BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

zkonedog In today's Hollywood climate, there are very few movies that appeal to an entire family. Children want to see Hannah Montana, teens want Harry Potter and superheroes, while adults want very R-rated drama. Thus, it is refreshing to see a movie that can be classified as a solid family film, which Father of the Bride very much is.While comedic in nature (how could it not be starring Steve Martin?!), this film is also a touching commentary on how families change (for better or worse) when marriages occur. Its blend of hilarious comedy and touching emotions will have you holding your sides one minute and reaching for the Kleenex box the next.The real brilliance of this film, however, comes from the terrific acting. Martin's knack for physical comedy is spot-on as the often-flummoxed "Dear Old Dad", while Diane Keaton plays a great "straight 'man'" to Martin's wild antics. Even the then-fresh Kimberly Williams (before she became Mrs. Brad Paisley) is able to nail the emotions of a young bride being swept off her feet.Overall, this is a great family film that offers something for everyone. Adults will be touched by the film's message, teens will identify with Williams' character, and even younger children will appreciate the physical comedy. If you are planning a wedding, just finished one, or are part of any sort of family structure whatsoever, you will love this film!

pfisher-32275 This gets a 6.4, which I struggle to believe is an accurate representation. As I write this I'm aware that it's 25 years old & most people have seen it by now & also read the reviews, which makes mine somewhat redundant. Never the less, I felt it necessary to defend this picture against some of the more negative reviews. Maybe IMDb need to look at the way the ratings work. I've seen this with Thrillers as well like: Copycat, The Bone Collector & Kiss The Girls. All commercial successes & which almost define the 90 minute crime thriller sub genre, or shall we say, are the bench mark in which others are compared. Yet none one of these surpass a 6.6. I've read all the reviews for this particular movie & the majority of people (approximately 80%) give this a positive rating - between 7-10 out of 10. The rest between 3-5 out of 10.The point I'm making is that the average Joe with a healthy, positive outlook on life will probably enjoy this comedy caper. It's heartfelt & humorous & the photography is wonderful. They may however be put off due to the small amount of embittered & cynical reviews on this page. I get that this is a remake of the Spencer Tracy Elizabeth Taylor classic (big shoes to fill). The original was released in the golden era of Hollywood & it's a wonderful piece of cinema. I get all that, but it's not trying to be the original, nor is it trying to out do or improve on the original. These circumstances are timeless, Daughters will continue to get married & this version simply highlights the subsequent issues & challenges that the current generation face.I also understand that the Banks's are middle class. I grew up comfortably too in a nice suburban neighbourhood. But I was taught to speak & act correctly & I was not spoiled, neither are Matty & Annie. Also like the Bank's, my parents are not elitist & are the furthest thing from snobbery anyone could ever imagine. George & Nina weren't always that comfortable, they worked hard to get to where they are & they want the best for their kids, don't we all? Although the Banks's may be able to afford it; $250,000 for a wedding? like my parents, George & Nina grew up in a different time when that kind of extravagance simply wasn't entertained, so I can understand George's reservations. I'm afraid social standing has no bearing on this whatsoever. It seems clear to me, these negative reviews that touch on the classes & sociology come from those that are unhappy with the hand that they were dealt or just simply Jealous. Jealousy is where most negativity stems from in my humble opinion. How can a movie (& a family for that matter) with such a good heart be attacked like this, if not for those reasonsIMDb is amazing, & as a movie fanatic it has been my go to site for many years. However, I think the IMDb fraternity may need to accept a few things. 1: Take negative reviews with a pinch of salt, you can't please everyone. The world would be pretty dull if we were all the same. 2: Although generally speaking in life a 6 or 6 & a half out of 10 may be considered average; don't pass on them due to a few poor reviews bringing the average mark down. That 6 might end up being one of your most favourite movies of all time.I site one more example. Twins, in my eyes a classic, I am by no means a massive Schwarzenegger or Devito fan, but it's feel good, hysterical in places & the chemistry between the two leads is undeniable. In my 38+ years I have yet to meet a single person that has got a bad word to say about it. Yet this movie has been at times a 5.9.Apologies if this sounds more like a mission statement than a review. Don't get me wrong, I love Jaws, Shawshank, Godfather, Schindler's etc… But let's face it, we're not always in the mood. Sometimes we just want something goofy we can laugh at. Just because these comedies are not critically acclaimed Oscar worthy 8's & 9's, doesn't mean to say they don't have an equal footing in our hearts and on our shelves. Thanks for reading.

namashi_1 A remake of the 1950 film of the same name, 'Father of the Bride' is Lovable! A cute, funny & emotional film, that works entirely. And Steve Martin, Now An Oscar-Winner, delivers a knock-out performance as the paranoid father.'Father of the Bride' Synopsis: George and Nina Banks are the parents of young soon-to-be- wed Annie. George is a nervous father unready to face the fact that his little girl is now a woman. The preparations for the extravagant wedding provide additional comic moments.'Father of the Bride' is a complete family entertainer. It caters to all ages. Its for everyone. Charles Shyer, Nancy Meyers, Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett's Screenplay is wonderful, it offers funny & emotional moments, simultaneously. Charles Shyer's Direction, on the other-hand, is tender. Cinematography & Editing are appropriate.Performance-Wise: Steve Martin is the life of the show. He delivers a knock-out performance in the central role. Diane Keaton is simply brilliant in her part. Kimberly Williams is cute. George Newbern is earnest. Martin Short is hilarious in a cameo.On the whole, 'Father of the Bride' is a massive winner!

dunmore_ego A film with charm, grace and laughs, FATHER OF THE BRIDE is a rarity in the pantheon of White American Romantic Comedies (WARC). Firstly, because it's watchable. Secondly, because it is post-comedy Steve Martin and it's still watchable.Remade from the 1950 Spencer Tracy farce of the same name, director Charles Shyer retains that film's original twist on the abominations which would one day be known as Chick Flicks: the film's star is not the focus of the "romance" but the outside observer, as love labors on his daughter, as he narrates through the eyes of a doting, frazzled father.Steve Martin is George Banks, the titular Father of the Bride, who plays his part with the aforementioned charm, grace and laughs. Unlike most WARCs, the father of this household is not the least intelligent member of the family; he is not portly, he doesn't wear flannel shirts over white wife-beaters and he doesn't moon over sports programming like it's gospel. George owns his own business, is a loving father and husband, pragmatic, punctual, reliable and knows how to treat women with respect. He seems caught in that timewarp of a generation that was once hip and is losing its ground on the moving goalpost of hipness.The comedy in this lighthearted farce is drawn first from George's unwillingness to accept his daughter as an adult on the pathway to marriage, and then from the wedding planning. This was at a time when Steve Martin was still Steve Martin, on the heels of PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987) and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988).And Diane Keaton was still a glorious MILF, glowing as George's understanding wife, the mother of his children. (Oooh, I'd like to mother her.) At times, movie stoops to playing Mother Smarter Than Father, and George is incessantly put upon by many of the characters, but the movie redeems itself with George's surfeit of poignancy, that he drivels all over us at regular introspective intervals. Rather than make us vomit, it hits home all the psychological and pragmatic reasons a father holds so tight to his daughter.When daughter Annie (beautiful newcomer Kimberly Williams) announces at the dinner table her intentions to marry a man she met in Rome, all that George sees is his five-year-old girl blathering it. Throughout the film, George makes comments about being "replaced," about not being needed or heeded any more, but it all boils down to feeling like he has lost his daughter's love. And that's another welcome departure from WARCs: we don't feel - and we don't *need* to feel - any chemistry between the two people who are actually getting married! All our hopes rest on the chemistry between the father and daughter.In the final moments, as Annie and her new husband (George Newbern) are leaving the reception, George has reconciled his protective paternal love with his desire for her to feel that same love towards someone else. And we feel his sincerity. If Steve Martin can sell this story to us childless nullifidians, imagine how he's making those fathers in the audience weep like repentant sinners.The usually less-than-funny Martin Short raises his game here to above adequate as the ambiguously-Euro wedding planner Franck (pronounced "Fronk") who, along with assistant B.D. Wong, debilitates the English language in his quest to provide the best wedding ever for Annie. ("Ahhh, Mahsta Bonks and Missus Bonks and the lofflay bride!") The groom's parents were merely devices for some farcical Steve Martin moments with Dobermans and falling into pools.The annoying side of this film is how the father of the bride - George - is treated like a bottomless piggy bank. He is literally extorted by every contractor involved - on the threat that if he doesn't buy what the wife and daughter want for the wedding they will pout a lot. And it must be nice to be so affluent that when obscene monies are changing hands - amounts that would bankrupt most of us for life - your worst reaction is to pull a funny face. And all for the sake of one of the biggest social scams since civilization went civil - a wedding, which is nothing but a glorified party, just with a white dress and a state contract.Maybe it's a sign of the changing times, but remember when George's social standing would have been called middle class? There is no such class in America in 2011; George would now be termed "upper middle class" or just upper class.How nice marriage can be when you can afford swans and a $10,000 cake; when everyone is painfully white and has a job that actually pays the bills; in a giant house in suburbia with a picket fence, a picturesque, tree-lined street and a dog trained not to thigh-hump anyone.So now the fathers are all weeping for a totally different reason...