Given how much I loved the previous film, I was disappointed by Part II. It was often pointed out at the time that it was both a remake of a sequel and a sequel of a remake, but the interesting bit of trivia was the best thing about this movie.

It’s not even exactly true though, and I wish it were. While the previous movie chose to retell the story of the original Father of the Bride and do it right, this one has pretty much nothing in common with Father’s Little Dividend. The gargantuan difference is that in this movie the father’s wife, and not just his daughter, is pregnant.

First of all the virtual impossibility of someone nearing menopause accidentally getting pregnant took me out of the story. That’s multiplied many times over by the fact that it just so happens to be as the daughter is also pregnant. On top of that we eventually we have to deal with the movie cliche of the two of them giving birth the same day. I felt like the filmmakers were throwing whatever crazy stuff they could at the screen and that made it hard for me to get invested. A big difference from the original movie with all its heart.

There’s also the fact that the two disparate arcs – George accepting his daughter becoming a mother and dealing with becoming a father again late in life – don’t really gel, and neither one has enough time to develop and become compelling on its own.

I’m not saying it’s a bad movie. There are enough laughs – including from Franck, who’s apparently an interior decorator in addition to a wedding planner – that I’ll give it a mild recommendation.

And eventually I wound up glad for this film’s existence. Read on!

 

Bottom Line: Passable

Up Next: The (other) sequel to the (first) remake.

 

Questions? Comments? Feel free to write below.

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