There's a strange feeling here: the feeling that the eponymous father of the bride is right when it comes to his many concerns about a possible happy event that is about to consume his life, for better and much for worse. Edward Streeter's 1949 novel "Father of the Bride" inspired Vincente Minnelli's 1950 Best Picture nominee and Charles Shyer's excellent 1991 version (plus sequels and even a TV series), and now the story gets another reimagining, this time through the prism of a vibrant and complicated Cuban-American family headed by Andy Garcia as the appropriately confused patriarch.
While many of the film's beats are familiar, director Gary Alazraki's take on this classic family comedy often misses an essential ingredient: real humor. His heart is in the right place, but even his wackiest diversions, including "SNL" star Chloe Fineman trying to put a spin on Martin Short's indelible wedding planner Franck, plus a new take on the two families in the center, do not reach the previous ones. versions, and are awkwardly hidden alongside much more serious subplots.
Stars: Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona
Garcia's Billy Herrera often feels less crazy and much more pragmatic than his predecessors. It's a solid performance, but the limitations of Matt Lopez's script mean it's not funny, and that levity and airiness is missing from every inch of what a comedic dunk should be. Billy is a dreamer and a hard worker, an entrepreneurial immigrant who came to this country with nothing (one of his favorite pastimes is sharing increasingly embellished versions of his coming to America story) that he has become so ingrained in his ways you feel alienated. his loving family. That includes his longtime wife, Ingrid (Gloria Estefan), who is still hungry for new experiences, plus the couple's two daughters, the obviously favorite SofÃa (Adria Arjona) and her more unconventional little sister, Cora (Isabel). Mercy).
In fact, when the movie begins, Billy and Ingrid are about to get divorced. That's not a spirited, romantic start to a story about the power of true love, but it does serve to annoy Billy even more. Ingrid wants out of the marriage just as SofÃa announces that she wants to get married, since she has fallen madly in love with the lawyer Adán (Diego Boneta), who shares her dreams of moving to Mexico and working to help immigrants find a better life than Billy did. worked for a long time. behind. But who exactly is Adam? When did Sofia fall in love with this guy? Why do they need to get married in a hurry, leaving everyone in the family in disarray? How exactly is Billy going to cover up his own personal drama while they all rush to the chapel of love?
We know this setup, and we know it's full of comedy and fun, but there's something decidedly darker about this entry. While the “Father of the Bride” films have always followed the emotional arc of the father of the bride, Alazraki's version can never get over the strange sadness that opens it. Why wouldn't Billy object to a quick marriage?
Things get very goofy: Fineman's appearance as wacko wedding planner Natalie Vance provides some levity (her pronunciation of "Latinx" is instantly iconic), but never reaches the dizzying highs of Short's take on goofiness. well intentioned. Billy and Ingrid's extended family provides some pop, though most of those characters stay on a single note and step aside to make room for Adan's staggeringly wealthy (and amusingly out of touch) clan. A subplot about Cora's struggles to free herself from her sister's shadow is picked up and dropped at random, often feeling like filler for a story that should already have a lot going on.
While the movie is set in Miami, it was filmed in Atlanta. That southern city is a good stand-in for some sequences, but it rarely captures the vibrant place it's meant to emulate. Worse yet are a handful of green-screened sequences that appear to have been shot on a dark set rather than a sun-kissed canal or bouncing party yacht. Eventually, we learn that Sofia and Adán's wedding will take place at Herrera's house (a staple of this franchise), but before we get there, the family is sent to various locations which, again, only seem to add to the excitement. execution time.