The best romance movie of 2025 isn’t on your radar – but it should be

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Funny, poignant and star-studded – it’s the recipe for the perfect romance to kick your sunny season off to a riotous start.

Andrew Ahn’s theatrical debut, The Wedding Banquet, is a remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic that captures all the same warmth and humour with a delightfully modern twist.

Described as ‘a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family’, the movie centres two gay couples – Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan) alongside Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) – as they navigate existential questions around marriage and children.

When Lee and Angela are struggling to find funds for another round of IVF, Min uses his position as heir to a business fortune to offer a wild proposition – a green card marriage in exchange for the coveted pot of gold they need.

Of course, in classic rom-com style, they all agree.

But as Angela continues to navigate the complicated relationship with her overbearing, if not well-meaning, mother May (played by the inimitable Joan Chen) and Min’s grandmother (Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung) arrives from Korea to investigate any foul play – everything quickly falls to shambles.

The Wedding Banquet is the moving rom-com you won’t regret watching this year (Picture: Universal/ AP)

There is plenty to love about this adaptation – and Ahn’s adjustment to bring a sapphic couple to the fore was a stroke of genius that added a much-needed depth to the plot for a 2025 audience.

For a start – this film has some wonderful comedic acting from the ensemble cast.

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There’s a moment in the first scene when May’s exuberance is brilliantly contrasted to the quiet derision on Angela’s face that made me burst into laughter.

Kelly proves her knack for effortless humour that needs no words to translate to the audience throughout the movie and quickly became one of our favourite performances.

And she was in good company.

It’s a modern re-imagining of the 1993 classic (Picture: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

Bowen, Han and Lily all brought their own style to the table with camp quips, vibrant moments of physical comedy and melodramatic statements that hit just the right tone to be funny without feeling too overwrought.

SNL star Bowen specifically flexes his skills on this front and proves why he was such a hit in Wicked as he continues his fruitful comedy career.

And the dynamic between our core four is chaotic enough that you have no idea where a scene will go at any given moment – you just have to surrender yourself to the ride.

There’s plenty of standout moments with chemistry between the entire cast (Picture: Bleecker Street)

Sure, there are moments that border on the cringe and unrealistic (or, on occasion completely zoom past it) but the genre lends itself to the silliness, taking itself seriously but not too seriously.

Interwoven into this rom-com are several scenes of surprising tenderness and vulnerability.

Once more, the chemistry between Kelly and Joan shines through and there’s one heartfelt conversation between the pair that we guarantee will leave you misty-eyed, at the very least.

Meanwhile, Youn Yuh-jung adds a steady presence to the movie, grounding it with a touchingly layered performance as she attempts to wrap her mind around the new generation – and the madcap schemes they conjure up.

There’s joy, heartbreak and everything in between (Picture: Bleecker Street)

The element that rounds this heartwarming tale off is its grounded LGBTQ+ representation. It offers a progressive take on the issues facing queer couples while not allowing the struggles to take away from the overwhelming joy that comes with being yourself.

The celebration of love throughout, whether through heartfelt declarations or moments of quiet intimacy offered the kind of queer romance on screen that feels nourishing for the soul.

And who doesn’t love a found family who make it through their most trying times? It’s the hopeful tale we need to cut through an often depressing news cycle.

Tickets to watch The Wedding Banquet at BFI Flare on Sunday, March 30 are available to buy now. It arrives in UK cinemas on May 9, 2025.

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