Father of the Bride (franchise)
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The ''Father of the Bride'' franchise consists of a series of released
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and
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...
films, based on the premise of the 1949 novel of the same name. The film adaptations respectively depict the events of wedding preparations from the point of view of an overly-protective father, and his growing realizations that his daughter has grown. Developed by
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
in 1950 as a comedy, the original film was critically and financially successful, and was followed by a sequel in 1951. In 1991,
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
purchased the film rights to the story and adapted a romantic comedy remake through its
Touchstone Pictures Touchstone Pictures, Inc. was an American film production label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featu ...
film studio. The time-period for which was shifted to be a contemporary adaptation. It was also followed by a sequel in 1995. Though the remakes were not critically acclaimed releases, they have subsequently gained
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within their respective genre. A third installment, "mini-sequel", was filmed during the
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and was released on September 25, 2020, to support World Central Kitchen's efforts in relieving those effected by the coronavirus. A reboot of the franchise was developed at
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of li ...
as an exclusive for the company's
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streaming service and was released on June 16, 2022.


Origin

The 1949
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comedy novel A comic novel is a novel-length work of humorous fiction. Many well-known authors have written comic novels, including P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Fielding, Mark Twain, and John Kennedy Toole. Comic novels are often defined by the author's literary ...
, ''Father of the Bride'', written by
Edward Streeter Edward Streeter (August 1, 1891 – March 31, 1976), sometimes credited as E. Streeter, was an American novelist and journalist, best known for the 1949 novel '' Father of the Bride'' and his ''Dere Mable'' series. Biography Streeter was ...
serves the inspiration for the film adaptations. The story centers around Stanley Banks and his troublesome attempts to adapt to his daughter's engagement. The story provides readers with insight into the mind of an overprotective father, and the comedic scenarios that follow. Stanley is a working man, who has to pay the expensive bill for a wedding he doesn't accept wholeheartedly. Over the course of the story, he has a change of heart and comes to understand that he must welcome the next phase of life. Illustrations for the book were provided by
Gluyas Williams Gluyas Williams (July 23, 1888 – February 13, 1982) was an American cartoonist, notable for his contributions to ''The New Yorker'' and other major magazines. He was also syndicated in a number of newspapers, including the ''Boston Globe'' ...
.


Films


''Father of the Bride'' (1950)

When the doting, middle-class working, father Stanley Banks, learns that his beautiful daughter Kay is engaged to Buckley Dunstan, a series of comical difficulties arise. Stan navigates a range of wedding planning problems ranging from monetary to emotional, all while his wife Ellie tries to keep the peace and remain calm. His love for his daughter grows as Stan realizes he is the father of the bride, and that she has grown up.


''Father's Little Dividend'' (1951)

One year following the wedding of their daughter, Stanley and Ellie Banks are surprised with news that their daughter Kay is pregnant. While everyone fawns over Kay and the excitement of the upcoming newborn, Stan retrieves as he is not yet ready to be a grandfather. When the family continues to prepare for the coming baby's nursery and debates over what name it shall have, Stan finds himself being the one that Kay turns to for help because of his mellow facade. In helping his daughter realize that she is ready to be a mother, Stan realizes that he too can find excitement in the coming events.


''Father of the Bride'' (1991)

A remake released in 1991, the events of the plot were updated for a contemporary audience. Though the critical reception upon release was mixed, the movie has subsequently been deemed a
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...
"
cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
" film. George Banks and his wife Nina, are the proud doting parents of their daughter Annie. They are both surprised when she returns home from studying abroad, and announces that she is engaged to a man she met in Rome, Italy. George's whole world turns upside down, as the overprotective father copes with advancing to his daughter's next stage of life. Nina's excitement contrasts and equals the apprehension of George. The pair quickly navigates the wedding preparations including, meeting the in-laws, an eccentric
wedding planner A wedding planner is a professional who assists with the design, planning and management of a client's wedding. Weddings are significant events in people's lives and as such, couples are often willing to spend considerable amount of money to e ...
and his flamboyant assistant named Franck and Howard respectively. When things continue to move at a pace out of his control, George comes to terms with the reality that his daughter has grown up and happily walks her down the aisle.


''Father of the Bride, Part II'' (1995)

A sequel to ''Father of the Bride'' (1991), and a partial remake of ''Father's Little Dividend'', ''Part II'' picks up where the previous installment left off. The sequel received a less favorable critical reception than its predecessor but once again became a romantic comedy cult classic movie, albeit this time. As George adjusts to the reality that his daughter is married and that his son Matty is growing up, he initiates plans to sell his home with retirement in mind. Annie announces that she is pregnant. Upon realizing that he will become a grandfather, George must come to terms with the fact that he is aging. Not ready to be a senior citizen, George begins a series of comical events associated with a
midlife crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 40 to 60 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...
. Amid these events George receives even more surprising news, when his wife Nina reveals that she is also expecting a baby. Realizing that he will go from being the father of the bride to the father of the newborn, George navigates preparations for the two babies. The family receives assistance from the eccentric Franck Eggelhoffer in planning the
baby shower A baby shower is a party of gift-giving, drinking beers or a ceremony that has different names in different cultures. It celebrates the delivery or expected birth of a child or the transformation of a woman into a mother. Etymology The term ''s ...
s and preparing the nursery. Throughout these events, George realizes that he will get to experience the joys of parenthood with Nina all over again, with his upcoming baby. He repurchases his home and finds excitement in fathering his baby daughter, Megan.


''Father of the Bride, Part 3(ish)'' (2020)

Developments for a third installment began as early as 1996, following the release of ''Father of the Bride Part II''. Though the second film did not perform as well as the first movie, Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers were confirmed to return in their respective roles. The project however, remained in various stages of
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since its inception. In February 2014, ''Hollywood Reporter'' Nikki Fink exclusively reported that the script was finished, and would center around the wedding of Matty Banks. He stated that the character would be
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
, and that the story would center around George coming to terms with his son's sexuality. Steve Martin seemingly debunked the report, one day later. By October 2017, George Newbern stated that a script written by Charles Shyer had been completed. Various actors from the first two films, expressed interest at different times in returning for a third film. Following reports that The Walt Disney Company is rebooting the franchise, talks of a third film dissipated. In September 2020, Nancy Meyers announced a follow-up to the first two films was coming. The first teaser trailer was released on September 23, with an official preview released the following day. The "mini-sequel" was written and directed by Meyers, with the plot including a family reunion over
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at the request of Matty Banks, and depicted George Banks' reaction to 2020. Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Kieran Culkin, George Newbern, and Martin Short reprised their respective roles, with
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and
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
joining. The film benefited World Central Kitchen charity, supporting families and children who suffer due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. ''Father of the Bride 3(ish)'' was released on September 25, 2020, exclusively through
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while also streaming on the service's
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and
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pages.


''Father of the Bride'' (2022)

In September 2020, it was announced that a Latin adaptation centered around
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-Americans is in development with a script written by Matt Lopez. By February 2021, Gaz Alazraki signed on as director.
Andy García Andrés Arturo García Menéndez (born April 12, 1956), known professionally as Andy García, is a Cuban-born American actor, director and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's ''The Untouchables'' (1987) alongside ...
starred as Guillermo "Billy" Herrera, the titular character in addition to serving as
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, while Jeremy Kleiner and
Dede Gardner Dorcas Wright "Dede" Gardner (born October 16, 1967) is an American film producer and the president of Plan B Entertainment. She is a two-time Oscar winner for '' 12 Years a Slave'' and ''Moonlight'', the first woman to win two Oscars for Best P ...
served as producers. The project is intended to be a joint-venture production between
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of li ...
, and
Plan B Entertainment Plan B Entertainment, Inc., more commonly known as Plan B, is an American production company founded in November in 2001 by Brad Grey, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Kristin Hahn. In 2005, after Pitt and Aniston divorced, Grey became the CEO o ...
with
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distributing. It was released on June 16, 2022.


Future


Untitled reboot film

In February 2018, it was announced that various remakes were in development from
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
for their
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streaming service, drawing from their library of intellectual properties. One of the projects named in the announcement was ''Father of the Bride''.


Main cast and characters


Additional crew and production details


Reception


Box office and financial performance


Critical and public response


See also

* '' Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' * ''
Guess Who Guess Who may refer to: * ''Guess Who'' (B.B. King album), 1972 * Guess Who (Slim Whitman album), 1971 * ''Guess Who'' (EP), a 2021 EP by South Korean girl group Itzy * ''Guess Who'' (film), a 2005 romantic comedy starring Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutche ...
'' * ''
Why Him? ''Why Him?'' is a 2016 American buddy comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, co-written by Ian Helfer, and starring James Franco and Bryan Cranston with Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally, Griffin Gluck and Keegan-Michael Key in supporting ...
'' *
List of romantic comedy films This is a list of romantic comedy films, ordered by year of release. Before 1950 1950 – 1969 1970 – 1989 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also *List of romantic comedy television series This is a list of romantic comedy televisio ...


References

{{Father of the Bride Father of the Bride (franchise) depicting the events of pregnancy Touchstone Pictures franchises