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“Queer theory takes the joy out of being gay!” blurts Bowen Yang’s character Chris in one of several laugh-out-loud yet emotional moments in “The Wedding Banquet,” Korean American filmmaker Andrew Ahn’s fourth feature in just nine years. It’s a “reimagining” rather than a remake of Ang Lee’s beloved 1993 Asian American rom-com classic of the same name.

Chris, who has put his PhD on hold, passes his days as a birder. When his amiable, handsome Korean Mfa art student boyfriend Min (Han Gi-Chan) — in dire need of a green card to avoid being shuttled back to Korea and take rein of a chaebol managed by his astute grandmother played by Yuh-Jung Youn — proposes, Chris, though quite in love with Min, is petrified of committing. How can he, if he can’t commit to even a PhD? As his cousin (Bobo Le) sharply observes, Chris is merely interested...

Remaking a film on the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry is hardly a task that one should take lightly. Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet dials up the pressure by adding a Golden Bear victory and Oscar nomination to its mantle. That much acclaim puts a ton of expectation upon the shoulders of whoever would choose to take the leap and bring its romantic comedy 30 years forward into the present. By all accounts, however, Andrew Ahn embraced that weight, enlisting the help of original co-writer James Schamus to perfectly execute the challenge by doubling the number of gay couples within its marital shenanigans and adding a baby for good measure.

Gone are the dating service paid for by the parents of a son who has yet to come out to them as gay and the penniless tenant in need of a green card coaxed to marry him so they go away.

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Bleecker Street opens “The Wedding Banquet” in theaters Friday, April 18.

In an era when gay marriage is legal, same-sex parenting is commonplace and the decision to build a nuclear family is, for many millennials, complicated not by cultural, sexual or familial impediments but rather ethical and financial ones, it might seem like an odd choice to remake Ang Lee’s 1993 “The Wedding Banquet.” But while watching Andrew Ahn’s amiable dramedy, which expands on the original premise while maintaining its central themes of found family and tolerance, one rarely questions the story’s relevance. More vitally, it lacks panache.

The movie follows a lesbian couple and a gay couple sharing a split-level Seattle residence: Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) live in the upper house, while Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan) reside in the converted garage.

"It starts with love, it gets into trouble because of love, and ends for love." Bleecker Street has debuted a charming featurette for the ensemble comedy The Wedding Banquet, a brand new modern day remake of the 1993 Ang Lee movie of the same name. Arriving in theaters this April! Go watch it! This time the story features four people living together in one house: two gay men and two lesbian women in relationships. Korean Min makes a deal with his lesbian friend: a green-card marriage for him, in exchange for costly IVF treatments for her. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min's skeptical grandmother flies in right from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza. Starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Bobo Le, Joan Chen, and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung, this fresh reimagining of Ang Lee’s beloved, rom-com teems with...

Lily Gladstone, Han Gi-Chan, Kelly Marie Tran, and Bowen Yang are hitting the red carpet at BFI Flare 2025!

The co-stars posed for photos together at the opening gala screening of their new movie The Wedding Banquet on Wednesday (March 19) held at BFI Southbank in London, England.

Fellow cast members in attendance included Joan Chen and Bobo Le along with director Andrew Ahn.

Nicola Coughlan and Matt Rogers also attended the screening.

Here’s a synopsis: Angela (Tran) and her partner Lee (Gladstone) have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile their friend Min (Gi-chan), the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris (Yang) rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their...

The full trailer for the upcoming comedy The Wedding Banquet is here!

Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran and Han Gi-chan all star as two couples who are friends that help each other out with family, while navigating cultural expectations and more.

Keep reading to find out more…

Here’s a synopsis: Angela (Tran) and her partner Lee (Gladstone) have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile their friend Min (Gi-chan), the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris (Yang) rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s skeptical grandmother flies in from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza.

"This is absurd! All so you can get a green card." Bleecker Street has revealed the full official trailer for the ensemble comedy The Wedding Banquet, a brand new modern day remake of the 1993 Ang Lee movie of the same anme. This time the story features four people living together in one house: two gay men and two lesbian women in relationships. Korean Min makes a deal with his lesbian friend: a green-card marriage for him, in exchange for costly IVF treatments for her. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min's skeptical grandmother flies in right from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza. With a pitch-perfect cast of talent that includes Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Bobo Le, Joan Chen, and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung, this fresh reimagining of Ang Lee’s beloved, rom-com teems with humor & heart in a...

Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran brought their upcoming movie The Wedding Banquet to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival ahead of its theatrical release in the spring.

The actors were joined by co-stars Han Gi-chan, Youn Yuh-jung, Joan Chen, Bobo Le and director Andrew Ahn at the film’s Sundance premiere on Monday night (January 27) in Park City, Utah.

The Wedding Banquet is a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating the disasters and delights of family expectations, queerness, and cultural identity. Angela (Tran) and her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone) have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile their friend Min (Han), the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris (Yang) rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage...

"It's for the cause! We're helping a gay couple stay together." Bleecker Street has unveiled the teaser for the ensemble comedy called The Wedding Banquet, a brand new modern day remake of the 1993 Ang Lee movie. This teaser is debuting the day after the film's world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival - where it earned a standing ovation after its premiere at Eccles (and I was there - it was amazing!!). This time the story features four people living together: two gay men and two lesbian women in relationships. Korean Min makes a deal with his lesbian friend: a green-card marriage for him, in exchange for IVF treatments for her. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min's skeptical grandmother flies in right from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza. With a pitch-perfect cast of talent that includes Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran,...