The Wedding Banquet (1993)
"Xi yan" (original title)

To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers:

Ang Lee, Neil Peng,

Stars:

Ya-lei Kuei, Sihung Lung, May Chin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ya-lei Kuei	...	Mrs. Gao (as Ah-Leh Gua)
Sihung Lung	...	Mr. Gao
May Chin	...	Wei-Wei
Winston Chao	...	Wai-Tung Gao
Mitchell Lichtenstein	...	Simon
Dion Birney	...	Andrew
Jeanne Kuo Chang	...	Wai-Tung's Secretary
Paul Chen	...	Guest
Chung-Wei Chou	...	Chef
Yun Chung	...	Guest
Ho-Mean Fu	...	Guest
Michael Gaston	...	Justice of the Peace
Jeffrey Howard	...	Street Musician
Theresa Hou	...	Female Cashier
Yung-Teh Hsu	...	Bob Law, Wai-Tung's Old Friend

Storyline

Simon and Wei-Tung are a gay couple living together in Manhattan. To defer the suspicions of Wei-Tung's parents, Simon suggests a marriage of convenience between Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei, an immigrant in need of a green card. When Wei-Tung's parents come to America for the wedding, they insist upon an elaborate banquet, resulting in several complications.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | marriage of convenience | banquet | marriage | green card | 

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Taglines:

A little deception in the reception.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

Taiwan USA

Language:

Mandarin English

Release Date:

4 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wedding Banquet

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$6,933,459 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ang Lee Productions, Central Motion Pictures Corporation, Good Machine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ang Lee wrote the film six years before it was made, and five years before his first film, Pushing Hands

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Goofs

During the small family dinner to which Simon treats the newlyweds and Wei-Tung's parents, Simon can be seen to alternately hold chopsticks, a small bowl or nothing in his left hand, depending on the camera angle.

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Quotes

Wai-Tung Gao: I don't know, we should have moved you out.
Simon: I'll survive.
Wai-Tung Gao: Not if Wei Wei keeps cooking.

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Connections

Featured in Naamsaang-neuiseung (1998)

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Soundtracks

"The Wedding Banquet"

User Reviews

perfection

I suppose The Wedding Banquet could be considered a romantic comedy. It is so in the best senses of both words: romantic without being sappy, and comedic without being ridiculous. The characters are vibrant and interesting without being cliches. Ang Lee has not created a great movie, simply a perfect one.