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Father of the Bride

Father of the Bride

Comedy · Romance · Drama · 1950

Proud father Stanley Banks remembers the day his daughter, Kay, got married. Starting when she announces her engagement through to the wedding itself, we learn of all the surprises and disasters along the way.

Movie details

Father of the Bride

“You're invited... to a hilarious wedding!”

1950 Comedy · Romance · Drama 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Proud father Stanley Banks remembers the day his daughter, Kay, got married. Starting when she announces her engagement through to the wedding itself, we learn of all the surprises and disasters along the way.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Father of the Bride?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Vincente Minnelli

Written by

Frances Goodrich · Albert Hackett

Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy

Stanley T. Banks

Joan Bennett

Joan Bennett

Ellie Banks

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

Kay Banks

Don Taylor

Don Taylor

Buckley Dunstan

Billie Burke

Billie Burke

Doris Dunstan

Leo G. Carroll

Leo G. Carroll

Mr. Massoula

Moroni Olsen

Moroni Olsen

Herbert Dunstan

Court is in session

Put Father of the Bride on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.