O Filho da Noiva

Very sweet mid-life crisis movie from Argentina starring the brilliant

Ricardo Darín from 'Nine Queens'. Darin plays Rafael, a driven

restaurant owner who's stressed lifestyle and continuous intake of

ristrettos and cigarettes earns him a heart attack. Lying in his

hospital bed he resolves to start 'a new cycle', simplifying his life.

This proves harder than he expects. Gorgeous younger girlfriend

Nat wants commitment, ex-wife Sandra heaps scorn on his

neuroses and his dapper father wants financial help in enacting a

touching gesture to his wife of 44 years: a proper wedding

ceremony.

Rafael is assisted in meeting these challenges by the appearance

of an old friend, Juan Carlos. Played with memorable comic

energy by Eduardo Blanco (a kind of Argentine Roberto Benigni),

Juan Carlos' loyalty and friendship - and the story of his own

triumph over tragic life circumstances - helps Rafael understand

the treasure he possesses without appreciating it: family.

It may sound kind of soppy, and at moments 'Son of the Bride'

does teeter into sentimentality, but on the whole this is a

consistently entertaining movie, the best of its kind I've seen in a

long time. The film's script is very nearly brilliant, stuffed full of bon

mots and witty asides, from the Padre describing his new speaker

system as 'omnipresent' to Juan Carlos' Jesus-Christ-as-

Maradonna joke.

But its quality lies in more than just a list of gleaming one-liners

and 'zingy' exchanges. There's acres of depth here too, in passing

observations about the universality of corruption in modern day

Argentina, to wry observations about the hypocrisy of the church.

Campanella covers a lot of bases - much more so than comparable comedies from the US - without ever losing his

lightness of touch. It's this that raises 'Son of the Bride' above the

mass and makes it a movie that I'm actually very keen to see

again.

Impossible not to like, then, and if the ending doesn't leave you

with a tear in your eye, you're a heartless swine.



I actually caught 'Son of the Bride' last night in a double with 'Nine

Queens'

A great feel-good type of film. Campanella lives up to promise and delivers yet again, as he dives head first into the story of a forty-something going through a mid-life crisis. Ricardo Darin (Rafael Belvedere) shows us why he's one of South America's biggest stars as he puts in a performance to rival "Nine Queens" (another great Argentinian film). He's complemented by Natalia Verbeke who plays his girlfriend (and who is in possession of the world's greatest smile) and Héctor Alterio and Norma Aleandro who play his parents. Aleandro in particular contributes some magnificent scenes, playing an aged woman struggling to cope with mental illness. A really good film that will restore your faith in humanity....A bit corny?? oh well.... Funny, original, and well put together. Recommended for everyone!!

My wife 'found' this film, of which I hadn't heard, in our local video shop and I'm so delighted she did.

The central performance of Rafael was a tour de force - this actor stands very strong beside the likes of Pacino, and I can imagine him in many of the earlier 'gangster with hidden depth' roles the latter excelled in. He was so believable as the 'godfather' neighbourhood restaurateur. The other principal actors were also brilliant, although in my opinion Eduardo Blanco as the comedic interest overegged and hammed a little too much in a couple of scenes, eg as bogus priest. But that is nitpicking in one of the most memorable romantic films I've ever seen.

I totally agree with one of the reviewers who compared and contrasted to the dreadful film travesty made of 'The Notebook'recently which missed all the buttons around Alzheimers and real people with real believable feelings and reactions. I also agree that while if this product had been American with J Nicholson, etc it would have been a surefire Oscar winner, it would actually have been ruined by the Hollywood treatment...

Thanks you Argentina, and I hope to see much more of Senor Darin before long.

Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darín) runs a restaurant started by his parents, Nino (Héctor Alterio) and Norma (Norma Aleandro). While he has made it a success, a corporate buyer who wants to buy the restaurant observes that the extreme effort required to keep all of the plates spinning is like running a marathon. He is divorced and, with the constant cell phone calls and sleepless nights, doesn't seem to have much time for his daughter or girlfriend, although he seems to have genuine affection for both. He hasn't visited his mother Norma, who is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's, in a year. As the previews and the title reveal, his father Nino decides that what he wants most of all is to give Norma the church wedding she always wanted, although many wonder if she would even notice due to her mental state.

The wedding and other story turns which I won't give away help the film turn gracefully from mostly a comedy in the early going into an outstanding drama in the later parts of the film. The performances are excellent by all of the actors, helping to make all of the characters seem real. While the photography is often attractive, I would not be surprised if the film was shot on 16 mm film or even high definition video and transferred to 35 mm film for exhibition.

This film was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign film, which should have given it a higher profile than it seems to have gotten. It is highly recommended, and should not lose too much seen on home video, assuming it eventually shows up there.

Note that the star, Ricardo Darín, also stars in "Nine Queens," which is opening very soon in the United States.

In 'El Hijo de la Novia', director Juan José Campanella tells the story of a workaholic 42-year old divorced father who has unstable relationship with his daughter and girlfriend and who's father, after 44 years of marriage, wants to remarry his mother who's struck by Alzheimer's disease. But things take a different turn when he has a stroke. Campanella tells a sweet tale of self discovery or rather self rediscovery accompanied by a playful score. He does present the culture quite well as one does get the feel of the local Argentinian life. Héctor Alterio and Norma Aleandro give very spirited performances and they are a treat to watch. Ricardo Darin is adequate while Natalia Verbeke and Eduardo Blanco are very good. In spite of gaining widespread acknowledgement, 'El Hijo de la Novia' remains a small humble little film. I liked how the relationships were portrayed and how the characters and problems were very recognizable. Nino's love for Norma was very moving. The only quibble for me was that the pacing was very slow midway so it requires some patience from the viewer but in the end es una película divertida que eleva. Make sure to watch it through the rolling end credits.