Father of the Bride

Starring: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Martin Short, Kieran Culkin, Eugene Levy
Directed by: Charles Shyer
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
1991

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A father (Steve Martin) has issues letting his daughter (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) go when she comes home from overseas and announces she is getting married. As the family scrambles to create the perfect wedding, he clashes with his wife (Diane Keaton) and the wedding consultant (Martin Short), trying to keep his own emotions in check as he faces losing his daughter, a substantial amount of money, and possibly his sanity.

Review:

Tim: Steve Martin was the right choice to headline this remake of a classic family comedy. This movie plays it incredibly safe, giving us a fairly entertaining, good movie- however, it feels as if this film never even strives for greatness. It is content to be good, not ambitious enough to even try for great. There's still a good deal to like here, because this is a harmless, fun little movie.

As I mentioned, Steve Martin does very good work as George Banks. He is funny and invites us into his story from the very beginning. I like the introduction of the film featuring Martin talking to the camera, explaining the situation of the movie. This endears him to us, and immediately we are on his side. This is important, because he acts pretty stupidly throughout the film. Martin makes himself likeable, despite his silly or selfish actions. I like the casting of Diane Keaton, although I wish she had a larger role to play. This movie is really about Martin dealing with those relationships around him, so everyone else takes a bit of a backseat. I do wish Keaton had more screen time and more of an impact on the film.

The supporting cast is mostly good. Kimberly Williams-Paisley does a good job as Martin's daughter. They actually possessed some real familial chemistry. I really liked the basketball scene and the father-daughter moment near the end of the film. Their relationship was crucial to this movie, and it came across as believable and touching. Kieran Culkin adds a surprisingly strong performance as the family's young son. Martin Short received strong reviews for his turn as the odd, flamboyant wedding coordinator, but I don't think he added much to the film.

What is most interesting about this film is the look at what a wedding can do to a family's relationships with each other. It is difficult for a father to give away their only daughter, and this movie does a good job of exploring what the ramifications of this might be. This is where the film works- as it looks at this normal family, dealing with one of the major changes a family must deal with. There are also some very funny moments. The best moment is probably the scene with the awkward events Martin finds himself in when visiting the in-laws. There are also a few decently humorous moments throughout the film.

Father of the Bride is a nice little family movie that manages to be somewhat entertaining. It features a good cast and some nice writing. The film is enjoyable, but not particularly powerful or memorable. I wouldn't go into this film expecting anything new. Knowing all that, this is a straightforward movie that does enough right to cover up its flaws and can be called a success.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Father of the Bride : Part II, Roxanne, The Out-of-Towners, Grand Canyon, Parenthood