Le père de la mariée

The sweetness that "Father of the Bride" exudes does not stem from the fact that it is funny, but rather because it is honest. It's a remake of the 1950s Spencer Tracy classic (which is great in its own right), but has more warmth about it than that film did. It doesn't rely on slapstick as much as it does on the realistic and ironic lead performance by Steve Martin. This is Martin's second favorite film that he has starred in (behind "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and followed by "Little Shop of Horrors"), and I can see why.

Martin stars as George Banks, a wealthy upper-class businessman living in Suburban America with a gentle wife (Diane Keaton) and feisty son (Kieran Culkin). His oldest daughter (Kimberly Williams) has finally grown up and departed the house, and the day she comes home with a fiancée he literally has a panic attack.

She's getting married to possibly the most sensitive man in the world, but George is oblivious to this. All he sees are two big words flashing about the room: LOSING and DAUGHTER. But he is even more upset when he realizes the cost of the wedding: about a couple hundred dollars per head, multiplied by six hundred. You do the math.

Nina (Keaton) and her daughter hire Franck Eggelhoffer to handle the wedding, and Eggelhoffer is one of Martin Short's finest roles. Short, an ex-"SNL" member, and star of "Three Amigos" (which also starred Martin), is simply hilarious as the ecstatic and eccentric Frenchman. Amidst the ceremony's setup procedures, George cannot believe he is the only one who realizes just how crazy the cost of the wedding is.

Let's get this straight: "Father of the Bride" is nothing great. It's been done before, and it will be done again (and it has). Yet because of a likable and warm presence, the movie is more than just the sentimental goo that it nearly becomes at certain points throughout. It's truthful, blunt, and occasionally rather funny, which makes for an entertaining and extremely likable motion picture.

This is not Steve Martin's greatest role. That honor would go to his portrayal of frustrated advertising executive Neal Page in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." But here he provides us with a character almost as realistic, touching and likable. Neal was the character we empathized with in "Planes," and in "Bride" it's essentially the same for Martin. We're seeing the world through his eyes - which explains the reason it is quite often very overwhelming and comical.

The movie indeed benefits from Martin's portrayal of a worried father - not as scared by the fact that his daughter is getting married, as he is by the idea that he will undoubtedly lose her to another man. It's a turning point in both their lives, but it doubles for him. Not only has he essentially lost his daughter, but also he has also just been faced with the reality that he is old enough to nearly be a granddad. This would leave good room for a sequel. Oh, wait...

4/5 stars.

• John Ulmer

I remember a few years ago seeing Father of the Bride on TV, but of course it's edited and I never finished it, it's sad, I call myself a Steve Martin fan and never finished this movie. It's such a classic in itself and is just a nice family film that's a good watch. So I decided to rent Father of the Bride the other day, I just love this movie. It's one of the rare films that is genuinely good and just means to entertain you, your family and friends as well. Steve Martin makes such a great over protective dad, as much as he drives his daughter crazy in the film, you still gotta love him that he's so protective over his baby girl. Father of the Bride is a great comedy and is a good watch with it's sweet story and lovable characters. Before Meet the Parents, there was Father of the Bride.

George has an excellent life: good job, nice home, beautiful wife, and two loving kids, one of which is his daughter who has just come home from Rome getting her masters in architecture and announces she's getting married to a man she met there, Bryan. George is going crazy, loosing his baby girl so fast and now having to deal with not being the main guy in her life that she will go too for help. George has to also deal with the crazy wedding planner, Franck Eggelhoffer, trying to break up his daughter and her fiancée, and Bryan's rich parents.

Father of the Bride is a good film and I really recommend it, it's one of those films that you get a few good laughs for and just feel good afterwards. Steve Martin made George such a lovable character, even though he's trying to break up his daughter and her fiancée, you could understand why through his narration and the way he talks, every dad could relate too. Martin Short as Franck Eggelhoffer is a little over done, but still delivers good laughs. Father of the Bride is a just a fun movie that anyone could enjoy, it gives good laughs and might even make you shed a tear.

7/10

I really want to enjoy this movie. It's cute. However, there's a major stumbling block for me. I find it nauseating that the bride in this movie is so incredibly spoiled. She expects her father, who has worked hard all his life to build a successful business, to spend $250 a head for what is probably a wedding of between 200-300 guests? Am I the only one who did the math on this one? I kept waiting for someone to say, hey there bride-to-be, you're asking way too much, but no--everyone gangs up on the father, who is concerned about the price tag, and acts as though *he's* he unreasonable one.

I know this is just a movie, and I know it's not meant to be the issue we focus on, but I find behavior like this so egregiously offensive that it largely kills the humor of an otherwise cute movie for me.

I re-watched this movie today after seeing it a couple of years ago. I didn't remember half of what happened in the movie, but even the stuff that I remembered amused me again. Steve Martin is his usual self, very funny, great body language...simply great. It's been a while since I've seen such a good, not laugh-out-loud funny, funny comedy. Most of the newer comedies have less realism, less normal subjects and plots, and try too hard to be funny. While this movie definitely has it's share in sentimentality, especially towards the end, pretty much most of the last thirty minutes, but it is still funny, and you don't lose interest in it. A great family comedy, it is pretty much funny for all ages. This is a good movie to sit down with the entire family and watch. Most people will enjoy it, and most people will find at least a few things to laugh at in it, if not Steve Martins nervous father character then maybe Martin Shorts character with the ridiculous accent. There's something for everybody in this one; well, pretty much, anyway. 8/10

Why can't they bring back this genre of movies? Simple, every day life without super drama. Watching a dad have a meltdown over his daughter's wedding is realistic and Steve Martin's character is so relatable. The super market moment with the hot dog buns is hilarious and so dead on. Nowadays it feels like writers/producers have no idea what is happening in the real world. I have watched countless movies where the characters drive new cars and $500k+ houses and are portrayed as the struggling, all-American family lol even though this family has a stunning house, they still come across grounded and humble.