father of the bride

Here is the sequel to my first post, Top 10 Best Wedding Films.

This post only has five films because it was torture watching them all and I simply couldn’t continue with it. But I could imagine that License to Wed, The Big Wedding, Made of Honor and numerous other cheap Hollywood flops would be on this list if I had the strength to watch them.

So here are a few to avoid because of either their lack of entertainment or because they bring your worst wedding nightmares to life:

Father of the Bride (1991)
This film is not recommended as it’s likely to be your worst nightmare too. From the perspective of a soon-to-be bride, Father of the Bride becomes a terrifying movie. As parents of the bride, George (Steve Martin) and his wife Nina (Dianne Keaton) pay for the entire wedding, but the cost of 500+ guests threatens debt and money troubles for the modest Banks family. I hate the thought of taking advantage of my parents like this. The final scene is heartbreaking too.

Runaway Bride (1999)
Not only is Julia Roberts’s character Maggie highly unlikable, it’s also a repeatable storyline that feels like it’s never going to end. It’s boring, slow and feels like the story is on a loop: she gets engaged, plans a wedding, gets to the aisle and runs. She gets engaged, plans a wedding, gets to the aisle and runs… This happens six times. It’s exhausting.

I Give it a Year (2013)
I wouldn’t recommend seeing this film if you’re about to get married because it’s essentially about a couple who realise they made a mistake marrying each other. After they try to make it work, they soon cheat on each other. I Give it a Year keeps it light and funny despite the themes of temptation and regret. Nevertheless, it was a bit of a downer.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
While I always said ‘I don’t like this movie’, it wasn’t until I watched it recently that I realised I’d never seen it before in my life – I was confusing it with Death at a Funeral. Nevertheless, while I appreciate Four Weddings and a Funeral is a favourite among many, I can confidently confirm that I do not like this film either. It is so boring. It’s pointless. There are too many characters. Hugh Grant’s character has a crush on Andie MacDowell’s character who has slept with half the world’s population, which she brags about and consequently makes her unlikable. There are so many things I don’t like about this film and for once, Hugh Grant is the least of them.

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
This was the worst film I have seen in so long. I’m so disappointed because I adore Emily Blunt. But it was so depressing. It was about a couple, Tom and Violet (Jason Segel and Emily Blunt) who both had opportunities to pursue their dream careers at opposite ends of the country. Tom gives up his career and moves from San Francisco to Boston for his fiancee, but he soon resents her for it. As if that’s not horrible enough, they both cheat on each other and break up. Brilliant. Just what you want to watch before your big day.

Now you know what wedding films not to see, here are the wedding films that you should: Top 10: Best Wedding Films. Don’t forget that Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding is this Saturday (19 May)!

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Director: Charles Shyer
Writer: Charles Shyer, Nancy Meyers, Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett
Released: December 1991
Starring: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, Martin Short, Kieran Culkin
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As part of an upcoming post about the ‘top 10 wedding movies’, I realised I had a lot of research to conduct.

I had originally disregarded Father of the Bride, but a few people told me it’s actually worth a watch. It’s based on a film of the same name, which was made in 1950. All in all it’s an enjoyable enough film, but unfortunately it’s also my worst wedding nightmare come to life.

It’s about a father, George Banks (Steve Martin), and his comedic journey of organising a wedding for his daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams). A lot of unfortunate yet funny things happen, particularly when the in-laws meet for the first time and when George has a break down in a supermarket.

[at a supermarket]
George: I’ll tell you what I’m doing. I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don’t need. So I am removing the superfluous buns. Yeah. And you want to know why? Because some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public. Because they think the American public is a bunch of trusting nit-wits who will pay for everything they don’t need rather than make a stink. Well they’re not ripping of this nitwit anymore because I’m not paying for one more thing I don’t need. George Banks is saying NO!
Stock Boy: Who’s George Banks?
George: ME!

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But from the perspective of a soon-to-be bride, Father of the Bride becomes a terrifying movie.

As parents of the bride, George and his wife Nina (Dianne Keaton) pay for the entire wedding, but the cost of 500+ guests threatens debt and money troubles for the modest Banks family.

To George’s relief, his beloved daughter chooses to have the reception at home, which he hopes will save money. But the money saved is promptly spent on an elaborate wedding cake and a flamboyant wedding planner named Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short).

(At this point, I wish George would put his foot down but Nina encourages him to keep paying out for everything.)

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I’ve heard the wedding planner is many people’s favourite character because his accent is funny. But I think it’s so over-done, to the point that I could understand even less than the other characters could.

By the time the wedding day comes, the father doesn’t even get to try the food, see the cutting of the cake or the first dance because he is running around like a headless chook keeping everything in order.

Annie took advantage of her dad, and didn’t even say anything on the wedding day when he went missing.

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While the ranting of George and his emotional turmoil is comedic and light-hearted, I found it a bit upsetting. Putting my parents through that much stress is my worst nightmare, and I’m sure many parents and brides would feel the same.

Not only did George lose his daughter, but the final scene shows him and his wife in a large empty home with rubbish and broken glasses littering the carpet.

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Maybe I shouldn’t look so deeply into this family film.

The sequel came out in 1995, but I’m not in a hurry to see it.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

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