Expecting his daughter to come home from her trip to Europe with only stories to tell, George Banks is of the assumption that she will be the same girl that left all excited to do so. She really is Daddy’s little girl, but in the time she has been away, she has grown up a lot. Unfortunately for George, it also looks like he has been replaced as the main man in her life. She has returned engaged to be married, hoping that her parents will help her with a wedding that will be coming up very quickly. George now has to deal with the shock of a daughter growing up, and the promise of a new son-in-law coming into the family. Such is the story of Father of The Bride as George begins to have a really hard time letting go of his 20-something daughter. It soon becomes a journey that George is going to have to overcome if he is going to truly show his daughter how proud he is of her, and just how much he loves her. It’s not going to be easy though, because he doesn’t want her to grow up, many times zoning out on thoughts of her as a little girl running through the house and sliding down the banister.

Steve Martin brings a brilliant performance to the screen in his role as Father George Banks. He plays the part so perfectly, that the audience becomes convinced that this really is his family, and that he truly is going through all the difficult emotions of having to see his daughter move on to her new life. He is not only endearing as the father, but with every turn there is a new hilarious moment taking place involving his preparation for the Wedding. This includes his reluctance to buy a new tuxedo, because he is sure his old one still fits, as well as the shock that hits him when he starts to find out just how much it costs to put on the wedding of his daughters dreams. Diane Keaton plays his wife and does so in a way that shows her off as a level-headed and extremely patient woman, who knows George’s heart is in the right place, but also knows she will have to help him along. With the combination of Martin and Keaton in the roles of her parents, you have great bookends for what will turn out to be a very funny and loving film about family and the work that goes into pulling of a successful wedding.

Kimberly Williams is the new actress (at the time) who is tapped for the soon to be bride. She is young, full of energy, and very cute in her role as George’s only daughter. This was her first film, and it really did a good job of playing off her on-screen innocence. It’s interesting that she was a new-comer and virtually steals every scene that she is in. Maybe it is because she is so different from every other actor in the film, or maybe it is because she was just that good in her role. There have been a lot of roles like this one since Father of The Bride but back in this film she set the stage for how it should be done. Not stopping there with the big name actors though, Martin Short returns for another film alongside Steve Martin. They have done a lot of television and many films together, and in my opinion this stands out as their best collaboration. Here, Short is the wedding planner that is hired on to help make this a top notch celebration. Calling him over-the-top would be an extreme understatement, because he is so far out there. Watching him work and interact with George, there are many times where you just can’t help but laugh out loud regarding what is going on. He brings another level of humor to the film that just accentuates the brilliant acting of Steve Martin.

Looking back, having Martin, Keaton, Williams, and Short all in the same film seems like an all-star combination of actors that would surely be a success. Father of The Bride is one of those stories that really gets to the heart of a father-daughter relationship, and even 10 years after it came out, it still is one of the best movies I have seen about the progression of wedding plans to the event itself. The film shows just how much really goes into pulling off the perfect wedding, and gives us insight about what each of the people taking part goes through as it builds up to the climactic event. This is a film that appeals to many different demographics and ages, simply because it has many characters that are very likable. The acting is great, the story is strong enough to keep your attention for the whole way, and Father of The Bride was good enough to end up having a sequel made. I highly recommend this as a family film that will take a great place in your collection, and be watched more than once because of just how well the film was made.








Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD