Review of Father of the Bride (1991) by Compi24 — 04 Apr 2020

A sweet, if marginally amusing notch in the belt for then-husband-and-wife creative team Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, this remake of the 1951 classic "Father Of The Bride" is honestly a lot more effective when it strays away from its central conceit.

The whole "wet blanket dad drags his feet throughout his precious daughter's wedding planning process" dynamic could not have wore itself more thin. Not only does it perpetuate tropes and stereotypes that just aren't as present in modern family dynamics anymore, it's just not very funny.

Any and every joke that has to do with this element of the plot usually ends with Steve Martin making a goofy face or rolling his eyes. It's almost unforgivably overdone. Now, where this movie won me over was in its last half or so, where everything gets put aside and Steve Martin's character just has to make sure this wedding goes off without a hitch.

The blue tuxedo, the moving of all the parked cars, the snow? All of that was eons funnier than anything we got in the hour before it. And the heartwarming resolution certainly doesn't hurt either. Yes, I'll chalk this final score up to the movie leaving a good taste in my mouth, but it's a score I stand by.