Father of the Bride

Movie Review: Father of the Bride

Year of Release: 1950
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor

Plot outline: A father of a young woman deals with the emotional pain of her getting married, and the financial and organizational pain of arranging her wedding (IMDb).

Adapted from Edward Streeter's novel, this movie is a sweet, universal and timeless story of a father's agony dealing with emotional pain of giving away his daughter and financial pain of arranging the wedding. Spencer Tracy perfectly plays the father of the bride with just the right amount of frustration, bemusement and adoration for his only daughter. He dominates the screen from beginning to end. He superbly holds together the clever script and the marvelous supporting cast. He was indeed at the top of his career. Joan Bennett delightfully plays the mother of the bride with patience and understanding to deal with both her husband and daughter who lose their minds to pre-wedding jitters. Elizabeth Taylor, though rather blank most of the time, commands attention with her youth and beauty. She is drop-dead gorgeous and no one can take the eyes off of her. Although Tracy is the main show, it is Taylor who makes this movie a box-office success. The movie contains not only comedy, but also moments of poignancy, especially in the scenes where Tracy and Bennett are in: e.g. 1) When he realises that his wife never got a church wedding she wanted, he gives in and splashes out for his daughter. 2) When they dance together in the post-party mess of their once-pristine house. This puts the movie above the ordinary and is exactly what is missing in the 1991 remake (Steve Martin does a great job in the 1991 remake, but it is difficult to top Tracy's performance here). This movie received three Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Vincente Minnelli deserves all the credit in directing this sweet comedy.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars