The Wedding Banquet
by Tallulah
Givehead
In reality, coming out
to y'alls family is scary and rife with Drama (Yes.
"Drama" with a capital "D!"). In the movies, this
event is more often filled with mis-understandings
and laughter ... especially when the family is
completely in the dark. Me? My Momma always knew and
Papa simply said nothing ... Ah was so ready for
nasty drama that it was a total let down! I knew Ah
should wore mah best dress!
Ah think mah favorite
gay movie of ALL TIME must be
The Wedding Banquet - as much for it's handsome
lead actors
Winston Chao (ooooooo ... Ah have such a thing
for Asian boys!) and
Mitchell Lichtenstein (son of the
oh-so-brilliant
Roy Lichtenstein.) as it's humorous shenanigans.
 This
wholesome and witty gay screwball comedy follows the
dilemma a transplanted Taiwanese, now New York "guppie"
Wai-Tung, faces when his traditional parents pay him
a state-side visit. Wai-Tung's parents do not know
he is gay so they keep signing him up for membership
in all of these very expensive singles clubs. One of
the best scenes is when he and Simon are filling out
the application and putting down traits his ideal
woman that they think will be impossible to fullfill,
"two PHD's, an Opera Singer, speaks 7 languages, ect.."
It gets even better when the letter from his parents
arrives saying "We've found her" Eager to show them
that he is "normal," Wai-Tung enters into an
engagement-of-convenience with Wei-Wei (May
Chin), a starving artist residing in one of his
apartment buildings, and relegates Simon to the
status of innocent best friend. Most of the film is
madcap comedy culminating in a full scale Chinese
wedding banquet. In one traditional game guests line
up to kiss the blindfolded bride on the cheek. Where
the goal is to identify her husband, she mistakenly
picks a ten-year-old boy. The story shifts to
serious drama without missing a beat. Somehow the
film affirms the old ways, is gay positive and is
very entertaining.
Tallulah Givehead is
a Fabulous drag queen living in Portland, Oregon
(Lord only knows why!) writing reviews of gay film
by day and tearing up the stage by night. You
can read her reviews here as well as at her blog,
QUEER VUE MIRROR.
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