FATHER OF THE BRIDE II
A film review by Dennis Fairhall
Copyright 1996 Dennis Fairhall
Father of the Bride 2 (1995) ***1/2 (out of *****) S: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, Martin Short, B.D. Wong, George Newbern, Kieran Culkin, Eugene Levy D: Charles Shyer
Steve Martin's 1991 version of Father of the Bride was one of the best comedies of recent years and it wasn't because the movie had big laughs (although it did) but because of the movies warm, likeable portrait of normal, everyday middle-class life. And Steve Martin isn't just a great comedian, he's also a great actor whose equally terrific in comic, heartwarming and dramatic scenes (see last years virtually unnoticed A Simple Twist of Fate). Father of the Bride 2 is a good sequel for many different reasons but he is the main one. While the movie mostly just requires his verbal and physical comic skills, he does get to display his dramatic reach here a couple times. One particularly beautiful scene comes near the end where he is holding two newborn babies. He doesn't say a word during the scene but it's a tribute to his acting skills that you know just what he's thinking. What's also good about this sequel is that it actually continues the first movie instead of just repeating it, like we saw, for example, in Home Alone 2. Martin's character, George Banks, has finally recovered from his daughters wedding and is ready for some relaxation time when his daughter (Kimberly Williams) now hits him with the news that she is pregnant. And as if thats not enough, he soon finds out that his wife (Diane Keaton) is also expecting. In an attempt to stay young and start fresh, George decides to sell the familys beloved home much to the dismay of the rest of the family. This leads to the movies only (hardly major) flaw. The person who buys the Banks home is a Middle Eastern caracture played by SCTV's Eugene Levy (who also had a cameo in the first film playing a different character). That kind of ethnic swipe seems like it would be more at home in a Jerky Boys comedy than in this friendly, family oriented film. Martin Short also returns as Franc Egglehoffer, the crazy wedding planner from the first film who speaks in an indecipherable accent that seems to be understood by everyone but George. This time he is both a decorator for the new babys nursery and as an aerobics instructor for the two pregnant women. He and Martin also have a funny "male bonding" moment near the end of the film. But still whats most appealing about both films is the way director Charles Shyer and writer Nancy Meyers seem to balance the warm moments and the comic ones. Its those moments, like the one with the two babies, that you will take home with you afterwards.
J.F.
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