HBO Max released its Father Of The Bride remake on June 16 and Twitter has some thoughts. Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan play the parents of a Cuban-American family in a stroke of casting genius. When their daughter announces her engagement, the whole family is thrown into disarray, scrambling to plan a wedding, adjust to new family dynamics, keep secrets, and say goodbye.
Billy and Ingrid Herrera have been in couple’s counseling for over a year when we meet them, and Ingrid is tired of trying. She plans to announce their divorce when eldest daughter Sofia (Adria Arjona) comes home, but Sofia beats her with news of her own. She’s planning to marry a boyfriend no one’s even heard of before, and she’s planning to marry him next month, before moving to Mexico. Cue the chaos.
@Roy_Winkelman Is Ready To Riot
Yes, they had the audacity to remake Steve Martin’s Father Of The Bride. To be fair, the Steve Martin version is indeed very good, possibly even a classic. There was no Twitter around when it came out in 1991, but if there was, people might have complained then about the audacity of remaking the Spencer Tracy/Elizabeth Taylor version, which came out in 1950.
Remakes aren’t new to Hollywood; they’ve been around for as long as movies have. Every generation thinks their version is the best, and while not every generation is right, it hardly matters as long as people are entertained.
@CourtneyMovies Is Skeptical
Having been burned by a number of subpar remakes, it’s natural that audiences are suspicious of studios willing to take something beloved of theirs and desecrate its memory in the pursuit of profit. However, the truth remains that several things can exist at once, including both good and bad versions of the same movie. Viewers have never been obligated to watch a film they aren’t interested in.
What good can come from another Father Of The Bride remake? In this case, Latinx audiences are thrilled to see themselves represented on the screen. Father Of The Bride is the perfect venue to explore cultural values, traditions, and the importance of family. Billy places a particular emphasis on the Latinx immigrant experience.
@SelinaKyle29 Admits She Was Wrong
It takes a big person to admit that they’re wrong; it takes a good person to keep an open mind. Many viewers had doubts about this HBO Max remake of Father Of The Bride, but audiences and critics have found it worthy. It currently enjoys an 81% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where, for comparison, the 1991 version sits at 70%.
RT critics note its “breezy charm,” “warmth,” and “fresh flavor” but viewers can judge for themselves. Not every movie will suit every person, but the important thing is to reserve judgment until after viewing.
@DrAnaChristina Sends Hugs
What makes this Father Of The Bride remake such a heartwarming embrace? The pairing of Garcia and Estefan naturally plays a part; they have chemistry and history, and they look great at opposite ends of a large kitchen table laden with food and surrounded by family. Two large and loving families, one Cuban-American, and the other Mexican, blend into an even bigger family bursting with even more love.
Weddings are wonderful opportunities for honoring tradition and heritage, and by exploring the different experiences and expressions of Latinx culture, the film provides rich representation that’s like a hug that audiences didn’t know they needed.
@Cickiz07: Too Much Of A Good Thing
Lavish displays of affection can make people uncomfortable for a number of reasons; depictions of happy families can be difficult for those without them, for example. In this case, it may simply be a matter of Latinx people as a culture being more comfortable with physical affection than the typical white audience member.
Certainly, the Banks family from the 1991 Father Of The Bride was notably WASPY. George Banks (Martin) is a handshake guy if anything. Perhaps a firm shoulder clasp if the occasion demands it. The height of physical affection is portrayed on the film’s poster, where the daughter (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) kisses her father on the cheek on her wedding day. This is the last time a white father and daughter will touch in their lifetimes. Billy (Garcia), on the other hand, envelops his mother-in-law in a full-body hug from behind for several seconds.
@Nirmalla_hb: It’s What A Remake Should Be
This is a fair point: the 2022 FOTB remake doesn’t try to recreate the 1991 version. It borrows the idea and the structure but sets it in Miami, in the heart of a vibrant Cuban-American community. The wedding boasts various Latinx traditions and celebrates love and family.
The remake doesn’t just offer a fresh cultural perspective but serves up a side of feminism as well. Billy still holds on to some antiquated notions, but his daughters Sofia and Cora (Isabela Merced) don’t hold back in schooling him. Billy may be the patriarch and the breadwinner, but his household is dominated by women who aren’t afraid to stand up to him.
@DCsFilmTake Finds Romance Predictable
Is Father Of The Bride predictable? Like all good little rom-coms, yes. It is the job of a romance to provide a happy ending. The journey is what matters. Romance is found in the unique details of how a couple gets together, how they overcome obstacles to their love, and how they celebrate each other. Father Of The Bride is a whirlwind romance spanning not one but two couples.
The mother of the bride has a bigger part to play in this film, and fans of Gloria Estefan wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s part of a talented ensemble, but in truth, she does sparkle in all of her scenes that separates her from the rest. As an actress, Estefan has been very choosy about her roles, and it’s clear to everyone that this one was very nearly tailor-made for her.
@SoniaMC1029 Declares It Rewatchable
What makes a film rewatchable is highly personal and hard to quantify. Fans of the comedy side of a rom-com are perhaps better suited to rewatch Steve Martin in the role; his movie courts laughter much more directly.
While the 2022 version certainly has its silly moments, it has more heart than funny bone. People who enjoy revisiting My Big Fat Greek Wedding may add this movie to their roster as well. The best weddings are celebrations of generations of love, but while the legacy is beautiful, the reality tends to be full of stress and drama. This film has it all.
@WBalkner Calls Out Sexism
Many of a wedding’s typical traditions are in fact rooted in patriarchy. The father of the bride “giving away” his daughter implies that she is his property, which he is now handing over to her husband, yet even modern feminists sometimes choose to keep it in the ceremony as a beautiful symbol they are loath to part with.
In the 2022 remake, Andy Garcia’s character Billy espouses outdated and sexist ideas of what a man should be. But not only do his daughters push back, but Sofia’s husband-to-be Adan (Diego Boneta) is also offered as an alternative to toxic masculinity. He’s a feminist too, happy to embrace his fiancée’s prerogative. Witnessing this dynamic provides Billy with an opportunity for growth.
@MaryMillennial Fangirls Over Ruben Rabasa
Tio Walter (Ruben Rabasa) is one of the film’s many delightfully eccentric characters. He pops up often to pitch his band, Los Inmortales, as the reception’s entertainment (even though the couple prefers a DJ) and, coming from the same machismo-driven culture as Billy, is often on his side in the tug-of-war against tradition. “Tradition is peer pressure from dead people” is one of the film’s funnier lines, but Tio Walter drops some pretty poignant wisdom on the other side.
Fans, however, aren’t here for the Los Inmortales reunion; they’ve come to see the subject of 2019’s mythic meme, Focus Group Man. It originated on I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson and quickly hit cult status on Twitter. Rabasa is just one among many talented cast members, any of whom could be the reason you watch.