Episode #67: Father of the Bride
Listen to Episode 67 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - In Father of the Bride, George Banks (played by Steve Martin) recounts all of the events leading up to the wedding of his only daughter, Annie (played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley). George is already surprised by the engagement announcement and becomes increasingly flustered as he is not only losing his little girl, but also more money than he ever expected on this elaborate celebration.
Screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Nancy Meyers, and Charles Shyer; Directed by Charles Shyer, and released on December 20, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
From the start, the narration from George sets the proper tone. Heartfelt and occasionally funny, the monologue has that Nancy Meyers touch that keeps things from getting too sappy while staying poignant.
The style of humor shifts throughout. Early on, many of the laughs hinge on George's facial reactions
There's a madcap adventure sequence at the in-laws as well. This is a scene we really wanted more of as it cuts away before we see the resolution.
Possibly the best character is Martin Short's Frank. He comes in when needed and his non-descript accent can really change scenes for the better.
The future son-in-law is almost non-important in this movie. He's a catalyst but has a small role.
That's because this is about the Father, of course, and his relationship to his daughter. They capture this dynamic very well.
That does mean that the mother of the bride is also more ancillary. She does have a key role when George is locked up, though.
Speaking of which, we definitely talk about the famous hot dog scene. Even if you know the bit, it still holds up.
We emphasize with George and the cost is too exorbitant. It's strange that no one else seems to care.
After all the build-up, the actual wedding scene disappointed Jon (Nikki was fine with it).
Snow in LA is an extremely rare occurrence, and it provides some additional magic for the movie but also comically ruins some of the plans temporarily.
We also do compare this to the 1950's original starring Spencer Tracy. It's a different kind of frantic.
There's a lot of fun to be had in this movie, and even if it isn't overly comedic, it is well-balanced and heartfelt.
Awards Talk: Kieran Culkin was nominated for a Young Artist Award. At the MTV Movie Awards, it earned nominations for Best Comedic Performance: Steve Martin; and Best Breakthrough Performance: Kimberly Williams. It was also supposedly part of the Quotes Montage and the fake category Best Performance by an Animal (probably for the swans?).
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we don't have any true crime to talk about this time. Instead, we have a lot of TV and music to discuss.
As a fundraising event during the pandemic, movie reunions were all the rage and that saw the production of "Father of the Bride Part 3-ish" with Keiran Culkin's character getting married over Zoom.
The movie was released near Christmas time, so if you didn't want to brave the cold to go to the movies, here's what you would have been watching on TV
One of the listings is for an animated Christmas special "The Wish that Changed Christmas" based on a book and presented by McDonalds. We watched it so you don't have to, although it is pretty unintentionally funny.
Moving to music, here are your Billboard Bottom 5 Songs for the week of December 21, 1991
100. All I Need Is You - Blue Train
99. Lies - EMF
98. Just Another Girlfriend - Hi-Five
97. Groovin’ - UB40
96. Everybody Movie - Cathy Dennis
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 3 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 3 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - We might have liked it even more if it had more jokes, but neither of us were disappointed with what we got. We would certainly watch this again because it has such a great balance of heartfelt moments, introspection and legitimate laughs.
If you want to watch Father of the Bride, as of this recording in June 2022, it’s available on TBS, TNT, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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Join us next time for The Perfect Bride available on VHS
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