There are a lot of valid reasons to remake a movie. Maybe technology has changed since the original came out and you want to do things with the film you couldn’t do before. Maybe there’s new perspectives you could add to the plot. It’s even possible that the first movie just didn’t age well and needs an update. These are all solid reasons to have another go at a movie, and not one of them applies to Andrew Ahn’s remake of The Wedding Banquet. Yet, somehow, it’s still not bad.

The story follows Angela (Kelly-Marie Tran) as she and her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone) try to start a family. After a second failed IVF treatment leaves the couple devastated and unable to afford another attempt, their friends Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-Chan) seem like they may be able to offer the perfect solution. Min comes from a very wealthy family in Korea and will have to go back soon and leave Chris behind unless he can find a way to stay in the country. So, a plan is hatched where Angela and Min will get married to get him his green card, and Min will give his friends the money needed for another round of IVF.

As the plot for a comedy goes, it’s fine. It’s a little generic, but it provides lots of room to comment on modern dating culture, gay culture, and the characters themselves. Lee and Chris, in particular, I thought were really compelling. Both are watching the loves of their lives put on this sham engagement and have to bend over backwards to pretend that they’re fine. They both go along with it to get what they want; Lee wants another try at a baby, Chris wants Min to stay, but both clearly struggle with watching it happen. Gladstone and Yang both deserve praise for their performances.

That could be the end of the review, honestly. There’s not much else to the movie. It doesn’t ever elevate itself beyond that simple story, but it tells that story competently enough to be a decent time at the theater. It’s not all that funny, but it’s got a lot of heart, and I suspect people are going to enjoy it. The problem is, it’s a remake, and I found myself repeatedly wondering why.

The 1993 version, directed by Ang Lee, is fairly well regarded for its unexpected charm and depth. For a movie that came out in the 90s, it was ahead of its time. The 2025 update clearly wants to respect that, but it never quite achieves the charm of the original. The effort to honor the original work leaves the remake with a few moments that are outdated, with plot points and stereotypes that would have been much less jarring three decades ago than today. Also, the emotional elements often feel a bit forced, with conflicts between characters randomly cropping for no reason other than the movie decided someone needed to cry. The heart is there, but it’s a bit too manufactured at times.

That said, I don’t think that the movie suffers badly from its flaws. This is an enjoyable story, with good actors, clearly made with reverence and care. I do think that the best parts of the movie are the parts that weren’t in the original, so much so that I kind of wish this had just been tweaked a bit and been an original story, but it never gets totally dragged down by the parts that aren’t as good. It’s like going to a friend’s second wedding. You’ve seen parts of it before, but the new things are nice and it’s still a pretty decent party.