Producers of the indie Wedding Palace, which opens tonight at Edwards University in Irvine as well as select cinemas in LA, New York and Hawaii, claim it is “the first Asian American romantic comedy and family movie to open in U.S. theaters.” Can that possibly be correct?
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Please add titles to the comments below if you can come up with one. Also, see if you can figure this title out: When Wedding Palace was passed over in Hollywood for a “movie like yours, but it's Greek,” which rom-com was being referred to?
OK, that's difficult to know without seeing Wedding Palace, but the flick was, of course, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which I understand may have done some business. So, uh, whoever passed on Wedding Palace won?
Guess we'll find out starting tonight. Directed, produced and co-written by Christine Yoo and produced with the support of the Los Angeles Koreatown business community, Korean corporations and the South Korean government, Wedding Palace is also said to be the first ever U.S.-Korea independent co-production shot in Los Angeles and Seoul.
It stars Brian Tee, Kang Hye-jung, Bobby Lee and Margaret Cho (so we know at least two very funny people are in it).
Here's the plot:
Abandoned at the altar, Jason's (Brian Tee) family quickly introduces him to other eager brides in waiting but to their horror, he rejects them all. The clock is literally ticking on Jason's life as his 30th birthday is fast approaching, bringing along an old family curse. On a business trip to Korea, Jason meets the girl of his dreams, Na Young (Kang Hye-jung). They embark on a cyber love affair fueled by imagination and video chats. Jason proposes and his family is beyond delighted. However when Na Young arrives in Los Angeles with a surprising revelation, Jason has hesitations and his wacky family goes overboard causing a roller coaster of ups-and-downs at every turn in this modern romance. Jason will have to bridge the gap between family expectations and being true to himself to find his true love.
The film's score includes original musical compositions from both countries courtesy of five-time Grammy nominated jazz pianist David Benoit, popular Korean R&B singer Kim Johan (formerly of Solid) and South Korean indie band Peppertones.
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.