MovieChat Forums > Father of the Bride (1991) Discussion > Good premise, but has so many ridiculous...

Good premise, but has so many ridiculous parts/scenes

posted 9 years ago by TitanicFanForever101
14 replies | jump to latest

There are some parts of this movie I love. I love Steve Martin and think he is hilarious in this. I also think the entire cast has great chemistry and the premise is good. I love the location and the house. However there are many parts of this film that I really dislike and find so unrealistic. To start with I agree with George’s thoughts and feelings 100%.

Firstly, Annie is supposed to be close with her family. However, she doesn’t tell her parents over the phone while she is away she met a guy? She instead comes home and tells them she is engaged. Why didn’t she tell her parents about Brian very shortly after thy met? Why did she keep it a secret for 3-4 months? I’m sure they called each other or wrote letters. Brian’s parents knew about Annie and even got the chance to meet her while they were visiting Brian. Keeping it a secret you met a great guy, fell in love and are now engaged from your parents that you are supposedly close to is ridiculously unrealistic.

Next, I completely agree with George’s initial reaction to the news of Annie getting married. Nina acted like a naïve moron. She told George she was worried if she told Annie she wasn’t thrilled about the engagement, then Annie would take off and marry Brian and they would never see her again. Did Nina really think Annie would do this? I thought they were a close family and Annie was supposed to be a good daughter? It is ashame to think your daughter would do this. George had every right to be skeptical, unsure, concerned and shocked by the news. He never met this Brian and Annie has kept their relationship a secret for months while she was abroad. He needs time to digest his daughter is engagement. He is a father who knows there are a lot of crazies out there who prey on young girls. George doesn’t know anything about Brian. Annie is also young and hasn’t known him very long. Nina acted like George was crazy paranoid about Brian being a criminal, con artist, or has other wives. However, you really can’t be too careful and you have to realize people lie. He doesn’t know Brian and has no reason to trust him. Brian’s speech did sound rehearsed and he seemed too good too be true. Nina acted like she has known Brian for years or set them up or something. She should have been concerned and unsure too.

Also, Annie is too young too get married. She was only 22 and fresh out of grad school. I understand George wanted her to wait to get married until she was older, had a job and was more settled. Brian and Annie also only knew each other like 3 months, which is really too soon to get engaged. They were abroad and in the honeymoon stage of their relationship. They should have dated a few more months in LA before deciding to get engaged, what was the rush?

I agree an Independent computer communication person sounded fake. Brian didn’t even seem like he had a real job. It seemed like it was made up. I understand George’s concern of having to support him. Nina and Annie are way too trusting. I almost wish Brian turned out to be crazy, just to show Nina and Annie not everybody in the world is good.

Why did George and Nina meet Brian’s parents without Annie and Brian there? Brian and Annie should have been there. The whole scene with George and the bank book while he was at the McKenzie’s was stupid and unnecessary. He should have just put the bank book down somewhere outside after he climbed out the window. Then he could have just walked around the house and pretended he left something in his car.

I also never understood why they had the wedding at the Banks’ house? This was completely unrealistic and stupid. After the church they should have went to a hall or hotel banquet room. They didn’t have a small wedding, so why have it in a house? They had to take out the furniture, paint, put up tents and disorganize their house. Who and why would anyone want to do that? It cost way more and was unnecessary. I guess the writers didn’t want to make a new set, but the house wedding was stupid. If Annie insisted on having her wedding at the house then she needed to keep the guest list to 50 people max or have it at the McKenzie’s mansion. Also, their guest list consisted of unnecessary people. I agree with George that inviting the wedding planner and his assistant was insane. They are paid to organize the wedding and be there to make sure it goes off without a hitch. They are not invited guests. Also, since the guest list seemed to contain more of Brian’s side the McKenzie’s should pay half. Why would George need to pay to fly over Brian’s Danish relatives? Nobody pays airfare for guests anyway, unless they are maybe immediate family members.

I also didn’t understand why everyone acted like George was mean and selfish to want to save money. The wedding was costing a fortune. Just because George and Nina run two successful businesses and have money doesn’t mean George wanted to blow it all on one day. There were many unnecessary costs and the amount per guest was insane for the 90’s and even today, wasn’t like $200 something a head? Nina was a complete idiot and acted like George was wrong. You can still have a big, nice wedding, without spending big bucks. It’s all about deciding what is important and what isn’t.

The actual wedding was nice and my favorite part of the movie. Unfortunately, they had to ruin it at the reception. Again who the heck would want all those people in their house. Second, why didn’t George stay with Nina at wedding? Why didn’t the wedding planner make sure he was front and center? George shouldn’t have had to wait in line to enter the hall, since it was his house. Then when he finally enters the tent the most ridiculous part of the movie comes with George parking cars. Why didn’t the wedding planner and everyone else think about how all these cars would park? It wasn’t a big street and there were like 200 cars. Everyone knows you can’t block a street like that without a permit for a block party. Why didn’t the wedding planner get a permit? Even if they had more parking attendees there still wasn’t any place to put all the cars.
So, at his daughters wedding George is left parking the cars outside. The wedding planner and his assistant should have helped park them into their magic places. The wedding planner says he has to go back inside because the cake is being revealed, well George should have said I would like to see that. He should have told Nina what was going on. The kids can’t drive or reach the pedals either. How did they even get all the keys? Where’s Brian’s father? They should have at least had some uncles or friends park them, so George wouldn’t have to. This scene was ridiculous. Then when George comes back the wedding is almost over. Didn’t Nina or Annie wonder where George was? He never ate dinner or got to give a speech? He never even got a father/daughter dance; he’s just listening to their song outside. What an awful sad scene. This was a huge significant moment in his daughter’s and his relationship and he missed it. The father/daughter dance is so special and he is outside parking cars. The wedding planner did an awful job. These could have been great moments and scenes.

Then to end the movie, Annie leaves without saying goodbye to her father. Obviolsuy, Annie wasn’t that close to her father. She didn’t tell him when she started dating a guy, fell in love or got engaged. She didn’t care he wasn’t at her wedding or had a father daughter dance. Then she didn’t even bother thanking or saying good-bye to him before she left on her honeymoon. Nina also didn’t care.
Nina and Annie are self absorbed people. If I was Annie I would make sure I said goodbye to my father and he was at my wedding. I would tell everybody to look for my father and not just act like I was so caught up with the wedding and other guests. Annie is a spoil, selfish and self absorbed bride and daughter. George acted like it was his fault for not being there to say goodbye, but it was Annie’s and the wedding planner.
Calling from the airport is not good enough.

Besides the bride and groom being the star of the wedding, so are the bride’s parents. They are front and center at everything. They help plan the wedding and paid for it. They have their family and friends at the wedding too. George was badly treated and I felt really bad for him.

A movie that had a good premise turned into a ridiculous, unrealistic disaster. There were some good scenes, but most of the movie was insane.

I would have loved it if it was done correctly with the traditional father/daughter dance etc. I understand it couldn’t be a boring wedding or nobody would watch it, but it didn’t have to be so silly and unrealistic. The writing turned lazy and sloppy.

Lifes a gift and I dont intend on wasting it!

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 9 years ago

I agree with you on most of those points. I used to love this film back in the nineties, but for the past 10 years, this movie has seemed plain dumb to me, mostly for the reasons you mentioned.

When I was in high school, I would watch this with my siblings and my mom, and my mom always had a problem with the fact that the bride and groom took off so suddenly during the wedding while barely acknowledging their parents. I remember that my mom kept saying that, in the real world, most newlyweds wouldn't do this. Perhaps she was a bit worried that we would try something similar. I don't know.

I disagree with you on one point - that Annie was too young to get married. There are people who marry at 22. She was an adult and could make up her own mind. But yes, she should have told her parents that she was seeing someone and that it was getting serious.

~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] TitanicFanForever101 9 years ago

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. This movie board doesn't get much traffic, so I wasn't sure if anyone would read or respond to it.

Yes, I like the beginning of the movie and I like cast alot. However, the movie becomes really stupid and creates dumb scenarios for laughs. I think the movie had great potential and could have been terrific, if it wasn't for the stupid plots. I think the father/daughter dance could have been a nice moment and Annie saying good-bye and thank you to her parents in person after the wedding could also have been a great moment.
We're supposed to believe Annie was so close with her parents, but doesn't tell them she met a man on her trip that she fell in love with and doesn't say goodbye to them before her honeymoon was ridiculous.

Well, I think 22 is too young to get married. Annie just finished school and didn't even have a job yet. I think people should be more stable in their lives before settling down. Annie seemed mature, but also had her immature moments; which is typical for a 22 year old. I just felt Brian and her didn't date long enough and I didn't understand what the rush was to get engaged and married.

Lifes a gift and I dont intend on wasting it!

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 9 years ago

Oh yes, seeing the father-daughter dance would have been lovely and I really think that she should have at least said goodbye before taking off for the honeymoon. I know that my mom was always a bit bothered by the fact that Annie didn't even bother talking to her parents before leaving like that. After all, her parents went to all the trouble to get this beautiful wedding arranged for her.

Some people choose to marry at a young age (even before 22) and it works. But thinking about it, yes, Annie was a bit on the immature side and maybe she should have waited another year or two.

~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] TitanicFanForever101 9 years ago

I was looking forward to seeing the father-daughter dance and when it didn't happen I was so dissapointed.

Exactly, not saying good-bye to your parents before your honeymoon is not nice. People have said it was because she got lost in the crowd. However, this isn't an excuse. She was the bride and it was her wedding. She acted like she was so independent and was definitely capable of saying wait a second, I need to say good bye to my parents.

22 is not too young to get married for some people, but for Annie it seemed too young.

Lifes a gift and I dont intend on wasting it!

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 9 years ago

It would be a huge slap in the face for the parents, I would think.

I haven't seen this film in over 10 years, but I seem to remember that she didn't really talk to ANY of the guests. She and her hubby just vanished as quickly as possible. That is extremely rude. I've been to a couple of weddings where the bride and groom only talk to a few of their closest friends during the reception and dance, and I wasn't impressed with their behaviour. People are coming to the wedding and they want to be acknowledged, even just briefly. The bride and groom should take the time to mingle as much as possible.

The original version of this movie was released in the fifites. I saw part of it, and from what I saw, it looked like a HUGE waste of talent. I love pre-1970 films, but this one appeared to be quite poor compared to other comedies of that time period. In the original, Liz Taylor plays the bride and I read that she used her first wedding to promote that film. (I think she was married a couple of months before that movie was released or something like that.)

~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] TitanicFanForever101 9 years ago

It was a huge slap in the face. Annie came off as a spoiled immature brat. She was so wrapped up in herself and wedding and didn't even bother looking for her dad.

I've also been to weddings where the bride and groom just talk to the guests they care about. It is very rude since I cared enough to come and bring a gift.

When I get married I will make sure to circle the room and not leave anyone out.

Lifes a gift and I dont intend on wasting it!

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 9 years ago

At one time, I used to laugh at the father's attempts to save money. Now I see that he was right. Why did this wedding have to cost so much? They could have kept costs down. I used to be amused at the scene in which the father is so shocked at the price of a wedding cake. Couldn't someone from the family have made a cake? Annie's mother or father? Her fiance's mother or father? And even the guest list....I don't know. Aside from family and a few of the VERY close friends, I don't see the point of having a lot of people at the wedding. Sometimes the family is so big that the wedding will be huge just because of all the cousins, etc. In the case of this wedding, it sounded like they invited everyone they knew, even if they hadn't seen them in 20 years and barely knew them.

I always found it odd that they had the wedding in the home of the parents. Didn't they worry about possible damage done to the home? Or a lawsuit if someone got injured on the property?

~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] TitanicFanForever101 9 years ago

Exactly, the wedding had unnecessary costs. George wasn't a billionaire and probably didn't want to spend more than he had to. Most of the costs could have been avoided, like re-decorating and red-designing their house. Who would want a huge wedding in their home? That is what catering halls and hotels are for. The church part was good, but the rest of the movie was ridiculous.

The guest list was also insane. They invited the wedding planner and his assistant. They don't get invited, they planned the wedding and come to make sure everything goes according to plan. George also flew in Brian's Danish relatives. Nobody fly's in relatives. Brian's parents should have paid for their guests, since it seemed like most of the people were from their side. The movie had good parts, but unfortunately was filled with so much nonsense it became ruined.

Lifes a gift and I dont intend on wasting it!

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 9 years ago

That's true. I've been to a few weddings in different cities and I always had to pay for my own plane ticket and hotel room. That's how it goes. At the wedding, the bride and groom would always announce the names of the people who flew in from out of town, in order to acknowledge the fact that they made such a long trip. But it's up to the guests to pay for the travel expenses.

When my sister got married about 8 years ago, she had an August wedding in Vancouver and some of my relatives living in eastern Canada chose to combine the wedding with their annual holidays. They flew to Vancouver for the wedding and then stayed another few days for sightseeing, etc.

As for the church ceremony, it was nicely done. She walked down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D. I heard that this melody has basically replaced the wedding march, thanks to this film. Not sure how true it is, but seems like every wedding I've been to (or heard about), the bride walks down the aisle to Canon in D.

By the way, I really thought that Annie overreacted because she got that blender as a wedding gift. What on earth is wrong with getting a blender as a gift? It doesn't suggest that a woman should be in the kitchen. It's just something to put in the kitchen, just like plates, bowls, cutlery, etc. Like one of the other characters said, "Maybe she'll want to blend something." And why not? What's wrong with making a milkshake on a hot day or whatever?

Maybe calling off that wedding wouldn't have been such a bad idea. The guy could have found someone else for himself, and she could have married once she smartened up a bit.

~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] patrickbohn 9 years ago

I figured I'd respond to your post as well. Much of these are legitimate issues in the sense that they're plot devices intended to move the film in a certain direction. Now, just because something is a plot device doesn't mean it's a good one, so don't think I'm excusing the film. Some of these devices work better than others.

The wedding featured in this movie isn't just a wedding. It's an allegory for what George is feeling as he experiences the whole process of his daughter getting married: A loss of control.

As he says in an early voiceover: "Then, you stop worrying about her meeting the wrong guy, and you worry about her meeting the right guy. That's the greatest fear of all, because, then you lose her."

To him, Annie's upcoming wedding means he's losing her. And he doesn't like it, so of course he tries to control things. But, he can't control the wedding any more than he can control his daughter growing up. That's why the wedding has 572 guests and costs $250 a head, and why there are things George has no idea about like swans and tulip borders. It's why his house has to get rearranged. It's why it snowed the night before. Everything that goes wrong, or is hard for George, is just a stand in for how losing his daughter is hard for him.

Think about the little scene where he asks her to put on a jacket. She insists she's fine when he says it, but when Brian says it, she puts on a jacket. That's in there to show again, that George is losing Annie a bit. Now the person she listens to about putting on a jacket isn't her father, but her fiancee.

This is a hard change for George to accept. Look at this other voiceover later: "But she's not a woman. She's just a kid. And she's leaving us. I realized at that moment that I was never going to come home again and see Annie at the top of the stairs. Never going to see her again at our breakfast table in her nightgown and socks. I suddenly realized what was happening. Annie was all grown up and was leaving us, and something inside began to hurt."

So if the wedding planning were sensible, affordable, and happy and stress-free, and George got to dance with Annie, then it wouldn't mirror what he was he feeling on the inside, that he was losing control of the daughter he loves.

[–] candy281-1 9 years ago

I'm now 27 and was married at 23. My husband was 22. My husband has been at university and working part-time the entirety of our marriage. If anything, our marriage has been happy because we AREN'T 100 percent settled. There's something very bonding about working hard to a future goal together. We've got 1 and a half kids, too. It's been a fun ride so far.
So, I have to disagree that 22 is too young or marriage should wait till one is settled. In this day and age, and economy, you could be waiting a very long time before you are in a secure and settled situation.

[–] angel1008 8 years ago

I agree with everything except the part about the planners not being invited. It is considered bad etiquette to NOT invite vendors after they have been with you for 10+ hours day of. They have to eat.

[–] patrickbohn 7 years ago

Yeah, we budgeted for our DJ, day-of-planner, caterer, photographer, and bartender to eat.

[–] dgates64 8 years ago

It wasn't a documentary. It was a comedy. Do you do these long, rambling diatribes for ALL the movies you watch?

You're the guy people stay away from at parties, if you're ever invited.