Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!!
Review: I just finished watching this and came away thinking this was one of the best movies of this type I have ever seen!
Without going into the storyline...the film has a lot of subtitles since it is mostly Chinese speaking. But this only gives you an appreciation for the frustration of the lover who knows little chinese, and of his being part of a charade to fool your lovers aging and ill parents [which includes watching him kiss and marry someone else!]
This film brings up all kinds of issues, such as gay acceptance, is lying ever good?, personal responsibility, growing up, abortion, respect, committment....
And the wonderful thing is, it doesn't try to answer any of these. You come away sorta happy, kinda sympathetic for everyone, and rather sad that, in the year 2004, going to these sorts of lengths to hide who you really are is not so uncommon in real life!
Rating:
Summary: What a difference 11 years makes
Review: I originally saw this movie in a theater in 1993 and at that time thought it was excellent. I've seen so many movies since then and have developed a liking for low-budget, indie films because the slick Hollywood films are polished beyond real life.
What a pleasure it is to see The Wedding Banquet again after all these years. I have to say it's very different from most new gay themed movies coming out today. First and foremost there is almost no male nudity. I'm sure if current films would try to get away with no male nudity.
For a movie that seems to benefit from lots of money and production values, nothing in the way of the story was lost. This is an excellent film depicting the life of a gay couple in 1993. It's about a culture clash between the growing openness of America vs. the unknown (to me) Asian cultures.
It is both a sweet love story and a dramatic film about a couple dealing with parents. I think in the end all the characters in the film ended up with more than they ever hoped for. There was honesty about being gay. There was help for an immigrant wanting to stay in the US and a gay couple was about to become parents....
Rating:
Summary: One of the best ever
Review: I still remember how surprised I was when I saw this movie. Back in the early 90's PC was at it's peak, in addition gay was inextricably linked to AIDS. So imagine my shock when I go to see this movie, a hilarious, touching, movie that gives a wonderfully accurate view of one gay relationship. A couple, one American, one from Taiwan have been together in NYC for years. The Taiwanese man's parents do not know he is gay so keep trying to sign him up for membership in all of these very expensive singles clubs. One of the best scenes is when he and his boyfriend are filling out the application and putting down traits his ideal woman that they think will be impossible to fullfill, "two PHD's, an Opera Singer, speaks 7 languages, ect.." It gets even better when the letter from his parents arrives saying "We've found her" This could have degenerated into a slapstick movie, especially when the parents want to come out to NYC, to throw their son a wedding but it was a Superbly done movie that kept you laughing all the way through. If you have loved any of Ang Lee's Other movies, Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger Hidden Draggon, Eat Drink Man Woman, you will wonder how you've gone so long without seeing this gem. In addition it received an Oscar Nomination for best foreign film "No Subtitles, it is in English" I have loaned this movie out more times than I can count and always have a difficult time getting it back. My only wish is that more gay movies were this high quality.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film, Even in Repeat Servings!!
Review: I watched this film the other day for the first time in about 10 years and it still touched my heart. As a Chinese growing up in the U.S, I can understand how cross-cultural differences can really take a toll on one's life. Ang Lee did a great job because he is truly one of the few directors out there who I feel puts a lot of real emphasis on character development. The film did a great job of focusing on people's individual expectations, and the means by which people would go in order to live up to those of their parents'.I was lucky enough to talk to Ang Lee at a film discussion last year. I told him that the Wedding Banquet was one of my favorite films of all time, and he seemed appreciative of that, because he felt he took a lot of care in developing the essence of character conflict and tension. This is definitely a movie worth adding to one's collection.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film, Even in Repeat Servings!!
Review: I watched this film the other day for the first time in about 10 years and it still touched my heart. As a Chinese growing up in the U.S, I can understand how cross-cultural differences can really take a toll on one's life. Ang Lee did a great job because he is truly one of the few directors out there who I feel puts a lot of real emphasis on character development. The film did a great job of focusing on people's individual expectations, and the means by which people would go in order to live up to those of their parents'. I was lucky enough to talk to Ang Lee at a film discussion last year. I told him that the Wedding Banquet was one of my favorite films of all time, and he seemed appreciative of that, because he felt he took a lot of care in developing the essence of character conflict and tension. This is definitely a movie worth adding to one's collection.
Rating:
Summary: One of a Kind!
Review: If you are looking for a movie that's funny, sweet, cross-cultural and different from any other movies, this is the one! It started with introducing a Chinese-Caucasian gay couple (Wei Tung and Simon) and their tenant, Wei Wei. Wei Wei needs a "Green Card" to stay in the U.S., and Wei Tung needs a fake marriage to stop his parents from trying to find him a wife. It wouldn't be such a big deal if Wei Tung's parents decide not to come to congratulate their son. Now they have to fake a wedding and living together. Simon becomes their landlord. Everyone is trying to compromise. Everyone is trying to finish the "act" and go on their own lives. But is it as easy as they thought? The wedding itself is a perfect demonstration of melting pot culture. But at the end of the banquet there is a little twist. Now what's gonna happen? Is everything still fake? This movie reveals the conflict between traditional Chinese culture and independent American culture, the different aspects in sexuality and morality, and different concept of family, love and honesty. How hard is it for one to survive in a society with other kinds (being either a foreigner or a gay) and being accepted? You will find it out through laugher, tears, heartbreaks and strong wills. You will enjoy the movie, and keep going back to watch it again and again.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best films I've ever seen!
Review: It's very hard to find fault with ANY part of this movie. The script and acting are superb. The storyline is full of twists and genuine surprises as Wai Tung first decides to enter into a sham marriage with his tenant Wei-Wei, then tries to prevent his parents turning the wedding into a big event. You'll laugh, you'll cry and at the end you'll want to watch it all over again.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly wonderful
Review: My film school sister suggested I see this film which I was anticipating to be flat and boring. Was I surprised! The humor and interpersonal interactions are realistic, humorous, and thought provoking. Being from a large and conservative asian family (then again... what asian family isn't conservative?), I was impressed to see the accuracy of so many common asian archetypes so accurately portrayed. One of the best films I've seen in the last few years.
Rating:
Summary: Few comedies stand the test of time for me, this one does
Review: Sappy romances, topical comedies and gay stereotypes wear thin with me, and usually don't pass the test of time. However, this one more than passes the test of time. Other than the Marx Brothers and Jack Benny's 'To Be Or Not To Be' I haven't laughed out loud in a long, long time. It's great to laugh at one's self, and at situations that can be heavy and emotional. The plot has already been explained well by others. But let me add that if you want a good, hard laugh, if you, as a gay person, could use a good laugh at a sometimes sensitive and difficult subject matter, and if you want to see some intelligent and quality acting and dialogue, buy this one. I've had the video for many years and I'm thrilled to have it on dvd. Excellent quality.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Film About Family
Review: The first Ang Lee film that I saw was "Crouching Tiger". I didn't realize that he had directed films as varied in theme as "Sense and Sensibility" and "The Ice Storm", both of which are excellent films. In some respects, I found "The Wedding Banquet" to be the most accessible and intimate of his films that I have seen. It's certainly the most humorous. The plot has been summarized by other reviewers, and in lesser hands it could easily have turned the film into a cliche. Given that the film appeared in the early 1990's, it could also have look dated to viewers in 2004. However, this film is not dated and it's not a cliche. Instead, it's a warm-hearted (but never maudlin) look at the importance of family, cultural heritage, and the difficulty of leading a hidden life, even when your relatives live on the other side of the world. Much of the dialogue is Chinese (with English subtitles), but this is one of those rare films where I quickly became accustomed to the subtitles and they did not interfere at all with my enjoyment of the movie. The fact that the Chinese characters actually spoke Chinese made the film more believable. Ang Lee's talent for visual composition is apparent throughout the movie. It's filled with scenes of real beauty, which is not always the case with comedies. Too often, movie comedies are shot as if they were widescreen TV sitcoms. That's not the case here. The production values are consistently high, so much so that I was surprised to discover during the DVD featurette that it was a low-budget film. This film is fun to watch, with excellent acting and outstanding direction.
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