--- title: "The Wedding Banquet: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-wedding-banquet/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-wedding-banquet" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 6 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Wedding Banquet (1993): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 6 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 1993. The review calls the film its own assured and amusing comedy of manners that is as poignant and pointed as it is funny. It praises the balance of comedy and seriousness along with the universal appeal drawn from gay and Chinese-American experiences. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-04-ca-20153-story.html) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 April 2006. This early Ang Lee film is mainly a wry, nicely observed romantic comedy that discusses racial, national, sexual and generation identities. It features farcical wedding feast moments and smaller character beats like Simon teaching Wei-Wei to stir-fry, with a resolution that shows no one is quite as bigoted as expected. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wedding-banquet-review/) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 4/5. The critic praises the adept handling of cultural clash for rich comedy and pathos in this story of a gay man entering a convenience marriage, noting it's sharply observed and a real treat. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-3ly982/the-wedding-banquet/) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 1993. The critic finds the film a funny and poignant comedy of manners centered on a Chinese-American wedding banquet that refuses to end. The opulent banquet sequence and cultural clashes are singled out as highlights. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/04/movies/review-film-a-union-of-convenience-across-a-cultural-divide.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. Ang Lee skillfully blends subtle and raucous comedy with social commentary without patronizing characters; genuine pain amid jokes leads to a bittersweet ending, with strong cast and matter-of-fact script. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-wedding-banquet-1) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 1993. Festival review. The critic describes it as a slickly mounted Gotham comedy about a phony marriage that slides down easily even if it doesn't leave much aftertaste. The wedding banquet set piece and ethnic color are noted positively, though the emotional payoff is milder than expected. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/the-wedding-banquet-1200431383/) ## The Independent 26 February 1993. Festival review. The Wedding Banquet is a farcical comedy of manners about a gay Taiwanese real-estate agent in New York entering a marriage of convenience that satisfies his parents and gets his tenant a green card. It amuses through endless telling glances, visual gags and mistaken conventions, communicating its humour and compassion to earn a rousing ovation at Berlin. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-rushes-the-bear-heads-east-1475305.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-wedding-banquet.md