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The Wedding Banquet

Original title: Xi yan
  • 19931993
  • RR
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
ComedyDramaRomance
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
16K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ang Lee
  • Writers
    • Ang Lee
    • Neil Peng
    • James Schamus
  • Stars
    • Winston Chao
    • May Chin
    • Ah-Lei Gua
  • Director
    • Ang Lee
  • Writers
    • Ang Lee
    • Neil Peng
    • James Schamus
  • Stars
    • Winston Chao
    • May Chin
    • Ah-Lei Gua
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 54User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 12 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Wedding Banquet
    Trailer 1:16
    Watch The Wedding Banquet

    Photos44

    Winston Chao and May Chin in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao and May Chin in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Winston Chao
    Winston Chao
    • Wai-Tung Gao
    May Chin
    May Chin
    • Wei-Wei
    Ah-Lei Gua
    Ah-Lei Gua
    • Mrs. Gao
    • (as Ah-Leh Gua)
    Sihung Lung
    Sihung Lung
    • Mr. Gao
    Mitchell Lichtenstein
    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
    Michael Gaston
    • Justice of the Peace
    Jeffrey Howard
    • Street Musician
    Theresa Hou
    • Female Cashier
    Yung-Teh Hsu
    • Bob Law, Wai-Tung's Old Friend
    Jean Hu
    • Guest
    Albert Huang
    • Guest
    Neal Huff
    Neal Huff
    • Steve
    • Director
      • Ang Lee
    • Writers
      • Ang Lee
      • Neil Peng
      • James Schamus
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Winston Chao had been an airline steward for seven years and had never acted in a film before when Ang Lee cast him as Wai-Tung. Three to four hours every day were spent to teach him how to act.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Fugitive/The Meteor Man/Manhattan Murder Mystery/The Secret Garden/The Wedding Banquet (1993)
    • Soundtracks
      The Wedding Banquet

    User reviews54

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    More Than Just a Comedy
    The Wedding Banquet is marketed as a comedy, but it is more than that. Closer in plot and style to Green Card than The Birdcage it examines the personal consequences of deceit. The comedy is there of course, but so is much tenderness and pain as a marriage of convenience between a gay man and a woman deportee unravels. Like Green Card which had similar plotlines, the "obvious" resolutions do not appear so likely as the film progresses which adds to its attractiveness.

    I recommend it highly.
    helpful•18
    3
    • gbheron
    • Feb 20, 1999

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 4, 1993 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Taiwan
      • United States
    • Languages
      • Mandarin
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El banquete de bodas
    • Filming locations
      • Phoenix Ballroom, Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel, Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Ang Lee Productions
      • Central Motion Pictures
      • Good Machine
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $6,933,459
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $134,870
      • Aug 8, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,933,459
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Winston Chao, May Chin, and Mitchell Lichtenstein in The Wedding Banquet (1993)
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