Movie Review: Father Of The Bride (1991)

Genre: Comedy  

Director: Charles Shyer  

Starring: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short  

Running Time: 105 minutes  

Synopsis: In an idyllic suburban California town, shoe company owner George Banks (Steve Martin) and his wife Nina (Diane Keaton) are surprised when their 22 year-old daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams) announces that she will soon get married. George struggles with the idea that his daughter is all grown up, and has awkward encounters with the groom-to-be, Annie's future in-laws, and wedding planner Franck (Martin Short). But George's biggest concern is the mounting cost of the lavish wedding.

What Works Well: This remake rides an easygoing attitude and a game Steve Martin performance to provide plenty of laughs and reliable entertainment. The script (co-written by director Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers) leans into the chaos of organizing a wedding and the wistfulness of a dad losing his princess to another man. The bathed-in-glowing-white settings are lavish (the Banks family is wealthy; their future in-laws are very wealthy), the pacing brisk, and the conflicts easily hurdled. In his few scenes, Martin Short as wedding planner Franck hilariously mangles the English language.

What Does Not Work As Well: The saccharine ingredients are unapologetically layered on in thick globs. George's inability to think or behave with adult maturity threatens to become tiresome, and his obsession with the cost of everything is allowed to dominate. A couple of gags, including kids-as-valets, miss the mark.

Key Quote:

Nina (to George): I still think you see Annie as a seven year-old girl in pigtails!



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