Most critics find The Wedding Banquet a funny, sharply observed comedy of manners that gives cultural and family tensions emotional weight. Praise centres on Ang Lee’s handling of farce and quieter character moments, with the wedding feast singled out as a comic highlight. The reviews also value the script’s matter-of-fact treatment of sexuality, the cast’s strength and the compassion shown to characters whose expectations collide, allowing pain into the comedy without making anyone merely a target.
The spread is fairly narrow, with the principal reservation concerning how much feeling remains once the complications subside. Variety offers the clearest dissent, admiring the banquet sequence and smooth construction but finding the emotional payoff mild and the film less memorable than its easy charm promises. Most critics place greater weight on the balance of humour and poignancy, treating that lightness as an asset rather than a limitation.