Father of the Bride Parent Guide

Billy had no idea success could feel so hollow. Born Guillermo Herrera (Andy Garcia) in Cuba, he emigrated to Miami, working his way up from parking valet to carpenter to successful architect. But now his wife (Ingrid, played by Gloria Estefan) wants a divorce, his youngest daughter, Cora (Isabela Merced), has dropped out of university to pursue a fashion design career, and his oldest daughter and promising lawyer, Sofia (Adria Arjona), has announced that she’s getting married.

Her announcement throws Billy into turmoil. Not only is Sofia marrying Adan (Diego Boneta), a Mexican lawyer Billy has never met, but the couple are getting married in two months and then moving to Mexico where they will be lawyers for a non-profit organization. Sofia and Adan insist they want a small, intimate wedding, but Billy objects. In his mind, it’s the responsibility of the father of the bride to pay for a wedding – and a Cuban father’s duty to ensure all the traditions are upheld. What Billy hasn’t counted on is that the groom’s father has some traditions he’s attached to - and there’s a giant storm bearing down on Florida with ideas of its own.

This film is a remake of 1991’s Father of the Bride, with Steve Martin in the title role. Although the movies share the same basic premise – uptight father copes with daughter’s marriage – the tone of the two stories is very different. The original film was light, warm-hearted, and often zany. This movie is more shadowed, with plenty of family conflict and emotional pain. It’s not as fun a film, but it will resonate with anyone who’s dealt with wedding-related family drama. The remake also provides a story too often left untold, one of adult growth and change. In the short weeks before his daughter’s wedding, Billy is forced to take stock of his life, reassess his achievements, and reconsider the kind of man he has become. That he has the humility to undertake this painful journey makes his epiphany possible and provides the emotional grounding for the story. Fortunately, Andy Garcia is able to manage the heavy lifting here and make the story believable. He’s also well-matched by Gloria Estefan whose Ingrid is convincingly hurt, bitter, and weary.

This sounds like it could be a heavy or depressing film, but Father of the Bride manages to maintain its comic cred. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments in the movie, including some delicious irony. Secondary characters provide comic relief and while Chloe Fineman as Natalie Vance isn’t as unforgettable as Martin Short’s Franck, she’s still ditzy enough for some laughs.

If you’re considering this film for family viewing, you can be assured that negative content is minimal. There’s some kissing, a very brief moment in a strip club, and minor swearing but the biggest issue is alcohol consumption. Not surprisingly, people drink at the wedding and the social functions leading up to it, with some characters briefly shown as intoxicated. Thankfully, Father of the Bride also comes with strong positive messages about the importance of family, emotional resilience, personal growth, transformation, and forgiveness. In an added bonus, the film clearly demonstrates that elaborate and expensive wedding plans are unimportant – a message future fathers of brides will definitely want their daughters to absorb.