Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

I really enjoyed Father of the Bride so I was happy when I learned a sequel was being made. I have seen Father of the Bride Part II several times now and I have enjoyed it every time I've watched it.

George Banks had struggled to accept that his only daughter Annie was getting married. He finally managed to accept that she was grown up and married. He even seemed to like his son-in-law Bryan. George was stunned when Annie and Bryan announced that Annie was pregnant. Nina was thrilled and looking forward to being a grandmother. George flipped out and had some sort of mid-life crisis because he thought he was too young to be a grandfather. He was thrown for another loop with Nina’s surprise pregnancy.

The first movie mainly focused on the planning of Annie’s wedding and how George was dealing with that. Father of the Bride Part II focused first on Annie’s pregnancy and then Nina’s. Annie shared her news within the first few minutes of the movie. It was a bit later before Nina and George learned they were going to be parents again. Once George dealt with being a father again when he had barely accepted that he was going to be a grandfather, the movie focused in more on both of the pregnancies. A few things that happened during the pregnancies, like the baby shower, were briefly mentioned. Most of what was shared related to the pregnancies was from the end of both of them. George did panic some, but he seemed to deal with the pregnancies better than he had Annie’s engagement. He didn’t react well at first, saying Annie and Bryan hadn’t been married long enough to have a baby, but he got past that. It wasn’t made clear exactly how much time had passed between the first and second movies.

Some of the scenes involving Frank, especially later in the movie, did turn a bit silly. That didn’t bother me. Other people may not feel the same way. Even with the silliness in the scenes with Frank, the movie didn’t get as silly or even stupid as many other comedies do. The movie made me laugh several times even though it wasn’t full of nonstop humor. There was a little bit of physical comedy, mainly late in the movie, that hadn’t been in the first one. I thought it worked with what was going on though some people might feel those scenes were too silly. The movie didn’t resort to gross humor and there really wasn’t anything in the movie that should raise concern for parents.

The entire main cast from the first movie returned for Father of the Bride Part II. Even some characters, like Bryan’s parents, who weren’t around much in the first movie were also back. They didn’t have many scenes in this movie either. Once again Bryan wasn’t in as much of the movie as Annie was. That didn’t really bother me, though it would have been nice if Bryan had been around more.

George went through some kind of mid-life crisis when he found out that Annie was pregnant. George went into denial about that fact that he and Nina were old enough to be grandparents and he was doing things, like coloring his hair, to try to look and act younger. He was completely shocked when he and Nina found out that she was pregnant. George did end up accepting the pregnancies faster than he had his daughter’s engagement. George once again did some voice overs throughout the movie that shared his thoughts and feelings about everything that was going on. I loved Steve Martin in the part and can’t imagine anyone else as George.

Nina was faster to accept becoming a grandparent. She was looking forward to it and had to struggle a bit to deal with the issues George was having. Nina was more uncertain about her own surprise pregnancy. Diane Keaton was really good in the part. She was believable as a woman going through a pregnancy later in life. Keaton and Martin were believable as a happy married couple. Annie had a few issues with her mother being pregnant at first. There really wasn’t a lot of development for Annie. Kimberly Williams handled the part well. Matty, Annie’s younger brother, was also back even though he really didn’t have that much to do.

Frank and his assistant Howard were working planning baby showers. They didn’t say if they still worked as wedding planners or if they had given that up for planning baby showers. It was a little convenient how Frank and Howard just happened to run into George and Nina and mention that they planned showers, but it ended up working for the movie. Frank was just as flamboyant as he had been in the first movie, though he did show a calmer side as well. Martin Short was fine in the part. Eugene Levy had a very small part as a man named Mr. Habib.

Main Cast

Kieran Culkin - Matty Banks
Peter Michael Goetz - John MacKenzie
Diane Keaton - Nina Banks
Eugene Levy - Mr. Habib
Steve Martin - George Banks
George Newbern - Bryan MacKenzie
Martin Short - Frank
Kate McGregor Stewart - Joanna MacKenzie
Kimberly Williams - Annie Banks
B.D. Wong - Howard

Charles Shyer - Director

Father of the Bride Part II was an entertaining movie that I enjoyed. People that enjoyed the first movie may also enjoy this one.

Steve Martin Movie Reviews
All of Me ~ Bringing Down the House ~ Bowfinger ~ Cheaper by the Dozen ~ Cheaper by the Dozen 2 ~ Father of the Bride ~ Housesitter ~ Looney Tunes: Back in Action ~ The Muppet Movie ~ Novocaine ~ The Pink Panther ~


Recommended: Yes