As a TV screen lover, I have a dislike for things I consider to be unnecessary sequels and repeated titles of movies and TV series. I hear you…asking what I mean by unnecessary sequels. I won’t explain, however, I will mention a few examples… Sex and the City 2, Dirty Dancing; Havana Nights and The Blues Brothers (2000).
As a huge Andy Garcia lover and fan, I jumped at the movie Father of the Bride 2022 the moment I saw the cast. Ordinarily, after seeing the “first” Father of the Bride and its sequel staring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton, my mind may have conditioned itself to be unreceptive to any other movie with that title because I would have assumed that nothing else could be better. I decided to do a little research about the brand new version and I was pretty surprised to find in my search that what I thought was the first ever ‘Father of the Bride’ was in fact the second film with the title.
The first ever was a 1950 film starring Elizabeth Taylor as the young bride. It was a film based on a novel of the same name, written by Edward Streeter. I immediately made a note to see this first edition and also read the novel. I have done the former and I loved it. The father of the bride (played by Spencer Tracey) made the film really interesting with his sense of humor and wit.
The second film was released in 1991 with Steve Martin Playing the role of the father of the bride. This particular production had a sequel in 1995 (Father of The Bride Part II). I learnt that it was a remake of the 1951 film; Father’s Little Dividend. Father’s Little Dividend is a sequel to The Father of Bride (1950).
In the latest film, Garcia plays a very reluctant and hesitant father who must come to terms with the fact that his daughter is not only getting married but is also moving away to Mexico. Although he is not as funny as the previous fathers of the bride, his character and charm will draw you into this film.
All three versions are beautiful and tell almost the same “father of the Bride” story and I must admit that I am undecided about picking my favourite. One thing is for sure, Garcia still has that charm in him and I really got a good laugh throughout this latest movie.
I would recommend all three any day.
