The highly anticipated remake of The Wedding Banquet, directed by Andrew Ahn, offers a modern queer reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic. The story follows two queer couples—Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan), and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone)—who share a home in Seattle. Angela and Lee are navigating the financial and emotional toll of IVF treatments, while Min, an heir to a powerful Korean family, faces an expiring visa. When Chris declines Min’s marriage proposal, Min proposes a marriage arrangement with Angela, offering to fund her IVF in exchange for securing his green card. Their plan is thrown into chaos when Min’s traditional grandmother, played by Youn Yuh-jung, arrives and insists on a lavish wedding.

Ahn, known for Fire Island and Spa Night, shared that the original film deeply influenced his journey as both a filmmaker and a queer Asian American.

“It’s a film that I saw when I was eight years old,” he told GQ. “And as a nascent gay boy, not yet fully aware of my sexuality, it stuck with me. I’ve never forgotten it. I think it was because, deep down, I already knew I was queer.”

The film’s screenplay, co-written with James Schamus—who also co-wrote the 1993 version—expands its LGBTQ+ representation by focusing on both a gay and a lesbian couple, adding layers of friendship, family, and identity.

The remake captures the evolving landscape of queer love while preserving the original’s themes of cultural and familial expectation. According to Autostraddle, the film’s comedic yet heartfelt portrayal of relationships within the queer Asian community sets it apart, embracing both modern struggles and universal truths.

Premiering at Sundance to critical acclaim, The Wedding Banquet is set for theatrical release on April 18.

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