review by David Valkenet
Father of the Bride 1991
Rewatched Aug 10, 2012
David Valkenet’s review:
Watching this through nostalgia-tinted glasses is a wonderful experience and one that could beat a cold and clinical objective viewing any time.
I unabashedly try to hold on to sentimentality and value earnestness and uncynical ideals. Therefore I am a strong believer that nostalgia is not necessarily a bad thing when watching films.
A film, any film, from the highest 'art' films to the basest low-brow comedies, uses symbols to try and elicit a response from the audience. There are the signals and the signified, for instance in the poster for Kubrick's Lolita Sue Lyon is sucking on a lollipop. But she's not really, is she? The lollipop is the signal that signifies something metaphoric.
Similarly (and maybe this is a stretch) there are scenes in Father of the Bride that signify the times in my childhood when I watched it. It reminds me of seeing it and laughing with my mum and dad, it reminds me of family, it reminds me of thinking about what the future would hold and a whole host of other things - some of which it did intent, and others that it did not.
However, even if it doesn't intent to make me think about these things and feel those emotions, it does. It does make me feel all that, and just like the art film that stumbles into something profound, so too do the nostalgic classics from one's childhood.
This may not be a great film, or even a good film, but it is one I will continue to watch throughout my life and laugh at, enjoy and cherish.
Great review. This is one of those films I can watch any time it's on TV, even if it's already been on for an hour, I'll still watch to the end.
I totally agree with the feelings it brings up, any time I hear Fronk Egglehoffer's accent it reminds me of my mum being practically unable to breathe she was laughing so hard.
It's a real shame Steve Martin stopped being funny, in fact, I don't think he's even on top of his game in this, he just perfectly anchors the whole film, but I've long since given up hope he'll ever be as good again.
I have an almost identical memory of Fronk. Martin Short is unstoppable in this. Watching it this time I was hoping that there was a scene with Chevy Chase that I forgot about and there would be a little Three Amigos reunion.
I think Steve Martin is kind of sleepwalking through this, and at times seems to be doing a Woody Allen impression, but he can't help but be hilarious in a bunch of scenes. Not least the scene where he tries on his suit in the attic. I've stayed away from his films of recent times. It's kind of sad, he was one of my favorites as a kid.