Father of the Bride
Directed by Charles Shyer
- comedy
- romance
The story
George Banks is an ordinary, middle-class man whose 22 year-old daughter Annie has decided to marry a man from an upper-class family, but George can't think of what life would be like without his daughter. His wife tries to make him happy for Annie, but when the wedding takes place at their home and a foreign wedding planner takes over the ceremony, he becomes slightly insane.
What it’s like
Warm, bright suburban daylight and sunny Los Angeles backyards, with the saturated greens of a lawn and soft pastel party decor doing most of the visual work. The camera stays largely in middle distance, with comfortable two-shots and eye-level framing of family kitchens, cluttered dinner tables and a sprawling house being slowly taken over by tents, florists and frantic planning. The sound is light and unhurried: a gentle, sentimental piano-and-strings score, bursts of crowd chatter and clinking glassware, and plenty of room for a joke to land. Its vibe is cozy, affectionate and gently chaotic, the feel of a lazy weekend afternoon with a comfort-food dinner and a laugh that keeps returning. The pacing is brisk and episodic, building in small escalating mishaps toward a tender emotional payoff, and the register stays sweet and playful throughout. The central arc is a proud, anxious father slowly learning to let his daughter go while his wife quietly steadies him. Intensity is very low: no violence, no gore, no sexual content, and only mild comic stress and sentimental tears. It suits people who want a funny, heartfelt family comedy for a rainy Sunday, a comfort rewatch, or an easy evening with a glass of wine.
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