Andy Garcia and Adria Arjona

(L-R) Andy Garcia as Billy and Adria Arjona as Sophie in Warner Bros. Pictures' and HBO Max’s 'Father of the Bride.' Photo Credit: Claudette Barius. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

When you think of the movie ‘Martin Short’s wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer.

You might also picture the Adria Arjona, and gives the story a Latin flavor.

Directed by Diego Boneta) — who is also now her fiancé — and their plans for a quick-turnaround wedding and a new life together in Mexico, where Adan’s family is from.

Sofia’s quickfire revelations keep Billy and Ingrid from making their own disclosure (that they’re calling quits on their marriage), but both agree to delay the news and play the loving couple for the benefit of the family.

Old-fashioned Billy is at first opposed to the wedding, but he is eventually swayed… well, as long as his opinions as father of the bride carry the most weight in all things matrimonial. A prominent architect and family man, Billy feels his hard-fought success and dedication to his heritage earn him the right to call the shots. After all his achievements, why is he suddenly seen as the bad guy?

The same could also be said for Adan’s equally headstrong father, Hernan (Pedro Damián), who soon arrives with his own traditions and family pride in tow... plus a giant yacht which makes Billy wonder if he’s a Bond villain.

With both iron-willed fathers vying to take charge of the festivities, it becomes a prideful game of one-upmanship, as cultures clash, generations take sides and competing traditions collide. Family relationships are tested, along with the couple at the center of it all, as the roller coaster ride of wedding planning races toward the altar.

It all sounds very much of a piece with the other versions – and should anyone start decrying that the Steve Martin version should not be remade, don’t forget that that isn’t even the original version of this story. There was a run of movies in the 1950s, all drawn from a 1949 novel by Edward Streeter (to which this new one also owes a debt).

And after all, what’s a wedding without something old, something new, something borrowed and… something blue? (We’re not sure whether there’s a lot of swearing since it’s a family movie, but you never know. Maybe just people in blue clothing).

With Chloe Fineman also in the cast, ‘Father of the Bride’ walks down the aisle to HBO Max on June 16th.

Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona and Diego Boneta

(L-R) Andy Garcia as Billy, Gloria Estefan as Ingrid, Adria Arjona as Sophie and Diego Boneta as Adan in Warner Bros. Pictures' and HBO Max’s 'Father of the Bride.' Photo Credit: Claudette Barius. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Father of the Bride

"Love is simple. Family is not."
64
PG-131 hr 58 min Jun 16th, 2022
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