Festival: Sundance (Premieres)
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Director: Andrew Ahn
Screenwriters Andrew Ahn, James Schamus
Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-jung
Running time: 1 hr 43 minutes