Father of the Bride (1950)

You won't be disappointed!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I feel a 10/10 rating has to be carefully judged before awarding. Thus I am all too careful in awarding such a high score. However, I didn't really have to think about this... this movie easily deserves 10/10.In this day and age when so-called 'comedy' movies are simply full of just daft, witless, senseless, sometimes toilet, 'humour', film-makers would do well to look at the likes of Vincente Minelli's "Father Of The Bride" (1950) for inspiration on good quality film-making.The difference with the likes of this three-Oscar-nominated 'masterpiece' is that it is not comedy in the sense of daft circumstances, silly jokes etc... it reflects - basically - the comedy that we experience in everyday life. In fact, I'd go so far as to call this a 'light-hearted drama' if anything.Tracy is his brilliant self. His 'comedy acting' is actually an extension of the excellent script, his position as an unfortunate victim of circumstances (he conveys the weight of the world as being on his shoulders), the direction and a reflection on what we as objective viewers relate with our own lives. This is what 'comedy-drama' / comedy-acting' is all about... NOT playing for laughs as seems to be the common methodology these days.It is interesting that in a recent episode of the UK's fast-deteriorating soap "Coronation Street", the scriptwriter actually plagiarised some lines from the 1950 "Father Of The Bride". Reference was made (I paraphrase) to "I hope it's not the guy with the teeth"... and more. It was so badly misplaced and - to me - noticing it immediately, it was straight (and paraphrased) from the movie. I suppose that considering copying is the best form of flattery, it's perhaps a testament to Goodrich, Hackett and Streeter (the writers, the latter being the novelist).I won't waste my time going any farther than just mentioning the Steve Martin 'remake', which is nothing but the usual modern rubbish attempting to match a classic original but, I suppose, again 'mimicry is the best form of flattery'.Supporting roles are played excellently all round... particularly a young and very beautiful Elizabeth Taylor, the gorgeous Joan Bennett, Don Taylor ('the boy with the shoulders'), Billie Burke and more.The style is of the main protagonist (Tracy as lawyer Stanley T. Banks) narrating the story of the lead up to his only daughter ("I know a father's not supposed to have a favourite, but with Kay...") getting married. It's actually a very interesting insight to the turmoil that can befall a tight-knit middle-class family under such circumstances.I'd suggest also having a look at the sequel to the original: "Father's Little Dividend" (1951). Although not nearly as good, it's still very enjoyable and worth watching.

This is Spencer Tracy's movie all the way, and that was a good choice. He is excellent as the eponymous, point-of-view character and narrator. He is a bit past his prime as a romantic lead, so being the father character fit him well. Elizabeth Taylor's part was not really all that large, but her beauty was undeniable.This film's release date is 1950, which brings to mind (to me) that it was only five years removed from the war, tough times for everyone, but this goes unmentioned in the film. Perhaps audiences then did not care to be reminded too much of wounds so fresh.So, while not at all an uproarious comedy, it carried a wry wit throughout. Pretty good film.

There's an old saying that the best ideas are the simplest. This is only partly true. The best ideas often stem from a basic concept, but one which yields wide-ranging and elaborate results, and then only if pulled off properly. Father of the Bride has a simple idea at its heart – a straightforward romantic comedy, told from the point of view of someone on the periphery of the romance. However that idea provides the basis for a neatly structured picture that is both funny and endearing.The screenplay, by the fantastic but rarely lauded husband-and-wife writing duo Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, tells a story on two levels. The actual events of the picture of chart the romance and wedding of a young couple, and this is more or less all that actually takes place on screen. However, the device of a voice-over narrative, as well as set-pieces such as the engagement party shown entirely from Spencer Tracy's position as involuntary butler, make this undoubtedly his story. The voice-over was a popular feature of thrillers around this time, but here it serves as a comical inner monologue and commentary. Telling the story through the father's eyes ultimately allows Goodrich and Hackett to make this a tale not of romantic love but of family and paternal affection, and one that is more moving than dozens of run-of-the-mill romcoms.Director Vincente Minnelli was perhaps an odd choice for this project. Having had his biggest successes with musicals, his flowing, flamboyant style could have been a bit over-the-top for such a small-scale real-world setting. However Minnelli's tendency to lead the audience in a certain direction, and his skillful control of elements within the frame bring a lot to Father of the Bride. He is careful to always keep the wedding story going, often literally in the background, while putting Spencer Tracy in the foreground to give us his expressions and reactions. Usually the background goings-on are very busy, helping them to balance out, as well as giving a better comedy effect as Tracy grumps about before the camera. In the scene where the Bankses meet the Dunstons, Minnelli begins successive shots with a close-up of Tracy's martini glass, to give the whole scene the overtone that he is getting more and more drunk as he speaks. One of Minnelli's brightest ideas is to shoot the chaotic wedding rehearsal in one long take from a distant high angle. Not only does this allow the comedy to unfold naturally, it introduces us to the setting but in a slightly detached way. This gives all the more contrast and intensity to the following nightmare sequence, which is all done in close-ups with dozens of cuts.In the titular role Spencer Tracy gives a typically engaging yet understated performance. This kind of thing was really Tracy's forte. He is essentially a comedy character, since it's his grouchiness and his bewilderment that underlie most of the funny bits. But he's not a wild comic – he's also very believable and very human, and more importantly someone we can like and sympathise with. Although Joan Bennett plays her role completely straight and very reserved, it makes sense for the two of them to be a screen couple. And while Katherine Hepburn had the best chemistry with Tracy and it was always nice to see them on screen together, Bennett is the more appropriate actress here, because she is more sedate and will not threaten to upstage Tracy, whose movie it is after all.And Elizabeth Taylor, a huge star even then and arguably the female lead, ultimately has a fairly marginal role both in the script and on the screen. Some commentators bemoan this fact, and even prefer the 1991 remake to this original as a result. And yet it is all organised in such a way – the Goodrich/Hackett screen writing, Minnelli's direction, Tracy's acting – that brings a depth and poignancy to the father-daughter relationship despite Taylor's minimal participation. Take moments such as Tracy's relieved smile as the camera pulls away with him from the young lovers' reunion after their argument, or his frantic searching for his daughter so he can say goodbye before she leaves for the honeymoon. They don't distract from the general pattern of this being the father's story, and yet they reveal his true feelings, sometimes better than many a conventional scene between two people who love each other.

Marriage (and the married life) may be wonderful, but the wedding is something else, entirely. Based on the novel by Edward Streeter, this simple story of the "Father of the Bride" is Hollywood at its best. Despite the fact it doesn't contain an elaborate dance number or colorful sets, this movie shows director Vincente Minnelli at the peak of his craft. Spencer Tracy (the father of the bride) tells of how his daughter's wedding turns his life upside down (and his bank balance.) But, more than that, this movie not only shows life in an average!? American family, but it lovingly portrays the relationship between a father and his daughter. Despite Elizabeth Taylor's subtle and surprisingly effective role as the daughter and her exquisite looks, it is definitely Spencer Tracy's movie. In fact, his expressions and his whole manner and attitude make for the whole plot and the whole enjoyment of the film. A personal favorite highlight of mine is the "they're the ones...the smooth talkers" speech. Director Minnelli puts Elizabeth's looks to great use in close-ups and she truly makes a stunning bride. Joan Bennett is great as the mother. Young Russ Tamblyn is one of Elizabeth's brothers. Billie Burke (Oz's Glenda, the Good Witch of the North) and Moroni Olsen (who provided the voice of the "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall" in Snow White - the original) are the parents of the groom. If you haven't seen this gem, you have missed an essential. Watch this immediately!! Reviewer's Orders!!