Asian gay man, living in New York with his lover, pretends to be both straight and engaged to appease his Old World parents, who travel from their homeland to attend their son's "wedding". Heterosexual viewers unaccustomed to gay-themed dramas may find this early Ang Lee film palatable. A fast-moving comedy-drama from Taiwan (in both Mandarin and English), it was seemingly made with the determination not to be offensive or controversial in the slightest--which, of course, is both pro and con. The well-acted film is certainly engaging yet rather routine, breaking no new ground (1993 wasn't soon enough to break some taboos?). Performances by the Asian players are fine, but big, bland American Mitchell Lichtenstein seems out of his element. A situation comedy with subtitles, "The Wedding Banquet" goes down smoothly to pacify skittish straights. One Oscar nomination: Best Foreign Language Film. **1/2 from ****
Review of The Wedding Banquet
