Mum's Monday: Father of the Bride

WARNING SPOILERS

The film starts off, with the wedding over and done with, so it is good to know, that it all worked out well in the end, despite the chaos during this film, which is revealed as a flashback/lead up to the wedding.

The film follows the life of the Banks family George the father (Steve Martin), Nina, the mum (Diane Keaton) Annie, the daughter getting married (Kimberly Williams) and Matty, the younger son and brother, (Kieran Culkin). George is coming to terms, or sometimes not, with his little girl growing up and getting married.

The film shows, also a daughter, falling in love, and having to break the news to her parents, that she is getting married, to Bryan MacKenzie (George Newbern).

It is good to see Annie and George make up, by playing one on one basketball in the front yard.

Nina shows to make the effort and tries to keep the peace. George, however, sees everything, while Nina just hears what’s being said, the romance, George has lost his daughter, well almost.

This film shows and proves, parents have a past, they have got away with, now as George is the parent, and he has to accept his daughter is all grown up.

Some over the top scenes, are when George and Nina meet their daughter’s future in laws, this can be nerve racking but a good line said by Bryan’s dad John (Peter Michael Goetz), which basically means, ‘when you let your children go, you hope you have brought them up right’.

In keeping with being over the top, the part where George is snooping around ending in a tricky situation, is a little too overdone.

This film made me wonder, if it really is the bride’s family’s responsibility to fly the Grooms family over from Denmark. This added to George, stressing and wanting to keep the wedding cheap, including, wanting to have a barbecue in the garden as a wedding reception.

Nina does get her way and the wedding planning gets underway.

Sadly, as is normally the case, the bride to be and her mother take over the planning and as we see in the film George is only there to pick up the bill.

After finding out, there are 572 guests invited at $250 a head which equates to $143,000 plus extras, George flips out but when he reads the article in the magazine, Annie is reading, it is good to see he has a change of heart, as not to disappoint his daughter.

As much, as a wedding is a special day, this wedding, in this film, does go over the top, but for the comedic aspect of the film it works, and it never was going to be, just an ordinary wedding, when you make a film about planning a, known to be stressful, over the top, wedding. Ordinary would be boring.

George, just when we thought he was ok with the plans, gets himself arrested. The scenes are well scripted and it is good to see, understanding for him, that a wedding is expensive, but they can afford it, and Annie’s happiness is important.

One of the Banks family businesses, is making sneakers/trainers, so it is lovely to see a pair made especially for the bride to wear, as her wedding shoes on the big day.

All of a sudden disaster strikes, Bryan gave Annie the wrong, but right gift. There does need to be some explaining to be done. As it happens, George is to the rescue, or not, or is he? Yes, he reluctantly saves the day. He realises, he has to let his daughter go, and grows in character, throughout the film.

It is good to see the truth, about the first meeting of the in laws come out, and the wedding is still on.

The film, now becomes serious, when Annie realises, it is her last night as a child, in her childhood home, it is a heart- warming scene to watch, between father and daughter.

The big day has arrived, and when you want to see a white wedding, it is good to get one, even if it is just the snow turning it white, however, strangely, no one mentions in the film about having a white wedding.

It is very rare, for a wedding to go off without a hitch, first George, hasn’t kissed the bride yet, the food, for him has to wait, in a blink and you miss it moment, and also, due to the fact, the cars parked out front, are blocking the road and causing a hazard. This is one of the things that can get overlooked, when planning a wedding reception at you home.

I see in this film, it tries to cover every eventuality, when planning a wedding, in real life, you may experience 1 or 2 events seen in this film, but it is not meant to put you off planning your big day.

I loved Annie’s going away outfit, it was very appropriate, and just when you think the film is over, there is another heart-warming moment, showing the nice bond between father and daughter.