Nate At The Movies

This review contains spoilers.

All of a sudden, there is a surplus of films in theaters that I’m interested in, so I was initially nervous that I would get to the theater to see The Wedding Banquet in time. Leave it to me to go see it after school on a Monday so I didn’t miss it.

The trailer seemed to convey that this remake (not really, though) of the 1993 movie was going to be comedy and hijinks-focused, but the film’s quick escape from that fate was unexpected and ultimately quite welcome. I had no idea where the story was going to go once Grandma foiled their plans, and though I would’ve liked more crazy hijinks and the balancing act of keeping the secret, where the story ultimately went was much more dramatic and heartfelt. There were a number of really tough scenes in the third act, and the surprisingly heightened emotional moments resonated with me.

The film took a lot of time to analyze each relationship in the main friend group, which made every controversy and conflict feel more impactful, and the characters at the center of the film were also all quite entertaining. The central performances were pretty solid, and I was happy to see strong emotional moments from drama rookies like Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran. The standout for me, though, was Youn Yuh-jung, whose character was grounded and necessary for the younger idiots she was acquainted with. She brought wisdom to many of their interactions, as well as an understanding of situations and life that I feel like a lot of members of older generations have lost.

The movie had plenty of humorous moments, too, don’t worry, and I also had plenty of room to laugh in my—yes, again!—empty theater (I get it was a Monday, relax). Min’s frustration about “already being so good at Google Sheets” resonated with me. I also enjoyed the ending a whole lot; the movie predicated itself on its lack of adherence to convention, whether it be in premise or the relationships it portrayed, so what better way to wrap up the film than with the birth of an unconventional family?

The Wedding Banquet (2025) was equally sweet, salty, and satisfying, making sure everyone in the theater (yes, just me) left feeling all the warm fuzzies. As my own wedding draws near, this was a good way to kick off my marathon of wedding-related movies, though I’m eagerly awaiting the crown jewel of wedding films: Mamma Mia!