The Wedding Banquet

This version of The Wedding Banquet is not as essential as Ang Lee’s film, but it’s a cute movie with some lovely moments that feels exactly of this time.

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 dialogue is witty, the acting is superlative, and the warm glow is all-embracing.

A heartfelt update of the 90s queer film that captivates thanks to its themes of chosen families, love, and friendship. [Full Review in Spanish]

For a film with real comedy pedigree attached to it, this is a surprisingly unfunny movie, with a script that is strikingly devoid of any humour whatsoever.

A remake of a ‘90s indie classic, this new version dials up the laughs, leans harder into genre tropes and delivers the familiar with an undercurrent of the new.