Of course, there is nothing new in Hollywood.  With stars like Diane Keaton and Steve Martin, I thought Father of the Bride (1991) to be the first iteration of the title.  For some strange reason, it is also a movie I remember from my childhood, even if I do not specifically recall seeing it.  More recently, it is one that I had dance around for a while, but decided today was the day to give it a try.  As often happens when I begin the subsequent review, the little bit of research I do turns up some salient fact, like the original of the same title was made in 1950.  As for the movie itself, the detail I noticed was the fact that the church in which the wedding happens is not a Catholic one.  This, too, is more of the usual.  All the same, I appreciated this version, and I believe you will as well.

The person the Father of the Bride, George Stanley Banks (Steve Martin) appreciates most, after his wife, Nina Banks (Diane Keaton), is his twenty-two-year-old daughter, Annie Banks (Kimberly Williams).  George tells us so as he sits amongst the wreckage of the reception, reminiscing as to how he had allowed this all to happen.  We then go back to six months previous, and he is expecting the manager of his shoe factory to tell him at any moment that Annie has landed after studying architecture abroad in Rome, Italy.  He is excited to reunite with his first child.  Yet, upon entering his home, there is something different about how Nina describes their daughter’s attitude.  He tries to ignore it, and at dinner he launches into a list of things they can do now that all of them are once again under one roof.  Annie is nodding along until she abruptly interjects, unable to conceal her news any longer.  While she was in Rome, she met the most wonderful man, Bryan MacKenzie (George Newbern), basically a computer engineer.  There was some other title I do not remember, but he is a highly sought-after one.  During their time overseas, Annie and Bryan have become engaged.  As this tale unfolds, George’s mind plays tricks on him, not allowing him to hear all the details and picturing Annie as a little girl (Sarah Rose Karr) still in pigtails.  Once he regains his composure, he launches into all manner of reasons for why Annie should not get married, each one being dismissed by either his daughter or Nina.  For the moment George is rendered silent, but as he and his wife are preparing for bed, he is imagining Bryan’s face on America’s Most Wanted (1988-2011, 2020-2023, 2025-present).  Despite the ridiculousness of George’s demeanor, he remains determined that there should be no wedding.  His subsequent behavior does not help matters, such as when he goes to meet the fabulously wealthy in-laws and falls into their pool after sneaking a peak at their checkbook.  Speaking of checkbooks, the wedding costs begin to add up.  To save money, he makes the most outrageous suggestions, like how they should have the ceremony and reception at a restaurant called The Steak Pit.  Even their young son, Matty Banks (Kieran Culkin), knows this will not fly.  Mainly, George does not understand why this has to be so complicated, which explains his bafflement over the need for a wedding coordinator.  He is happy that Annie has decided to have the reception at the Banks residence, though he is unaware of what is in store for him.  He is still bewildered when they go to meet Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short), said planner, who talks with an accent George finds unintelligible.  What George does understand are the costs, such as $1200 for a cake.  The more he hears these numbers, the more he feels everything slipping away from him.  The final straw comes when he is told how much everything will cost per person.  The light argument that occurs between George and Nina has Annie wanting to save wherever possible, which warms his heart.  Still, in a bid to escape from everything, he offers to go to the grocery store where he is arrested for refusing to pay for more hotdog buns than he deems necessary.  It is Nina who comes to bail George out of jail, but it comes with the condition that he stop making things harder for Annie.  He agrees, but then the opportunity he had been waiting for comes shortly thereafter when Annie comes home in tears, announcing the wedding has been canceled.  Bryan had purchased Annie a blender as an anniversary gift, and she had taken it as a sign of his expectation that she be a housewife.  Remarkably, George offers to talk to Bryan, but dad’s plan is to convince his future son-in-law that marriage is not right.  Against George’s better judgement, he instead gives Bryan a peptalk to reinvigorate the young man’s feelings.  It also helps that Bryan delivers a perfectly logical explanation as to why this has been an overreaction.  With that, George brings Bryan home and the couple make amends.  At this point, everything is moving towards the wedding, even though the situation in the Banks’ home is in a state of upheaval.  For the most part, by this point George has come around to making this day special for Annie.  However, once all the guests have gotten to his place, his decision to only go with two parking attendants proves to be a miscalculation.  They end up placing vehicles all over the street, which prompts a visit from the police.  Already regretting not having been able to kiss the bride, George must now attend to the cars, which means he misses out on getting to dance with his daughter.  In his haste to make up for lost time, he is also not present for the tossing of the bouquet.  Then, husband and wife are off to their honeymoon without another word.  In the afterglow, George is sitting with Nina regretting what he did not witness when he gets a call from Annie.  Annie is about to board her plane, but she wanted to let her dad knows that she loves him.  It is all George needs, and we close with him dancing with Nina.

The final shot in Father of the Bride of George and Nina dancing is a beautiful one, and fitting for a beautiful movie.  It can border on being schmaltzy, but this Catholic does not mind a little schmaltz as long as it does not overwhelm the proceedings.  In other words, it is just the right amount of schmaltz.  Still, the person I would like to focus on here is George.  Given his grumbling through much of the film, you might not think that he is the one with the most schmaltz, but that is the case.  What I appreciate best about him is his desire to sacrifice for his daughter.  This is a Christ-like way of being a dad, or at least I think it is.  I do not have my own children, but I have godchildren and nieces, and in such a capacity you are called to model Christ is a special way.  The easy comment to make is to compare it to the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us on the Cross.  That notion works, to be absolutely sure, and it is the summit of Faith.  Sometimes, though, I think our collective thoughts on that act get muddled.  It was His most important duty, but He did so much more during His time on earth.  In John 21:25, the evangelist concludes by reminding us that Jesus performed many more deeds than are recorded.  What I am getting at here is the totality of Jesus’ life.  His Passion was key, but He also gave many miracles on a more individual level.  It might be silly to say that the things George does for Annie are miraculous, at least after he finally accepts that there is going to be a wedding.  However, what struck me the most is when he gives up his time at the reception to help rearrange the cars.  His desire is to be with Annie and celebrate.  He also knows that having the police break up the party would not be good for anyone, least of all his daughter.  It is a true moment of selfless that is worthy of being called Christ-like.  And like so much God does for us, George does not seek recognition.

What I would like to recognize is that Father of the Bride is a good movie.  It is funny and touching, and it had me on the verge of tears towards the end.  That is all this reviewer can ever ask of a film.