Father of the Bride

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Father of the Bride

1950,

1h 33m,

Comedy

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Watchlist

Watchlist

90%

30 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When beautiful Kay Banks (Elizabeth Taylor) announces her engagement to Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor), her doting middle-class father, Stan (Spencer Tracy), must contend with a variety of problems, ranging from money issues to wedding planning difficulties. As things get hectic, Stan's wife, Ellie (Joan Bennett), tries to be the calm in the center of the storm. At the heart of the comedy, though, is Stan's emotional tie to his little girl, and his realization that she has indeed grown up.

Critics Consensus

With a terrific script, great performances from Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor, and assured direction from Vincent Minnelli, Father of the Bride endures as a sparkling comedy of its era.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Jul 29, 2019

Spencer Tracy underplays the comedy to good effect, and Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor are beautiful and efficient.

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TIME Magazine

Mar 23, 2011

Under Vincente Minelli's crisp direction, the fun rarely lets up.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Mar 23, 2011

This ostensibly lighthearted film about Spencer Tracy's Kafkaesque attempts to bring off his daughter's wedding is one of the bleakest films of a bleak decade.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Sep 9, 2023

4/4

A genuine cinematic treasure, Father of the Bride finds Spencer Tracy delivering what I would deem his finest performance.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 18, 2020

5/10

What it needs - and never finds - is a few extraordinarily eccentric personas and some slapstick to even out the customariness of matrimonial stresses and wedding-day chaos.

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Renee Schonfeld

Common Sense Media

Apr 19, 2016

4/5

Old-fashioned, star-studded, father-daughter comedy.

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Feb 1, 2019

The best comedy movie ever made!

Finn M

Aug 2, 2018

Father of the Bride is an excellent film. It is about the father of a young woman deals with the emotional pain of her getting married. Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor give amazing performances. The screenplay is well written. Vincente Minnelli did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the humor and romance. Father of the Bride is a must see.

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Rey G

Jun 30, 2012

A very sweet classic film though I do actually prefer the remake. (First and only full viewing - 11/27/2013)

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Vincente Minnelli

Director

Spencer Tracy

Stanley T. Banks

Elizabeth Taylor

Katherine "Kay" Banks

Joan Bennett

Ellie Banks

Don Taylor

Buckley Dunstan

Billie Burke

Doris Dunstan

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Synopsis

When beautiful Kay Banks (Elizabeth Taylor) announces her engagement to Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor), her doting middle-class father, Stan (Spencer Tracy), must contend with a variety of problems, ranging from money issues to wedding planning difficulties. As things get hectic, Stan's wife, Ellie (Joan Bennett), tries to be the calm in the center of the storm. At the heart of the comedy, though, is Stan's emotional tie to his little girl, and his realization that she has indeed grown up.

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Producer: Pandro S. Berman
Screenwriter: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 16, 1950, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 33m

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