The Wedding Banquet (1993)

Directed by Ang Lee. Starring Winston Chao, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Sihung Lung, Gua Ah-leh, May Chin, Vanessa Yang, Dion Birney. [R]

Gay Taiwanese immigrant Chao living with boyfriend Lichtenstein is tired of dealing with his parents nagging him about getting married to a “nice Chinese girl,” so he contrives to marry a broke neighbor (Chin) in need of a green card to get them off his back…but then his folks cross the globe to throw them a lavish wedding. A set-up for a comedy-of-misunderstandings farce à la La Cage aux Folles, yet while there is a good amount of humor to be found here (particularly in the early-going), there’s even more emphasis on tension and poignancy. Low-key but quite satisfying charmer concocts at least one complication too many (the one that arises after the newlyweds are forced to spend the night together) but crafts five winning characters permitted to be flawed and wrong sometimes while almost always meaning well. The acting from the younger folks can sometimes be a little awkward or flat, but Lung and Gua are splendid throughout as the parents. Written by Lee, Neil Peng and James Schamus as part of the director’s “Father Knows Best” triptych (alongside Pushing Hands and Eat Drink Man Woman, all featuring Lung as a paternal figure).

74/100