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6/5/2000
The Wedding Banquet
This is a movie in much the same vein as Double
Happiness, one of my past movies. This is the story
of a gay Chinese man who marries a woman to appease
his parents and get her green card.
The movie is written and directed by Ang Lee, probably
best known for The Ice Storm. Like Double Happiness,
the viewer is given a little bit of insight into
Chinese culture.
When the man's parents come over from Taiwan to attend
the wedding, they are horrified to find they are
getting married at City Hall, but they go along with
the couple's wishes. Until an old friend of the
father insists on giving a traditional Wedding Banquet
to the couple with all traditions and customs.
You could probably guess where the film goes from
here, but I don't want to give it away too much.
There is a hint of a Greek tragedy in the middle of
the film. However, Lee manages to resolve all the
issues he presented in the film in a clever and
heartwarming way.
The movie is about 50% subtitles for those illiterate
ones out there. But the performance by the parents is
magnificent. Its interesting to note that some of the
most compelling acting throughout my movies of the week
has been done by relative unknowns in Chinese themed
movies; Not One Less, Double Happiness and The Wedding
Banquet.
CDWH |
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