Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 13, 1993 TAG: 9311130066
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That's "The Wedding Banquet," a light romantic comedy- drama about sexual differences. It treats both homosexual and heterosexual desire with the same openness, and so may surprise some viewers. Beyond that side of the subject matter, it's a love story complete with the deceptions and evasions that come with the territory.
As it begins, Wai-Tung (Winston Chow) is involved in a moderately happy relationship with Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein). They share a nice New York townhouse and manage to live comfortably enough, despite the occasional squabble. Wai-Tung's parents (Ah-Leh Gua and Sihung Lung) are still trying to get him to settle down with the right girl, but since they're in Taiwan, he has kept his sexual identity hidden from them.
But they're increasing the pressure. When they announce that they're coming for a visit, Simon has an idea. Wai-Tung can marry Wei-Wei (May Chin), a pretty artist living in building he owns. She needs a green card; he needs a "suitable companion" for the duration of his parents' visit.
The rest of writer-producer-director Ang Lee's story contains all the expected complications but few real surprises. The film was made on a shoe-string budget and that rawness shows through in almost every scene. But what the movie lacks in polish, it makes up for in honest emotional reactions. And despite its subject matter, the film is not aimed solely at gay viewers.
"The Wedding Banquet" is as concerned with relations between parents and their adult children as it with sex, and that's a subject that should speak to a large audience.
The Wedding Banquet: ** 1/2. A Samuel Goldwyn release playing at the Grandin Theatre. 105 min. Unrated, contains sexual material, strong language, brief nudity.
by CNB