The Wedding Banquet

Mostly, the film is lighthearted and fun, which is why it wobbles a little when trying to find its balance. Ahn treats the theme of a chosen family with earnest, weary seriousness, but the grounded dramatic performances can jar with the zippier jokes.

A very gentle, broad, crowd-pleasing, open-minded dramedy.

Despite some sweet moments and strong on-screen talent, The Wedding Banquet’s off pacing and limited character development mean it ultimately falls flat.

Where The Wedding Banquet really shines is in its characters, not only in its two romantic pairings that feel profoundly real, but also in subverting our expectations of its intergenerational relationships.

This is a broader, more straightforward crowd-pleaser than the first Wedding Banquet, which typically for Lee retained a degree of melancholy and reserve. Sometimes the characters are made to spell out their feelings all too bluntly...

The Wedding Banquet old and new may take different paths, but they end with the same conclusion: there is indefatigable strength in the chosen family.

The film is touching as well as funny, and despite a few dud notes, it mostly works very nicely.

You’re never too old for wedding hijinks or a little tomfoolery, especially in service of a love story.

Director Andrew Ahn does something slightly miraculous in “The Wedding Banquet,” by updating And Lee’s now-classic 1993 gay rom-com for our current moment while maintaining and even deepening its romantic spirit.

Blending subtle gags and quiet melancholy, the remake offers a fresh, affecting perspective on the story, peppered with loving homages to the original including an updated twist on the infamous banquet scene, now tailored for the Gen Z'ers.