Director Ang Lee’s “The Wedding Banquet,” a groundbreaking dramedy about a Taiwanese man who stages a marriage of convenience, will screen Feb. 11 at Woodmere art museum just as a new adaptation of the film, which premiered at last month's Sundance Film Festival, has renewed interest in the original.
The film follows Gao Wai-Tung (Winston Chao in his film debut), a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant living his best life in Manhattan with his partner, Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein). But Wai-Tung’s parents back home (Gua Ah-leh and Lung Sihung) – from whom he’s concealed his sexuality – feel it’s high time he was married to a nice Chinese woman. He’s nearly 30, after all, and they want grandchildren. So, they’ve brought in the big guns: a dating service.
Afraid to admit to his traditional parents the truth about his relationship with Simon, Wai-Tung attempts to head off their matchmaking by setting an impossible bar for what he wants in a wife. She should be an opera singer, speak five languages, and have not one, but two doctoral degrees. He even stipulates her exact height.
To Wai-Tung and Simon’s dismay, a nearly perfect candidate emerges. Fortunately for the couple, she too is hiding a secret relationship from her parents and is understanding about their situation. To preempt any further parental interference, Wai-Tung strikes up an arrangement with one of his tenants, Wei-Wei (May Chin), a Chinese woman who agrees to a marriage of convenience to help secure a green card.
The real fun begins when Wai-Tung’s parents announce they’re going to visit for the wedding, and Wei-Wei has to pass herself off as Wai-Tung’s loving bride-to-be. What follows is a comedy of both errors and manners, bearing more than a passing resemblance to “Sense and Sensibility,” which Lee would direct two years later.
Though initially married by a justice of the peace, Wai-Tung is moved by his mother’s distress at the courthouse wedding and eventually allows his parents to arrange an elaborate wedding banquet. But a drunken betrayal leads to family drama and challenges the strength of Simon and Wai-Tung’s relationship.
Along with “Pushing Hands” (1991) and “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994), “The Wedding Banquet” (co-written by Lee, James Schamus, and Neil Feng) is part of Lee’s “Father Knows Best” films. This loosely connected trilogy – all featuring Sihung Lung in paternal roles – explores intergenerational conflicts and cultural misunderstandings. And it is ultimately the relationship between Wai-Tung and his parents, more than those with either his partner or wife, that constitutes the emotional core of the film.
With a mere 14 films to his credit over more than three decades including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and “The Ice Storm,” Lee has nevertheless made an indelible cinematic mark. More than half his films have received major awards or nominations, and he took home the Best Director Oscar for both “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi,” the first nonwhite director to win the award. In 2023, “The Wedding Banquet” was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for the distinction of being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Although the Taiwanese-American director rejects the label of “auteur,” Lee’s films – while transcending genres – bear a remarkably personal stamp. Like “The Wedding Banquet,” they nearly always explore themes of cultural expectations, family, and identity, and often look at how even well-meaning dishonesty takes an inevitable toll on relationships.
Lee is also known for pitch-perfect casting, and in “The Wedding Banquet,” his mix of seasoned veterans, like Gua and Lung, and newcomers gives the film a naturalistic feel. Chao, in fact, had been a flight attendant with no formal acting training prior to meeting Lee on a plane. “The Wedding Banquet” launched his successful film and television career. Lichtenstein (the son of artist Roy Lichtenstein) and Chin had previously appeared in only three films each. Nevertheless, whether working with the biggest names in the movie industry (Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, and Chow Yun-fat, to name just a few) or relative unknowns, Lee proves adept at drawing performances from his actors that are remarkable for their authenticity. Equally funny and poignant, “The Wedding Banquet” is that unconventional Valentine’s Day treat you didn’t know you needed.
“The Wedding Banquet,” (1993, 106 minutes; In English and Mandarin with English subtitles) will be presented on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30) at Woodmere, 9201 Germantown Ave. Light refreshments are served. Films are free to attend, but contributions are gratefully accepted. Please check woodmereartmuseum.org the day of the screening for any weather-related cancellations.
Lily Williams is President of The Chestnut Hill Film Group and Woodmere’s Director of Development.
