Father of the Bride is a hilarious comedy that
recounts the story of an over-possessive father who finds it difficult
to let go his daughter when she plans to get married. Directed by
Charles Shyer, the movie casts Steve Martin, Kimberley Payne Williams,
Diane Keaton, Martin Short and Kieran Culkin. It is through-and-through
a lighthearted entertainer and explores issues related to parenthood,
marriage and family interaction. Go through the script of the movie
here.
Father of the Bride, released in 1991, is a remake of the 1950 Spencer
Tracy/ Elizabeth Taylor classic movie bearing the same name. However, as
compared to the latter, the newer version makes the humorous aspects of
planning a wedding more prominent. A rich upper-class businessman,
George Banks (Steve Martin), is a happily married man, with a
sweet-tempered wife Nina (Diane Keaton) and two children.
Everything goes on well, until his oldest daughter Annie (Kimberley
Williams), who is studying in Europe, comes home with her fiancée
and announces her plan of getting married. The father is so obsessed
with his girl that he literally has a panic attack on hearing the news.
The idea seems more unnerving when he calculates the cost of the
wedding. He is astounded by the fact that it is only he who is going
crazy thinking and re-thinking about the wedding bills.
Apart from the father, another hilarious character that keeps the
laughter going is the wedding coordinator Franck (Martin Short), with a
nasal accent and his ideas of extravagancies that include live swans and
ice sculptures for the wedding. The father's thought of losing a
daughter, along with a fortune, is downright comical. Moreover the small
part played by Kieran Culkin, as Annie's brother, is a laugh-getter and
is equally catching.
The movie brilliantly captures the thought of a worried father, who is
flabbergasted at the idea of losing his daughter to another man. Packed
with mirth, the movie attains heights of hilarity as we see things from
the father's end. An additional comical sting pinches him when he
realizes the fact that he is now old enough to be a granddad. A sequel
follows in the form of 'Father of the Bride II' (1995), where finally
Annie transits from a wife to a mother. The best part is that George's
wife Nina gets pregnant too. So, family trouble continues for George
Banks, now with a renewed force.
