Il padre della sposa

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.

As soon as I finished watching the 90s version of "Father of the Bride", I felt the urge to revisit my review of the original Vincente Minnelli's film, starring Spencer Tracy and Liz Taylor as the titular characters, and I couldn't believe how my feelings in a five-year span hadn't changed one bit (indeed once a father, always a father). The only difference is that five years ago I had only one daughter from a previous marriage, now I have a second and a #3 expected for June... I'm definitely bound to be thrice a father of bride but it's still about my oldest girl who's the closer time-wise to bring me the joy or either the heartbreak to see her become another man's princess.

Watching Steve Martin as George Banks, I could feel him in every mimic, in every crisped expression or angry intonation of his priceless monologues, in every tender look he gave to his daughter Annie... and that, folks, is the power of being a girl's father, it's a bond that goes beyond what you can imagine: from the day you see that little creature, you want to keep her for yourself. I guess, a boy is different, you want him to outgrow you, to be tougher and bigger but a girl is that little diamond you want to keep preciously in your little heart-shaped box. That's the way it is, and Charles Shyer's "Father of the Bride", slightly rewritten by Nancy Meyers who has the instinct for rom-com, is an enchanting exploration of paternal instinct put at the stakes of the institution of marriage. Or when you stop being "pops" and become the old man behind the young go-getter who came, saw and conquered your darling.

And so, the whole film, set in these bucolic postcard-like small towns, relies on Steve Martin's comedic timing and it's certainly the best film to showcases his range after "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". Martin has an uncanny ability to play "mature" men finding chaos in rather ordinary situations, and it's precisely because everything is so normal and mundane that his over-the-top reaction are hilarious. If anything, he doesn't imitate Spencer Tracy who was a rock but his infantile attachment to the status quo and refusal to see his girl as an adult that let all the ridicule erupt in a geyser of laughs.

And Diane Keaton as Nina Banks is the perfect counterpart for (like I always said) she always exuded that tender gentleness, that ability to sweep all the negativity through a radiant smile. You can tell she's happy for her daughter because she sees her happiness beyond her own. And she's caring enough to let her husband get a free pass, until the limit is crossed. Anyway her chemistry with Martin is tangible and as Annie, Kimberly Williams-Paisley has that little something so we can see the little flower from her father's perspective and yet she's confident, assertive and strikes as the one who is able to stand for herself while sweet enough not to hurt him, she finds the right balance and something in her smile and her frailness embodies a certain universal idea of a daughter, while Liz Taylor had already that Goddess-like beauty. Other cast members include Martin Short as the wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer with such an improbable accent you'd wonder how many continents his ancestry covers and Kieran Culkin who's given a few funny lines here and there (he'll be more present in the sequel)

The film goes off all the stages of the wedding planning, nothing quite fresh whether you've seen the original or not, but it doesn't try to revolutionize a concept, we get the encounter with the happy future father-in-law and I must say George Newbern is certainly more memorable than his 50s counterpart and is quite believable as a man who could win Annie's heart. Then we get all the financial struggles, George trying to save money by using his own wedding's suit, and a few bits of physical comedy. Speaking of which, If there is one scene that could have been removed without hurting the narrative, that would be that pointless slapstick sequence with the new in-laws (Peter Michael Goetz and Kate McGregor-Stewart) involving a wallet, two dogs and a swimming pool, that part was totally unnecessary and beneath the story, Steve Martin deserved better and fortunately, the film gets rapidly on tracks, so we can feel for the man and his growing claustrophobia as he's surrounded by all the organizational mayhem and so in the night before the wedding, we get to the core of the real heartbreak.

Indeed, it's during the quieter and most tender moments that you just get what it's all about: a separation.

As I mentioned in the original film: it's all about these moments that set a before and an after and Annie knows well that there's no coming back and that night before the wedding carries a certain gravity. I mentioned the birth of my daughter in my review, I remember right now the last night before she came to the world, I knew it was a special night, the end of a chapter and a new beginning. One could see either the page that closes or the one that opens, you just don't turn the pages easily and that moment of realization, related in voice-over, during the ceremony (almost the same as the first) hit me really hard and redeemed all the little flaws. In fact, calling "Father of the Bride" a remake is pointless since it tells a rather universal story that any father can relate to.

I could relate five years ago, I still do and I cherish these years where I can still consider my daughter my special little girl...

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

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

While not Steve Martin's best film or role, he shines in a very likable and watchable comedy film. His Tom Jones impersonation especially is absolutely brilliant. Diane Keaton sparkles as his uncomplaining wife, and Kimberly Williams is sweet and alluring as his daughter Annie(she looked stunning in the wedding dress), while Martin Short gives a wonderfully fluffy turn as the camp wedding organiser. Onto the other elements of the film, while sentimental in places and perhaps a little unoriginal, what lifts it aside from the excellent performances is the beautiful scenery and cinematography, a nice script, assured direction and a pleasant soundtrack. Plus there were enough laughs to satisfy me, going for subtlety rather than wackiness, making it even more pleasant to watch. Overall, engaging and definitely worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox