Lovable Cast Boosts Queer Rom-Com ‘The Wedding Banquet’ Remake

Lovable Cast Boosts Queer Rom-Com ‘The Wedding Banquet’ Remake

By Lynn Venhaus
A modern re-imagining of Ang Lee’s first 1993 breakthrough film, “The Wedding Banquet” is a funny, charming queer family romantic comedy about personal growth, making a home, and your chosen family becoming your real family.

The story is about a gay man (Han-Gi Chan), hoping to stay in the U.S., proposes a green card marriage to a female friend (Kelly Marie Tran) in exchange for paying for her IVF treatment. However, things soon get complicated when his grandmother (Youn Yuh-Jung) surprises them with plans for an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.

It’s safe to say much of society has changed towards more acceptance of same-sex couples in the three decades since Lee and his screenwriter James Schamus imagined a green-card marriage between a gay bride and groom, noting marriage equality and LGBTQ rights achieved since 1993.

This remake has many things it wants to say through writer-director Andrew Ahn, who also teamed up with Shamus for this version. Ahn, an L.A. filmmaker whose previous film “Fire Island” also starred Bowen Yang, was a summer vacation rom com inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”

Bowen Yang, Han Gi-Chun, Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone.

The cast is all aces-high, with Joan Chen, ‘Minari’ Oscar winner Youn Yuh-Jung, Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone, Emmy nominee Yang, Kelly Maria Tran and newcomer Ha Gi-Chan endearing characters you can relate to through a modern lens.

As the two same-sex couples, Tran, Gladstone, Yang and G-Chan nimbly play complicated Millennials and give us enough genuine emotion to make a connection.

Lee, the Taiwanese filmmaker who has won two Oscars for directing “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Life of Pi,” was considered a legitimate talent after his “The Wedding Banquet” was both Oscar-nominated and won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, the first of his two (no one else has achieved that). It was also his first film to release theatrically in the U.S. (Fun fact: He has an undergraduate degree from University of Illinois).

Fast-forward 32 years, and the Ahn-Schamus American remake collaboration still concerns cultural friction and a sham marriage ceremony — only it’s South Korea and not Taiwan as the immigrants’ home country, they’ve shifted the action from New York City to Seattle, and they’ve increased the involved couples from one to two.

Bowen Yang, Han Gi-Chun,

Min (Gi-Chan) and Chris (Yang) have been in a five-year relationship and live in the garage of their good friends Angela (Tran) and Lee (Gladstone), who live in Lee’s family home. They would like a child and have tried IVF twice with Lee. Angela doesn’t want to carry the baby, for she has an overbearing mother (Chen), and she frets about what kind of parent she’d be. Chris and Angela became good friends in college.

Min has family money, but his grandmother Ja-Young (Yuh-Jung) is not happy with his reluctance to join the family business – a multinational corporation, and with his student visa about to expire, is making demands.

The pair hatch this scheme — Min will pay for the IVF again if Angela marries him, basically helping both couples — but it becomes more complicated when Min’s grandmother shows up.

As played by the wonderful character actress Youn Yuh-jung, who won an Oscar as the grandmother in “Minari,” Min’s grandmother Ja-Young steals every scene she’s in, and will also break your heart as she reveals confidences to her grandson. After all, Yuh-jung has five decades’ worth of film credits.

Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone

The characters could all easily have been one-note, but the performers provide unexpected layers, while also crowd-pleasing with broad laughs. OK, it may be cliché, but the scene where they “de-queer” the girls’ home is very funny, especially when Yang is shown taking down a framed Lilith Fair poster.

While one can easily predict “all’s well that ends well” after mishaps and complications arise, yet there are some sweet surprises that await.

“The Wedding Banquet” may have some clunky moments, awkward baggage, and appear not svelte enough in its execution, but one can feel its sincerity, its concern over Asian-American representation, and appreciate its lovable cast.

“The Wedding Banquet” is a 2025 romantic comedy directed by Andrew Ahn and starring Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Han Gi-Chun, Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-Jung. Its runtime is and it is rated R for language and some sexual material/nudity. It opened in theatres on April 18, became available on premium VOD May 13, and will stream on Paramount + beginning Sept. 8. Lynn’s Grade: B.

Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, Han Gi-Chun, Bowen Yang.

‘Driveways’ is a Wise, Beautiful Film

‘Driveways’ is a Wise, Beautiful Film

By Alex McPherson
Like a Christmas miracle, director Andrew Ahn’s new film, “Driveways,” restored my faith in humanity.

Cody (Lucas Jaye) is a sensitive boy struggling to fit in with his peers. He helps his loving yet overwhelmed mother, Kathy (Hong Chau), clean out his late aunt’s house in a rural New York town to prepare it for sale. Cody meets Del (the late Brian Dennehy), a widowed war veteran living next door, and eventually forms a friendship with him that profoundly impacts both their lives and the lives of those around them for the better.

Sure, the plot sounds exceedingly saccharine, and although “Driveways” follows predictable beats, Ahn’s humanistic approach to the material sets it apart. Viewers shouldn’t expect anything like the bombastic screamfest of “Hillbilly Elegy,” thank goodness, but rather a film that feels like a bittersweet pat on the back. 

With a gentle touch that prizes emotional subtlety over heavy-handedness, “Driveways” zeroes in on a few characters who all feel adrift and disoriented in their lives. Cody is lonely and doesn’t seem to embrace the joys of childhood, in need of a friend.

Kathy is processing the death of her sister — who she became distanced from in adulthood — and the responsibilities of caring for Cody as a single, Asian American parent, while also working to become a nurse.

Del is coming to grips with his remaining years and the mistakes made throughout his life, waiting for a figurative sunset to close out his final chapter. 

The stage is set for a depressing tale, but “Driveways” isn’t a depressing film — showing these characters’ potential for growth despite their struggles, as well as the meaningful impacts that acts of goodwill can have on their lives, or, in fact, anyone’s life.

The film emphasizes smaller, quieter moments of human connection that feel earned and genuine, with an emotional core that sneaks up on viewers and encourages them to go out into the real world and be compassionate to others. 

Much of the power of “Driveways” comes from Ahn’s devotion to letting us sit with the characters and watch them interact in a way that doesn’t feel traditionally “dramatic.”

Indeed, the film progresses in a relatively low-key fashion, with sympathetic characters whose struggles feel relatable, and whose arcs feel earned and thoughtful. Larger topics linger in the periphery— among them prejudice, economic inequality, and the stress of single parenting  — but “Driveways” isn’t really concerned with hard-hitting social commentary.

What Ahn’s film spotlights, on the other hand, is how seemingly mundane acts of kindness and reaching out can bring people together, even those with vastly different life experiences.

The actors portraying the film’s small cast are exceptional, helping to make the characters feel like real human beings. Jaye gives an absolutely incredible performance, conveying an emotional range and nuance that would be impressive for an actor of any age.

Chau is also compelling to watch, illustrating her character’s resilience in an emotionally draining situation. The true standout performance of “Driveways,” though, is by Brian Dennehy. Knowing that this performance was among his last gives every scene he’s in an added melancholic weight, especially his final monologue — a mournful, beautiful reflection on life and the importance of cherishing those close to us.

I don’t have a single flaw to nit-pick. “Driveways” is a near-perfect film, one whose simplistic premise and small-scale storytelling belies an emotional wisdom that the world needs right now. Do yourself a favor and go watch it.

“Driveways” is a drama directed by Andrew Ahn, starring Brian Dennehy, Hong Chau, Lucas Jaye and Christine Ebersole. It is 83 minutes long and is available on Showtime and Video on Demand. Alex’s Grade: A+