Father of the Bride

source: Father of the Bride

And, as the saying goes - "Marriage - It's the only sure-fire way to wreck a romance." IMO - "Father Of The Bride" (FOTB, for short) was an absolutely irksome adulteration of the purest sentimental slop, 1950's style. After watching this truly nauseating piece of nostalgic junk - I can't imagine why anyone (in their right mind) would ever want to go through that sickening ritual known as the "marriage ceremony". 'Cause - Believe me - This ordeal is such a preposterous tradition, totally sanctioned by the church. "FOTB" starred an 18-year-old Elizabeth Taylor (who was obviously being pushed into adult roles). Anyway - You're sure to be utterly shocked when you see the repulsive, zero-charisma sap who Taylor's naive character, Kay Banks, so desperately wants to marry...... Yeeeuck!!

This is a classic comedy directed by Vincente Minneli. Some of the comedy is straight faced making it more laughable. Spenser Tracy plays a self confident, mild mannered attorney who has his household domain and almost every thought preoccupied with the fact that his beautiful daughter(Elizabeth Taylor)is getting married. Joan Bennett, mother of the bride, is more practical, but does her share of providing comical situations. Tracy has trouble realizing that his ideas are not current with the times. Other cast members are: Billie Burke, Leo G. Carroll, Russ Tamblyn and Don Taylor.

The film has plenty of rough edges, but other than that it's just a harmless, amusing comedy with a lot of warm sentimentality. As the title would suggest, it's about a father whose daughter is getting married and the various complications resulting. Spencer Tracy plays the father, from the upper-middle-class 1950s suburbs, and is funny with his deadpan stares and narration. (The latter, however, gets in the way a couple of times in the second half.) Joan Bennett is quite good as his wife, the calm at the center of most of the storms, (though occasionally the perpetuator of a storm herself!) and she and Tracy have nice chemistry. The final scene between them is a nice way to close things out. Elizabeth Taylor plays the starry-eyed, emotional daughter who goes on about how her intended "is the kind of person who can make everything absolutly,... teribly wonderful!" We, on the other hand, don't see that when we meet the guy, but I guess that's the point? You know,... what does she see in him? As Bennett says, "I know he isn't good enough for {her}, but no one's good enough for {her}." The wedding rehearsal, Tracy trying to uncork a Coke bottle, and Tracy trying to fit himself into a tux that doesn't fit are humorous. Pleasent, not really remarkable, but not bad.

This film is billed as a comedy but to me it worked more as a drama. There are a few funny scenes but most of all I was moved by the poignancy of the father (Tracy) as he prepares to give away his daughter in marriage. His pride, stubborness, and insecurities were played to great effect. Taylor looks perfect as the bride and her acting is also fairly convincing. The supporting cast, especially the caterer played by Leo G. Carrol, are also almost uniformly good. I didn't find this film as funny as some other people but like I said I enjoyed the drama aspects. Recommended, 7/10. The vintage newsreels on the DVD are also a nice touch.

Look at how Elizabeth Taylor looked then! Beautiful and thin! She still looks fine now. Billie Burke (a.k.a.The Good Witch of the North) was a calming presence along with "Kay Banks". "Buckley" was kinda cheesy looking but otherwise all right. This was and is a classic no matter the nightmare it causes some fathers. If you like timeless classics in black and white then watch this movie. If the movie people are smart they will not colorize this movie. A colorized version will ruin it like a colorized version of "It's A Wonderful Life". There are just certain movies that should not be messed with and this is one of them. DO NOT COLORIZE THIS MOVIE!

Much better than that crappy remake with Steve Martin. This movie stars Spencer Tracy as a lawyer who discovers his daughter, played by Elizabeth Taylor, is about to be married. He doesn't like the idea after he finds out it's going to be a big wedding and he has to pay for it himself, with no help from the groom's parents. Their's one scene where he says to his son, he can't wait for him to get married so he won't have to pay for any of it. It shows him going through all the motions of setting the wedding up and all the problems that go along with it. Spencer Tracy is great in this movie and Joan Bennett doesn't have much to do as his wife. This was followed by a sequel a year later with the same cast and director.

The movie is more like a documentary than a movie with a narrative. This has to be one of the worst scripts ever used by such an important director and actors. I found Tracy to be at his most dull. He was never an actor who went over the top, thank goodness, but he can do nothing to make this garbage funny. And he proved in some of the Hepburn movies that he was loaded with wit. Taylor? It's all about posing. Why did this movie need a narration? And there is nothing of any depth to what Tracy's character is saying. Minnelli? Why did they give him something like this, something that didn't use any of his visual magic? Joan Bennett was good, very good. She gave this something that the script sure didn't have. I guess the photography was good. A huge disappointment. I was looking forward to it. It is simply a bad movie. Not a movie that is sooo bad that it is fun. There is no fun here. I thought it would never end.

FATHER OF THE BRIDE tells the tale of how the once perfectly serene Banks household, led by genial would-be patriarch Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy), deals with the trials and tribulations that come with the wedding of the family's sweet daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) to her earnest suitor Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor). Pretty much anything that can cause a father's hair to gather even more grey streaks happens in the run-up to this wedding--first, the bills (as indicated in the tagline to the film) start pouring in... then he realises that his wife Ellie (a Joan Bennett almost unrecognisable from her role as Amy March in 1933's LITTLE WOMEN) never got the church wedding she wanted, so he gives in and splashes out for Kay. The guest lists swell beyond his expectations and financial means; the caterer belittles the planned menu *and* the Buckley home; and Kay fights with Buckley and (temporarily, but hair-raisingly) calls off the wedding. In fact, amidst the mess and chaos of the actual wedding itself, the father of the bride doesn't even get to kiss the bride goodbye. All this might seem mighty familiar to anyone who's seen a 1991 film which, oddly enough, bears the same title, but stars Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and (in a hilarious turn as the effete wedding coordinator) Martin Short instead. The film is, of course, a remake, retaining a great deal of the original 1950 film's dialogue and situations, while updating it for modern times and developing the relationship of the characters further. For example, the two Banks brothers are eliminated for a younger baby brother for Annie (no longer Kay), played by Kieran Culkin. As I recall, the relationship between father and daughter is also better fleshed-out in the remake, as is that between the patriarch and matriarch of the family. However, even though the 1991 remake is one of the most credible remakes of a classic film ever (I would willingly watch the remake--not something I can say for several other similarly presumptuous films), there are still some areas in which it falls far short of the original. Almost all of these areas have to do with the fact that the remake is lacking its own Spencer Tracy--it is his grasp of the role that makes the original film worth seeing to begin with; otherwise one could just as easily watch the remake and not lose very much in the translation. While Steve Martin does a great job as the title character, Spencer Tracy does a *defining* job. Diane Keaton just about every other scene from Martin (as does Kieran Culkin); Spencer Tracy dominates all the scenes he's in. He plays his role perfectly, with just the right amount of frustration, genuine bemusement, and abiding adoration for his only daughter. One scene early on in the film captures exactly what Tracy contributes to his role (as he does to all his others): Stanley lies restless in bed, unable to sleep for worrying over Kay's announcement of her intent to marry Buckley. When he wakes Ellie up and starts complaining, watch Tracy as he keeps listing the different things there are to be worried about--he keeps fidgeting on the bed, almost lying back and then snapping upright again when a new horrifying thought enters his mind. The entire scene just rings of truth and you realise just what a great actor Spencer Tracy is, even in slight fare like FATHER OF THE BRIDE. In the end, although FATHER OF THE BRIDE has a clever script and a generally good supporting cast (Taylor appears beautiful but rather blank most of the time), it is held together by the commanding performance given by Spencer Tracy, and for that reason, becomes a film worth watching. It might also be worth your while to catch the remake, if you haven't already. Both films are sweet and utterly likeable, and a fun way to spend an evening. :)

This is such a sweet and marvelous film, and yet it has few plot twists or dramatic moments. Instead, it's a slice of life film about a middle-aged man who is coming to reluctantly accept that his "little girl" is growing up and getting married. The leisurely pace of the film is absolutely perfect as it looks like you are taking a peek at the life of these real and yet likable people. What I mean by saying "real" is that of course Tracy is flawed (but aren't we all) but much like someone who might have been your neighbor or coworker back in 1950s America. Real and ordinary,...and yet still interesting and sweet. And this niceness should NOT be mistaken for blandness--no this guy is NOT Ward Cleaver or Jim Anderson ("Father Knows Best") but a funny and decent guy with a bossy but loving spouse. His daughter is ably played by the strikingly beautiful Liz Taylor and you can almost feel the dad's pain as he learns to let go. A superb film thanks to great writing and acting. A tour de force for Tracy. Also, if you liked this film, be sure to see FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND--the wonderful sequel.