The Wedding Banquet (Xi yan) (1993) directed by Ang Lee

[reviews_and_ramblings]

To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.

Director: Ang Lee

Writer: Ang Lee (writer)
Neil Peng (writer)
James Schamus (writer)

Release Date: 4 August 1993 (USA)

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Taglines: A little deception in the reception.

You are cordially invited to a wedding where everybody wants to kiss the bride... except the groom.

Storyline: This lyrical film by Ang Lee dares to expand the definition of love. Wei Tong (Winston Chao) is a successful Manhattan businessman enjoying a thriving relationship with his live-in lover, Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein). Life is perfect, except his parents don't know he's gay. So, when they decide to visit from Taiwan, he asks his tenant, Wei Wei (May Chin), for help. She agrees to pose as his fiancée -- a plan that goes a little too far.

Awards: 1994 Oscar Nomination as Best Foreign Language Film, Taiwan (Academy Awards, USA)
1992 Best Film to Ang Lee (Asia-Pacific Film Festival)
1993 Golden Berlin Bear to Ang Lee (Berlin International Film Festival)
1993 Critics Award to Ang Lee (Deauville Film Festival)
1994 GLAAD Media Award as Outstanding Film (Independent) (GLAAD Media Awards)
1994 Golden Globe Nomination as Best Foreign Language Film, Taiwan (Golden Globes, USA)
1993 Golden Horse Award as Best Director to Ang Lee, Best Film to Ted Hope, Ang Lee & James Schamus, Best Screenplay Originally Written for the Screen to Ang Lee, Neil Peng & James Schamus, Best Supporting Actor to Sihung Lung, Best Supporting Actress to Ya-lei Kuei (Golden Horse Film Festival)
1994 Independent Spirit Award Nomination as Best Director to Ang Lee, Best Feature to Ted Hope, Ang Lee & James Schamus, Best Female Lead to May Chin, Best Male Lead to Mitchell Lichtenstein, Best Screenplay to Ang Lee, Neil Peng & James Schamus, Best Supporting Female to Ya-lei Kuei (Independent Spirit Awards)
1999 Director's Choice Award to Ang Lee (New York International Independent Film & Video Festival)
1993 Golden Space Needle Award as Best Director to Ang Lee and Best Film (Seattle International Film Festival)

@IMDb
@Amazon: The Wedding Banquet (1993)
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Cast (in credits order)
Dion Birney ... Andrew
Jeanne Kuo Chang ... Wai-Tung's Secretary
Winston Chao ... Wai-Tung Gao
Paul Chen ... Guest
May Chin ... Wei-Wei
Chung-Wei Chou ... Chef
Yun Chung ... Guest
Ho-Mean Fu ... Guest
Michael Gaston ... Justice of the Peace
Ya-lei Kuei ... Mrs. Gao
Jeffrey Howard ... Street Musician
Theresa Hou ... Female Cashier
Yung-Teh Hsu ... Bob Law, Wai-Tung's Old Friend
Jean Hu ... Guest
Albert Huang ... Guest
Neal Huff ... Steve
Anthony Ingoglia ... Wei-Wei's Employer (as Anthony 'Iggy' Ingoglia)
Eddie Johns ... Haskell
Thomas Koo ... Guest
Chih Kuan ... Granny Tien
Robert Larenquent ... Hispanic Man
Neal Lee ... Waiter
Mason Lee ... Baby (as Mason C. Lee)
Dean Li ... Director Wang
Mitchell Lichtenstein ... Simon
Jennifer Lin ... Guest
Sihung Lung ... Mr. Gao
John Nathan ... Joe
Francis Pan ... Guest
Neal Peng ... Guest
Tien Pien ... Old Chen
Marny Pocato ... Miriam
Tonia Rowe ... Simon's Nurse
Chung-Hsien Su ... Studio Photographer
Hannah Sullivan ... Mariane (as Patricia Sullivan)
Elizabeth Yang ... Guest
Vanessa Yang ... Mao Mei
Wei-Huang Ying ... Guest
Peide Yao ... Egg Head
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ang Lee ... Guest at the wedding banquet (uncredited)

     
Simon & Wei-Tung

Comments

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I so love that last scene with the red dress... the father is fantastic. Elisa