Product: Father of the Bride [VHS] (1950)
Rating: 4.0
Weddings Haven't Changed Much
Spencer Tracy is the whole show in this story of a man who faces the ordeal of his daughter's wedding, an affair that grows to be much more than he ever expected it to be. Caterers, clothes, decorations, guest lists, and especially an escalating cost give him endless headaches, not to mention the fact he will be losing his only daughter. Tracy is excellent in a role that moves between being the voice of reason to being the voice that stirs up more trouble. He's very funny and his natural acting style makes him the perfect everyman / typical father. Joan Bennett stars as his wife, in her glory planning the wedding she never had, and she's very good. An incredibly beautiful Elizabeth Taylor is the bride, and it seems very ironic watching her in a movie about weddings! The humour is real since it is based in human nature, and so many of Tracy's frustrations over the wedding are still valid today. It's a very good film.