Rating: 
Summary: Quiet, lovely film
Review: "The Wedding Banquet" finds Ang Lee in top form, and centers on a gay couple living in Manhattan. One of the men is Chinese, and he feels certain his parents would never accept his lifestyle. So he marries a Chinese woman living in one of his apartment buildings in New York and passes her off as his wife when his parents come to visit. There are little suprises in this film, and a number of funny and poignant scenes. Its main theme is unconditional love and acceptance. I would definitely recommend this film, as well as other Ang Lee films like Sense and Sensibility and The Ice Storm, in which all, in one way or another, focus on human relationships and our capacity for love.
Rating: 
Summary: Poignant comedy-drama from Ang Lee
Review: "The Wedding Banquet" is a rather moving film by Ang Lee that starts out as a comedy and moves on to become an insightful study of the complex relationship that is family. Ting Gao [Winston Chao] is a thirtysomething Taiwanese immigrant who lives in New York, where he has a real estate business. He seems to be heavily subsidized by his wealthy family back home. His Mom and Dad are constantly pushing him to get married. Why can he not grant his father's fondest wish to become a grandfather? Ting can't do his parents' long distance bidding because he happens to be gay. He lives happily with a nice guy named Simon [Mitchell Lichtenstein]. The very American and liberated Simon is wise enough to see that cultural differences prevent his lover from admitting the truth. The deception is no problem until the folks announce their imminent arrival in New York. The boys come up with a plan. Ting will marry their friend Wei-Wei [May Chin], who happens to need a green card anyway. The parents will arrive, Wei-Wei and Ting will marry in a civil ceremony, the family will leave, and life will return to normal. All goes according to plan until an old family acquaintance shows up and insists on giving the bride and groom a lavish, old-fashioned Chinese wedding banquet. The plan then hits some serious snags. "The Wedding Banquet" is actually a Taiwanese movie shot on location in America. At least half of it is in Chinese, which will irritate anyone who despises subtitles. For everyone else, though, the movie will be a treat. It is more than an interesting study of cultural differences. It is great portrait of a remarkable family, one in which love ultimately redeems everyone, even if truth and reality get rearranged in the process.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and touching
Review: "The Wedding Banquet" is one of the first films I saw in American mainstream that had as its main plot vehicle a gay Asian-American man and the conflicting pressures that places on him. This movie is funny and touching in its all-too-realistic depiction of Gao Wei-Tung's protracted attempts to please his parents and hide his sexuality (and, indeed, his lover). The movie takes a few more tosses and twists than it needs to, however: I could have done well without the extra plot line that gets thrown in after the wedding night (and you know what I mean)... because that then just throws in the complications of further sexual dynamics which weren't necessary for a full resolution of the familial disharmony. In any event, though, the movie is a definite keeper and well worth watching. I laughed, I cried, and empathized. I do wish it were on DVD, though.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the wedding you won't forget
Review: (...)P>Story revolves around Wei Tong (played by Winston Chao), a very attractive 30 something chinese american living in the NY. He seems the prefect marriage material for any girl execept when he calls home, it's "Simon, will be home before 6pm!" He's gay and happily attached to the dashing American boyfriend Simon (played by Mitchell Lichtenstein. So what's the problem... Mum and Dad in Tawian wants grand wedding and a grandchild and they will do anything to find him the perfect match. (...). Ang Lee takes a humours approach towards the film but never deters from the storyline of "do we live to please our parents or for ourselves". Buy it and I'm 150% you'll laugh, cry and love the movie!
Rating:
Summary: A must see movie
Review: A beautiful story, showing the lengths a gay person would go too to please their family, and the the consequences of their actions. Splendidly written, and directed, it shows that a persons must always be true to themselves and their family.
Rating:
Summary: You Have To See This
Review: A Taiwanese man, living in the U.S with his partner, is quite happy until a certain problem arises: his parents have decided to visit him and his girlfriend. Why is this a problem? Well, for one thing, he doesn't have a girlfriend. He has a boyfriend, who is also white. Some people just insist on making their lives complex don't they? And so with the assistance of his friend - a Taiwanese girl who's an illegal immigrant, he attempts to solve two problems at once. If he marries her, then she can stay in America and he can keep up the pretense to his parents that he's straight. Simple, huh? Well no. The parents arrive in time for the all-important wedding banquet, and our hero finds himself doing something to his new wife that he never thought was possible. From the director of Eat Drink Man Woman this is a lovely film that is really quite funny and yet delivers serious drama, with more than competant acting.
Rating:
Summary: A truthful examination of Family Values
Review: A truly excellent film, the story begins with a happy gay couple, one American born and one from Taiwan living together in a US city.
When the old fashioned parents of the Taiwanese man continue to
pressure him to marry, he arranges a fake wedding with a young Chinese girl in need of a green card.
His parents travel to the US for the wedding, and the pressure builds as the deceit threatens to fall apart.
The pressure, complications, treachery, and energy wasted in concealing the truth all build to a potentially tragic climax.
Finally the elderly Chinese father teaches everyone involved
the true meaning of Family Values.
The most meaningful movie I have ever seen, my all time favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Don't pidgeonhole this fabulous film ...
Review: about being gay, coming out etc etc .... This is a great movie about relationships, love of family, maturity etc etc and it just so happens that the main character is gay.
The fact that he is gay and how he copes with trying to keep that secrest from his parents who live in Taiwan is the beauty of this film and the story. Ther are no hidden messages or points of view the director is trying to push except for telling a great story ....
Our young architect hero living with his partner is being pressured into getting married to PLEASE produce an offspring for the retired army general father. He finally is forced to agree with his mother to consider an arranged marriage and she send the forms to him where he describes the kind of woman he would marry. OK, so he lists that he is looking for a tall, blong haired blue eyed Chinese girl that is a nuclear physicist with a Phd and also a classical opera singer .... Now ay .. right
Wrong ... next thing a girl shows up exactly what he ordered .... BUT ... shes in love with someone else and doesnt want to married off either ...
After rejecting the girl, our hero decides he has to do something and they fake a wedding with one of his Latin renters ... the plan being the parents come .. they fake the wedding .. the parents go and his and his lovers life can get back to normal ....
I don't want to give away the story but, as mentioned the film is great great great ...Ang Lee the director is incredible. One tiny little note there are some kissing scenes, that were pretty shocking to me a non gay, so be preared. Those scenes though were not gratuitous and were very necessary to show the comittment the two gay lovers had to each other and show their happy and very unquestioned love for each other ....
This is an unforgettable film ....
Rating:
Summary: Emotions and loyalties
Review: Besides being visually beautiful, this movie has a complex emotional core. The people involved are not right or wrong, good guys or bad guys, but family and lovers who honestly want what is best for each other. Their definition of what is best is the conflict. The characters are well thought out and executed. It's a terrific film.
Rating:
Summary: A very entertaining movie,worth watching!
Review: I found this movie funny,sad,thought provoking and suprising all rolled into one. I'd recomment this movie to anyone to watch. The lengths inwhich the son went to, to first avoid his matchmaking parents. Then the lengths he and his cohorts went to, to spare his parents knowning his sexual preference was very touching. When you watch this movie I suggest you be prepared for a enjoyable and well written script. Why, because that's just what this is! Oh, you might want to keep some tissues handy for some parts of this very good movie.
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