Movie Review: The Wedding Banquet

I don’t know how, but the new “The Wedding Banquet” is even gayer than the original “The Wedding Banquet.” Ang Lee’s 1993 classic (which, how did I only just now realize the white male lead was literally Roy Lichtenstein - yes that Lichtenstein’s – son!) was great and I remember it warmly. But the update stars the all-queer-stars cast of Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran and O.G. Ally Mom To Us All, Joan Chen and it just feels so gay. And that’s lovely. Also really funny. Yeah, it still has that being in the closet/coming out/finding your self worth storyline that tends to dominate queer narratives. But with these actors and this material, it just works. It’s also a reminder that while queer people move through the world differently and while our struggles may be different, the end goal can be remarkably similar to that of our straight counterparts. Find someone to love who loves you, build your dream family/home with that person. Have that love and that family celebrated by those who know and love you. Lather, rinse, repeat. How we get there, well, those are the details. Sometimes those details are very funny and very gay, like here.

A Moveable (Picture) Feast

One of the few things I’m looking forward to the most in 2025 is happening in 24 days. Am I putting a lot of pressure on one movie? Yes, but we’re talking Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran and Bowen Yang and Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-jung – who has a freaking OSCAR, people. I’m sure Han Gi-chan is cool, too. I just don’t know him yet. But I do know the movie’s many out and proud stars and clear allies like Joan and Yuh-jung. Again, am I putting high expectations on one movie? Yes, but also I’m thrilled to support a movie that had it been a person DOGE and that Orange Turd would have definitely tried to fire.

My Weekend (Trailer) Crush

Finally, something to truly look forward to in 2025. “The Wedding Banquet” appears to be the rare queer film that both gay men and queer women can agree looks fucking fantastic. The remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic by the same name brings us into the present day as two queer couples fumble their way through a fake wedding ceremony to appease the traditional family. Sort of like “La Cage aux folles,” but without Robin Williams and with Bowen Yang.

This time around, not only is the majority of the cast actually queer as is its director Andrew Ahn (who last helmed the underrated “Fire Island”). Playing the lesbian half of the queer couple are out star Lily Gladstone and newly out Kelly Marie Tran and playing the gay half are Bowen Yang and Han Gi-chan. Rounding out the cast is Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung and and the great and extremely gay friendly Joan Chen.

I’d like to note that Joan Chen continues to be among the most queer friendly straight actors out there having appeared over the years in everything from “Twin Peaks” to “Saving Face” to “What’s Cooking” to “Wild Side.” If you’ve never heard of the 1995 film “Wild Side” with Anne Heche and Christopher Walken, that’s OK – it wasn’t a great movie. But it did feature some unhinged chemistry between Joan and Anne in what I consider to be a precursor to the better queer film “Bound,” which came out a year later in 1996.

Right, so where was I? I look forward to this movie being too gay to function. Also, can we talk about all the gaysian (and two-spirits) excellence on display here? My only concern is, what else will I have to look forward to this year after April 18? Happy weekend, all.

My Weekend Crush

Well, what’s more joyful than coming out? And coming out while talking about one of the few things we can actually look forward to in 2025? Now, that’s a twofer of epically gay proportions. Kelly Marie Tran, of “Star Wars” and “Raya of the Last Dragon” fame, came out in a behind-the-scenes feature for Vanity Fair about the new even queered remake of “The Wedding Banquet” set to premiere next year.

To jog our collective memories, the movie will feature Kelly and queer Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone as girlfriends who are trying to have a baby through IVF, who concoct a plan with their gay male friends – played by queer SNL star Bowen Yang and South Korean actor Han Gi-chan. The movie will also star LGBTQ+ ally extraordinaire (she of the 90s/early 2000s lesbian movies “Wild Side,” “What’s Cooking?,” “Saving Face” et al fame) Joan Chen as Kelly’s character’s mom and Oscar-winning South Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung as Han’s grandmother.

The stellar, and stellarly queer cast, helped inspire Kelly to come out. She told Vanity Fair:

“I haven’t said this publicly yet, but I’m a queer person. The thing that really excited me about it was I got to play a person that I felt like I knew. I don’t feel like I’m acting at all in this movie…. I’m here doing this amazing movie with these amazing people. I’ve never been in a queer space before. I’ve never truly felt this accepted before.”

Congratulations, Kelly! I am going to assume that your toaster oven is in the mail. I am always extra thrilled to welcome more gaysians into the fold. You have certainly earned your truth and your tributes after having to weather relentless online bullying already for daring to be an Asian woman in a “Star Wars” movie.

It sounds like the experience of filming the new “Wedding Banquet” reboot with “Fire Island” director Andrew Ahn has been a reaffirming celebration of queer joy. Kelly says of the new film that “the spirit is the same, and I think it’s even more queer.” And Lily called the production “just one big cuddle.” And just look at the sapphic cuteness between Lily and Kelly together. Yes! More queer! More cuddles! Queer POC actors playing queer POC roles! More sapphic cuteness!

As I was saying, now that’s something to look forward to in 2025. Happy weekend, all.

The Gay Emmys

So how gay were the Emmys? The Oscars better step it up this year, because the Rainbow Mafia looked good, won good at this year’s TV awards fest. I won’t bore you with all the straight winners, etc. etc. (Like, how did I not know that Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup were married? The Straights, I swear.) Anyway, here are the most notably queer shit at this year’s award show.

Jodie Fucking Foster

Really and truly I cannot get enough of this wildly happy, wildly successful, wildly gay era of Jodie’s life and career. Everytime I see her all glammed up with with Alexandra Hedison I think, see, big gay dreams can come true. I hope Jodie signs up for some kind of prestige limited TV series every few years (her, Kate Winslet and Gillian Anderson can rotate seasons) to keep her and Alex on the awards part circuit for our personal enjoyment? What? We can’t get a little residual happiness off her big gay glow these days?

Hacks & Hannah Einbinder

Yes, I know, it’s inappropriate to secretly be an Avorah shipper. But, I mean, deep down we’d all at least like to see what would have happened if Ava hadn’t woken up from that dream when she did, right?

Niecy Nash-Betts & wife Jessica Betts

Honestly, does Niecy not not have the most handsome arm candy always at these things? I swear. It’s almost unfair.

Sarah Paulson & Holland Taylor

Whereas these two always look like the royal court for the May-December Queer Prom.

Nava Mau & Jessica Gunning

The “Baby Reindeer” LGBTQ+ cast broke ground both with Nava’s nomination and Jessica’s win. Which means I probably should watch “Baby Reindeer” after all, shouldn’t I?

Jane Lynch & Sue Sylvester

I only wish Jane and Ilona Maher interacted onstage instead of Coach Beard, for obvious reasons.

Meredith Baxter & Other TV Moms

Lest we forget, the mom from “Family Ties” came out like 15 years ago. So, my grade-school crush on Michael J. Fox remains vindicated.

Ayo Edebiri & Reba

When you come out as queer, you need to stand next to random queer icons for photos. And, like, I think Reba qualifies, but I may need to consult the rule book since I never followed contemporary country close enough to know for sure about her.

Kristen Kish

Like all that AND she can cook. Again, unfair.

Lily Gladstone & Greta Lee

Like, yeah I know Greta is married to a fella and whatnot. But like you’d hold Lily’s hand too, and you know it.

Jodie & Kali Reis

I amend my previous statement, where I want Jodie to put up every other season or so in a prestige limited series. I want Jodie to put up every other season or so in a prestige limited series that features out LGBTQ+ cast and other marginalized voices. Because, you want more pictures like this too, right? Right.

Fancy Meeting You Here

Remember when I said I was excited to see Lily Gladstone as a “queer 30-ish scammer” in the new AppleTV+ film “Fancy Dance?” Yeah, I’m really excited now. After earning raves at Sundance and SXSW, the film debuts in late June on the streamer. Sure, we don’t get to see any of her queer scamming in the trailer. But if a trailer can make me tear up, I trust the whole movie will do so much more (“little mother,” sob – yes, I might have some feelings about this as a gay auntie). Plus this story of familial and cultural love seems to have found a seamless way to address the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women. You love to see it.

I would also like to say how incredibly impressed I am with Lily’s post Oscar choices. Every single project she has signed on since is directed/created by a woman or a person of color (Quinn Shephard with “Under the Bridge,” Erica Tremblay with “Fancy Dance,” Morrisa Maltz with “Jazzy,” Andrew Ahn with “The Wedding Banquet” and Reed Morano with “The Memory Police”). Meanwhile Natalie Portman has worked with two female directors on full-length features in the last 20 years (the most recent was eight years ago on the 2015 film I’ve never heard of “Planetarium” and the other was the year before that in a movie she directed herself). Not to be outdone, Emma Stone has NEVER worked on a feature film with a solo female director. So, anyway, what I’m saying is way to go, Lily. Again, you love to see it.

My Weekend Crush

To be the first anything is both a gift and a burden. And, all too often, it’s also long overdue. All through award season we watched Lily Gladstone so gracefully carry the gift/burden of being the first-ever actor from an Indigenous American tribe to be nominated for an Oscar. To be asked the exact same questions over and over. To be asked to represent an entire people, over and over. Yet Lily never blinked, never cracked. And now she is forging ahead with not one, not two, but THREE queer roles as her follow up to the Oscars. Like, if you can’t like that then why are you reading this blog? Lily – who identifies as LGBTQ+ and uses she/they pronouns – can be seen currently in the Hulu true-crime adaptation series “Under the Bridge,” where she plays a cop who gets involved with a reporter played by Riley Keough (a.ka. Elvis Presely’s grandaughter). And, uh, they’re really and truly gay together.

It was just announced she’ll start filming on the new, even gayer remake of 1993’s “The Wedding Banquet.” I saw that movie back in the day, and it was an early queer classic from the great Ang Lee. The remake will have the same basic premise – a gay male couple pretends one of them is marrying a woman to appease his strict Asian family – but add a lesbian couple played by Lily and Kelly Marie Tran (from the last “Star Wars” trilogy). Bowen Yang will also star as one half of the gay male couple at the film’s center. So, you know, exciting and very gay.

And finally, Lily will also appear in the critically acclaimed “Fancy Dance,” which will premiere on Apple+ June 28. The film from newcomer Erica Tremblay follows an aunt (played by Gladstone) who looks over her niece after her sister’s disappearance. Her character is described as a “queer 30-ish scammer,” which hello. The film got raves at Sundance and SXSW last year, so I am seated to say the least. But, truly, I couldn’t be more impressed with the very queer career trajectory that Lily has carved out for herself post Oscars. The gift and burden of being first never truly goes away, but the best you can be is yourself. And Lily has shown through her work and her advocacy exactly who she is. And that, well, that’s the gift to all of us. Happy weekend, all.

Building Bridges

A true crime thriller with Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough and Archie Panjabi? Yeah, I’m gonna be watching that. Based on a real 1997 disappearance and death of a Canadian high school student, the trailer is taut and leans into the “Mean Girls: The Murderers” premise. Reminds me a little of “Thirteen,” but again with more murder.