Mother of the Bride Parent Guide
The film isn't deep or original but it's harmless and pleasantly sweet.
Parent Movie Review
Lana (Brooke Shields), a high-strung doctor and single mom, gets the surprise of her life when her daughter Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) returns from an internship in London with the news that she is not only engaged to someone Lana’s never met, but is getting married next month in Thailand. Soon after arriving at the resort, Lana meets her soon to be son-in-law, RJ (Sean Teale) and is shocked to realize that his dad, Will (Benjamin Bratt), is the man who broke her heart in college. Though they haven’t spoken in decades, the two exes soon find themselves pushed together by wedding events, much to their dismay.
I first want to point out how refreshing it is to watch a rom com about a couple who aren’t in their twenties. People in their fifties, sixties, and beyond deserve cute love stories just as much as young adults do! The age of the love interests doesn’t make it any less of a fluffy romp, mind you. Mother of the Bride leans hard into the established tropes of the genre and doesn’t try to do anything deep or original. And that’s ok! Yes, the third act is silly, and people rush into marriage and conflicts are resolved far too easily, but sometimes you just want to watch pretty people fall in love in a picturesque setting and nothing more.
The level of negative content is relatively low for the genre, which is another point in the film’s favor. There is some mild swearing, social drinking, sexual innuendo, and some implied nudity in non-sexual contexts. As far as toxic messages about relationships, this show also fares surprisingly well. There’s no outward abuse or manipulation, which seems like a low bar, but you’d be shocked how many romance stories can’t clear it. I wouldn’t recommend people model their life choices off of this script, but at least it’s not teaching anything overtly harmful and that’s commendable.
I don’t think this is going to become an enduring classic, but for fans of the genre who are looking for something familiar, shallow, and pretty, Mother of the Bride fits the bill perfectly.
Directed by Mark Waters. Starring Brooke Shields, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove. Running time: 88 minutes. Theatrical release May 9, 2024. Updated May 9, 2024Watch the trailer for Mother of the Bride
Mother of the Bride
Rating & Content Info
Why is Mother of the Bride rated TV-PG? Mother of the Bride is rated TV-PG by the MPAA for language, substances, and suggestive dialogue.
Violence: A man is accidentally hit in the groin by a pickleball. Some slapstick style trips and falls.
Sexual Content: There is some mild innuendo. A woman accidentally walks in on a naked man; no nudity is shown. A group of adults decide to skinny dip; they are shown running into the ocean naked from behind, but the lighting hides any nudity. Adult couples kiss.
Profanity: There are approximately seven mild and moderate expletives and six terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Adults drink socially in many scenes. A woman complains of a hangover.
Page last updated May 9, 2024
Mother of the Bride Parents' Guide
What drove Will and Lana apart when they were young? How have they both evolved as people and how does that affect their relationship?
Home Video
Related home video titles:
Brooke Shields stars in A Castle for Christmas as a disenchanted American author who buys a castle from a crotchety Scottish aristocrat, played by Cary Elwes.
Also set in South-East Asia (Bali, to be specific), A Ticket to Paradise sees the bride’s mom experiencing a complicated romantic relationship – with her despised ex-husband.
If it’s glamor you’re after in an exotic wedding story, check out Crazy Rich Asians. Set in Singapore, this story features a Chinese-American professor whose boyfriend has surprisingly wealthy relatives – and a disturbingly ruthless mother.
A bride-to-be and her mother explore some complicated relationship issues while singing and dancing along the coast of a sun-drenched Greek island in Mamma Mia!
For zany wedding hi-jinks from the dad’s perspective you can watch Steve Martin in Father of the Bride or the more nuanced story starring Andy Garcia in an HBO remake of the story.