Every now and then, a movie comes which pleasantly surprises and emotionally stirs one. After “The Last Letter From Your Lover”, the new 2022 movie “Father Of The Bride” did that to me.
I hadn’t even heard of the third remake of this film till Akhila and I visited ‘Little Havana’ in Miami. There we saw a big crowd of well-dressed Latin Americans outside a movie theatre next to the Domino Park named after that game which Cubans sit down and play there. On inquiring, we were told that they were waiting for the theatre to open for the premiere of “Father Of The Bride”.
Back home after a round of Calle Ocho, the main street of Little Havana with its famous nightclub ‘Ball and Chain’, cigar rolling shops, and a café called ‘La Colada’ which specializes in Cuban coffee, I read on the internet that the film had been remade for the third time centering on a Cuban family in USA.
My interest in the movie was ignited and on return to New York, I discovered that it was available on TV on HBO and one evening, we sat down to watch it. Soon after the start, we were delighted to see scenes of Domino Park and Calle Ocho with its Ball of Chain and Tower Theatre where the premiere had taken place. No wonder the premiere had attracted a large crowd as it must have included many Cubans and others who had shops and cafes in Little Havana. Otherwise too, the movie has many scenes of Miami and it was great to see on the screen all the places we had just visited a few days ago- the Design District famous for its luxury shops and the colourful murals and paintings in Wynwood Walls, Biltmore and Shelborne Hotels and the man-made Star Island in Biscayne Bay. In fact, I read somewhere that the film was planned as a tribute to Miami.
One wondered whether the third remake would look hackneyed but the Director and the Scriptwriter have done a wonderful job in recasting the story to give it an original touch. Only the central theme of the parents being caught totally by surprise by their daughter’s sudden news of engagement and the father’s initial resistance are common to the previous two movies. An new twist to the story is provided by the film beginning with the parents at a marriage counselor’s office and the mother insisting that they break the news of their decision to divorce immediately on arrival of their daughter. So there are two simultaneous themes- the engagement and wedding of the daughter and the mother’s insistence to proceed with the divorce proceedings regardless. How the father copes with the two deeply emotional issues is told in a touching way that tugs at one’s heartstrings and yet the movie never gets maudlin but retains its light and breezy tempo.
An added nostalgic flavor is provided by a short clip of Ingrid Bergman in ‘Casablanca’ urging the pianist to “Sing it, Sam” which he does with the timeless classic ‘As time goes by’.
The cast of the film is appropriately Latino. The bewildered and bothered father and husband, Billy Herera, is played by the well-known Andy Garcia famous for his role in ‘GodfatherIII’. He brings out the turmoil in his mind and heart superbly. The mother and wife, Ingrid, determined to go ahead with the divorce soonest, is played competently by Gloria Estefan who is more known for her singing. Remember her great hits ‘Conga’ which is ranked as the 11th greatest Latin pop song of all time, and ‘Rhythm Is Gonna Get You’? She is a Cuban, a 7-time Grammy winner, and has a star with her name on the Walk Of Fame at Calle Ocho. Puerto Rican actress Adria Arjona, plays the fiercely independent daughter, Sofia, who loves her father but must have her way to get what she wants. The fiancée, Adan Castillo, is a soft-spoken guy very much in love with Sofia but desires to earn Billy’s approval and blessings first. He is a Mexican as is the actor Diego Boneta who plays the role.
A movie I truly loved. Three takeaways for old men of my generation:-
Decreasing relevance,
Expected presence,
Increasing acquiescence.
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