Andrew Ahn serves up a second course of Ang Lee‘s 1993 dish with a blend of reinvention and relatability. This isn’t your halmoni’s The Wedding Banquet (although she might be a scene stealer)—it’s a new era, new problems type of comedy led by Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran as they deal with love in the pressure cooker that is family.
In this messy tangle of heartstrings and schemes, we meet Min (Han Gi-Chan), a corporate heir whose flawless face conceals the wrinkles in his personal life. Namely an expiring student visa and a fresh marriage rejection from his commitment-shy boyfriend Chris (Yang). Meanwhile, Angela (Tran) and her lovely & amazing partner Lee (Lily Gladstone) are getting stomped on by failed IVF attempts. When Min proposes to Angela, it’s not about love, it’s about a green card, and no one can deny it’s a good solution. He gets to stay in the states and work on Chris. She and Lee get their fertility journey funded. That is, until Min’s Halmoni (the magnificent Youn Yuh-jung) sweeps in from Seoul, armed with traditional values and an unshakeable determination to throw a traditional Korean wedding. Add in Joan Chen—the face card never declines—serving pure maternal fabulosity as Angela’s boundary-pushing mother, plus Bobo Le as Chris’ gay-by cousin and you’re ready for a wild wedding that’s high on oops energy.
Where Ang Lee’s original served us the humorous and sometimes painful truth of a gay Taiwanese immigrant tiptoeing through cultural landmines (and grabbed Oscar and Golden Globe noms while doing it), Ahn’s version expands the cast and the conundrums with contemporary flavor. Right out of Sundance, this “banquet” doesn’t have the same impact as the original, but that’s a good sign of the times. The 2025 version isn’t about hiding, but about the community and the quest for family, the complexity of relationships, and how each character’s shortcomings reflects how they see themselves. Rather than a rehash, Ahn and co-writer James Schamus trade coming out for coming together.
South Korean star Youn Yuh-jung is as gravitational as ever in a role that reflects her journey with her real life son. After her Oscar-winning turn as the unconventional grandmother in Minari and her soul-stirring portrayal in Pachinko, Youn brings that same magnetic mix of sharp wit and tender wisdom to halmoni Ja-Young. She’s made a career of transforming seemingly traditional maternal figures into complex women and this role is no exception.
Like the most thoughtful reimaginings, Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet doesn’t try to outshine its ancestor, it brings its own dishes to the pot luck and challenges each character to get honest about what they’re bringing to the table. Whether bound by blood or chosen through love, this cast of characters puts the icing on a slice-of-life that wouldn’t be as sweet without them.
Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-jung, Bobo Le, Camille Atebe, LGBTQ+, IVF, green card marriage, Korean wedding, chosen family, cultural identity, queer romance, Sundance, Andrew Ahn, Ang Lee remake, multigenerational, comedy of errors, Asian representation, Oscar winner, Minari, Pachinko
