By
WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)
I suppose I never saw Steve Martin replacing Spencer Tracey or Kimberly Williams replacing Elizabeth Taylor. The original film directed by Vincente Minnelli had charm and a number of fabulous sequences in it but Charles Shyer's film nicely updates the original film with some gut busting laughs for the ironic age. Shyer's films have a number of nice touches and references to other films includi ng Martin commenting (as Banks) that he doesn't want to be bankrupt by the wedding and have to wander the streets in a bathrobe (a reference to Carl Reiner's film "The Jerk" starring Martin): Bank's character is named after George Banks (David Tomlinson) from the Disney classic "Mary Poppins"; the Bank's character's middle name of Stanley is borrowed from the father in the Spencer Tracey original and loads of other references to classic Hollywood films. This is the third turn for "Father of the Bride" (it was also a short lived TV series in 1960) and it's still delightful although this 15th Anniversary Edition is a year premature (the film came out in 1991). George Banks' (Steve Martin) little girl Annie (Kimberly Williams) is getting married. All of the mayhem that you can imagine in a Steve Martin PG comedy ensues. Kimberly is marrying her college sweetheart Bryan (George Newbern). Banks doesn't have a problem with the concept of his daughter getting married but he does h ave an issue with his little growing up because, well, it means he's getting old, too. With delightful comic turns by Martin Short (as the wedding coordinator) and Diane Keaton, "Father of the Bride" unlike most remakes manages to update the material and make it work for a modern audience without betraying the emotional core that drove the comedy in the original film. This version of "Bride" gets the deluxe treatment i the 15th Anniversary Edition. I don't know honestly if all of these featurettes and the commentary track were on the 2003 edition. I'd suspect they were and this is just a re-release in new packaging. The previous edition released two years ago was a nice anamorphic transfer. The sharp image quality and remarkable clarity evident here is a slight improvement over the original DVD release (although the previous version looked pretty darn good, too). It appears that the same transfer was used for this version and the film was tweaked a bit for the latest releas e. The 5.1 soundtrack I seem to recall the extras here being the same as on the previous edition but that could just be faulty memory on my part. Either way, "Martin & Short Interview Each Other" is an amusing 5 minute, bizarre tongue-in-cheek featurette where they skewer each other, the roles they play and everything else in sight. At one point Short talks about how playing a woman liberated him in this film. He plays a man. We also get an 11 minute standard "Making of" featurette on the film with some amusing behind-the-scenes takes on the film. Director Charles Shyer's commentary track is both informative and funny. Shyer discusses the challenges of directing a remake of a classic film. He notes that it's a fine line bringing a contemporary tone to the film but not playing with it or improving it into "a failure". It's particularly interesting to note that Shyer and Meyers both have a high regard for the original film. Hence, the things that worked well in the original (such as the opening monologue) are just updated (and, according to Shyer it took 35 takes to shoot the opening because of a number of technical issues that kept occurring). It's a pity we don't have Martin's comments or, for that matter, other cast members since Shyer recorded the commentary track 13 years after the film's original release (and he hadn't seen it since he finished working on it in 1991). You're invited to a very funny wedding featuring funny men Steve Martin and Martin Short with able support from funny woman Diane Keaton. A delightful update of the 1950's classic, "Father of the Bride" has a number of moments that ring true for me from my experience with my sister. If you have the previous edition of the movie I don't know that I can recommend upgrading but if you haven't purchased until now, Buena Vista Home Video has priced this to move.
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Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
George Banks (Steve Martin) has just heard the words every father dreads. His daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams) has just announced that she's getting married to Bryan (George Newbern), a man she met while studying in Europe. While George's wife Nina (Diane Keaton) is thrilled by the news, George doesn't handle it well. After all, this means big changes happening in his life. And he doesn't cope well with change. So, naturally, he handles this the way any dad would. He starts watching "America's Most Wanted" in case Bryan is on it. And when it comes to planning the wedding, his idea is cheap and informal, much to the women's dismay. Will he ever get with the program? And if he does, will he survive the big day? This movie isn't a laugh until it hurts comedy. There are plenty of laugh out loud parts, but the humor is often subtler. While some of George's antics are definitely over the top and border on embarrassing, the movie manages to find the balance between embarrassment and humor. And the ending it truly touching. And I can't say enough about the acting. Everyone is believable. In fact, what makes the movie work is the fact that every one of the characters and actors seems absolutely real. The exception, of course, are Franck and Howard, the over the top wedding coordinators played by Martin Short and B. D. Wong who absolutely steal every scene they are in. Whether you've gone through a wedding or not, this movie will make you laugh and touch you. And what more could you want from a wedding, an d movie, then that?
By
Linda Swensen "Svendibar" (Gig Harbor, WA, USA) (REAL NAME)
Both of these movies are feel-good movies. No matter how often I have viewed these movies, if I need to relax and laugh, I don't hesitate to pop one of these DVDs into my player. I highly recommend these movies and have bought Father of the Bride Part 1 for wedding and bridal shower gifts, and Part 2 for baby shower gifts. Everyone loves them.
By
Silver Screen (Atlanta, GA USA)
Whereas many remakes of beloved films stumble and fall, this "Father of the Bride" shines in its own right. The wonderful Steve Martin steps into Spencer Tracy's shoes (no enviable task)as the harried and worried father of the bride, George Banks. Diane Keaton is lovely as Nina, George's wife and mother of the bride. She provides the grounding voice of reason to George's hysteria, much as Joan Bennett's Ellie did in the original. Kimberly Williams is simply a breath of fresh air as Annie, the bride (taking the place of Elizabeth Taylor's Kay). Her enthusiasm, excitement and joy over her upcoming nuptials simply jump off the screen. George Newbern as Bryan, the prospective groom, is solid and he proves to be as stable to Annie's excitement as Nina is to George. Martin Short as Frank the wedding coordinator is priceless. His theatrics and mannerisms alone make this movie worth watching. Kieran Culkin is appropriately cute as Annie's younger brother Matt. The best parts of this movie? The sheer comedy. Martin's Banks is far more comedic than the more stoic Banks as played by Tracy - - Martin doesn't even need to speak, his expressions are priceless by themselves. Martin and Keaton also share a witty and comfortable banter that was not expressed in the original (where Tracy and Bennett slept in separate twin beds, as was the custom back in the 50s) The genuine love and affection between Annie and Bryan is also more evident in the remake, versus the almost too-proper courtship of Kay and Buckley in the original, where Kay announces she is marrying as if she is announcing an upcoming test or rainstorm. That aside, though, the Tracy version seems somehow more solid and honestly touching than the remake. Without the comedy masking the true feelings, we can feel the honest pain and sadness that Tracy's Banks feels at losing his only daughter. Additionally, the money angle plays a larger part in the remake. We understand that Martin's B anks owns his own company (a sports shoe manufacturer) but $250 per head? And a pricey wedding planner/coordinator? Whereas the original film dealt with Banks' fear and confusion over the financial aspects of the upcoming wedding, the remake really hits home how costly everything is - - if you want to travel first class, that is. Overall, the message is the same as in the original. Father loves his daughter, who he only wants to be happy, even if it means relinquishing her to another man.
By
nodice (Manchester, Ga United States)
Steve Martin hit his stride with this '90s remake. Of course I completely understand the melt down and the freaking out about the money. $250/ a head in '91-was a lot of money. Then I was freakng out because the little b oy that played his son looks like the exact replica of the little boy in Signs--but how could that be those films were more than a decade apart. Did a quick search and found that the two actors are brothers. But they could pass for twins when they were younger. Anyway, back to the movie. This a good film about a father learning to let go of his little girl and his checkbook.
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