You probably remember the original. Ang Lee’s 1993 classic was a quiet earthquake in cinema—the first time many of us saw a gay Asian man center stage in a story that wasn’t just a tragedy. Fast forward more than thirty years, and Andrew Ahn has brought us The Wedding Banquet 2025. Honestly, remaking a masterpiece is usually a recipe for a disaster, or at least a very expensive "why did they bother?" But this isn't just a carbon copy with better cameras.
It's different. Really different.
The 2025 version, which hit theaters on April 18, 2025, after a buzzy Sundance premiere, flips the script on the marriage-of-convenience trope. Instead of just one gay couple and a girl who needs a green card, we've got a quartet of messy, beautiful, and deeply relatable people trying to navigate a world that has changed since the 90s, but maybe not as much as we’d like to think.
Why The Wedding Banquet 2025 Isn't Just "Another Remake"
Basically, the stakes have shifted. In the original, marriage was the end-all-be-all of "passing" as straight. In the 2025 reimagining, marriage is legal, which adds a bizarre new layer of pressure. If you can get married now, why wouldn't you?
That's the wall Chris (played by a surprisingly vulnerable Bowen Yang) hits. His boyfriend Min (Han Gi-chan) is a Korean student artist whose visa is ticking down like a time bomb. Min wants to get hitched for real. Chris? He's commitment-phobic. He’s the jaded millennial we all know (or are).
Then you’ve got Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone). They’re a lesbian couple desperate to start a family, but IVF is expensive. Like, "sell your soul" expensive. The plot kicks into high gear when Min proposes to marry Angela—not for love, but so he can stay in the country and use his family's wealth to fund Lee and Angela’s IVF.
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It’s a "you scratch my back, I’ll give you a green card and a baby" situation.
The Casting Most People Didn't See Coming
The chemistry here is wild. You’ve got Lily Gladstone, coming off the massive success of Killers of the Flower Moon, playing a grounded, sweet LGBTQ+ center worker. It’s a complete 180 from her more stoic roles. Seeing her play off Bowen Yang’s frantic energy is sort of like watching a sturdy oak tree try to hold onto a kite in a hurricane.
And we have to talk about the matriarchs.
- Joan Chen (Angela’s mom) is an overeager PFLAG ally who means well but somehow makes everything more awkward.
- Youn Yuh-jung (Min’s grandmother) arrives from Korea and demands a full-blown traditional banquet.
Having these two legends on screen together is worth the price of admission alone. They represent the bridge between the immigrant struggle of the 90s and the queer joy (and chaos) of 2025.
What Actually Happens at the Banquet?
The movie isn't just about a wedding; it's about the performance of it. Director Andrew Ahn, who gave us the incredible Fire Island, knows how to film a party that feels both claustrophobic and exhilarating.
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The banquet itself is a "joyful comedy of errors," as the official synopsis puts it. But underneath the drunken toasts and the traditional Korean ceremonies (including a very funny, very sweaty piggyback ride), there’s a real sadness. Min hasn't come out to his grandmother. The "chosen family" is lying to the "biological family" to survive.
There’s a specific scene where the four friends have to scramble to hide "lesbian paraphernalia" (as the script calls it) when the grandmother shows up unannounced. It’s funny, yeah, but it’s also a gut-punch reminder that even in 2025, some closets still have very heavy doors.
Addressing the "Queer Joy" vs. "Queer Struggle" Debate
Some critics have argued that The Wedding Banquet 2025 is too "mainstream" or "populist." There's even a line from a German review that said it wants to "Make America queer again."
But honestly? That's the point.
Andrew Ahn and co-writer James Schamus (who also co-wrote the 1993 original) weren't trying to make a niche indie flick. They made a movie for the big screen. It’s got an R-rating for language and some nudity, but it’s fundamentally a rom-com. It deals with:
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- Immigration Anxiety: The looming threat of a visa expiring is a very real, non-romantic reality for many.
- Fertility Struggles: The cost and emotional toll of IVF for queer couples.
- Inherited Trauma: How we carry our parents' expectations even when we’re thousands of miles away.
The film acknowledges that while we have more rights now, the internal struggle of wanting to be "seen" by our families hasn't gone away. It's a "medicine on accident," as Bowen Yang put it in an interview.
The Verdict: Is It Worth the Watch?
If you’re looking for a perfect, tidy ending where everyone comes out and has a group hug, you might be disappointed. The ending is bittersweet. It’s messy. Angela ends up pregnant after a drunken night with Chris (a callback to the original’s "was it a mistake or a miracle?" moment), and the fallout actually drives the four friends apart for a while.
But that’s life.
The 2025 version is a tender, sharp, and occasionally loud update that respects the original while realizing that 2025 requires a different kind of bravery.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Moviegoers:
- Watch the 1993 Original First: If you haven't seen Ang Lee's version, do it. It’s on most streaming platforms. Seeing how James Schamus updated his own work 30 years later is a masterclass in screenwriting.
- Look for the "Kingdom Hearts" Reference: Weirdly enough, there’s a deep-cut gaming reference in the movie that has become a bit of an easter egg for fans.
- Pay Attention to the Setting: The move from New York (original) to Seattle (remake) matters. The Seattle setting allows the film to touch on Duwamish history and the idea of who "belongs" on the land, a theme Lily Gladstone helped bring to the forefront.
- Check VOD Platforms: If you missed the April theatrical window, the movie is now available to rent or buy on demand (as of May 2025).
Whether you're in it for the Bowen Yang quips or the heart-wrenching Joan Chen monologues, this movie is a rare example of a remake that actually has something new to say. It reminds us that chosen families aren't just a backup plan—they're the real deal.