Father of the Bride (2022) * * *

 

Directed by:  Gary Alazraki

Starring:  Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona, Isabela Merced, Diego Boneta, Chloe Fineman

The third filmed version of Father of the Bride isn't a retread, but like the 1991 hit starring Steve Martin, it covers different ground even if the storyline does not.   The latest Father of the Bride stars Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan as Billy and Ingrid Herrera, Cuban-American parents of attorney Sofia (Merced), who lives in New York and returns home to Miami to visit.   Billy and Ingrid, unbeknownst to everyone, have been undergoing marriage counseling and are now deciding to divorce.   They are about to break the news at a family dinner when Sofia announces her engagement to Adan (Boneta), a Mexican-American attorney who works with Sofia and will be moving with her to Mexico City to start a non-profit law firm there.  

This rankles Billy on many levels, including Sofia moving to Mexico City with a man she has only known for six months and he and Ingrid have never met.   Adan soon meets Billy and Ingrid and you wouldn't find a more devoted fiance anywhere.   He even comes from money.  ("My dad has a soccer team"), but Billy is still suspicious of a man who will follow his wife to Mexico City to open a non-profit (non-profit???) and doesn't watch sports.   Billy is a self-made architect who came to America with nothing and built his own architecture firm and proudly provided for his family.   Adan's father, while a nice guy, flaunts his wealth with lavish parties on yachts and a giant mansion.   Billy is much more humble and believes the Cuban-American family traditions will be gobbled up by the Mexican side of the family.  

Billy likes Adan, but with his own divorce looming, he questions the marriage and whether it will succeed.   The divorce is an element which wasn't part of the Spencer Tracy or Steve Martin versions of this story.   It adds another layer of insight into Billy's feelings and also how he views Ingrid, who he clearly still loves but can't quite find the right way to express it.   Garcia and Estefan create vivid, warm performances which propel Father of the Bride from being yet another remake of the classic story.  

Like the first two versions, this Father of the Bride exhibits warmth and gentleness while touching upon ideas not thought of in the other films.