Father of the Bride Part II

Infobox Film
name = Father of the Bride Part II


caption =
director = Charles Shyer
writer = Albert Hackett
Frances Goodrich (screenplay - Father's Little Dividend)
Nancy Meyers
Charles Shyer (screenplay)
producer =Nancy Meyers
starring = Steve Martin
Diane Keaton
Martin Short
Kimberly Williams
George Newbern
Kieran Culkin
Eugene Levy
music = Alan Silvestri
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Touchstone Pictures
released = December 8, 1995
runtime = 106 min.
country = USA
awards =
language =
budget =
preceded_by = "Father of the Bride"
followed_by =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0113041

"Father of the Bride Part II" is a 1995 comedy starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. The movie is a sequel to "Father of the Bride" and a remake of "Father's Little Dividend".

Plot

The story picks up 4 years after its predecessor ended (Matty now being 12 years old instead of 8), with Annie Banks-MacKenzie and her husband, Brian, having gathered the family for an "important announcement." While nearly everyone in the family anticipates a pregnancy announcement, the familiar protagonist, Annie's father, George, insists that it must be that his daughter and son-in-law have purchased a house. Much to George's chagrin, Annie does indeed announce that she is pregnant. In typical fashion, George is incredibly unhappy with the announcement, as not only does this mean his daughter is growing up even more, but it also makes him a grandfather.

In an attempt to escape this sudden realization of his aging, George decides to make himself seem young again, through a trip to the gym and dyeing his hair brown. When he returns home, his wife Nina is none-too-happy with his hair, and he agrees to wash it out. The two, being completely alone, decide to make love. Later, they sit in the kitchen, putting pots under the various leaks in the ceiling, and George decides it's time to sell the house. Nina agrees that, should one more thing go wrong, they can sell it.

A termite infestation leads to the house going up for sale. One day, when Nina isn't home, George is approached by a wealthy Turkish businessman who hopes to buy the house. The man agrees to the asking price, but he wants George and Nina to be out of the house in ten days, so he offers them even more money. In an impulsive moment, George opts to sell the house. Later, George tells Nina in front of the entire family, and Annie's father-in-law agrees to let George and Nina stay in his mansion while they look for a new home.

While staying at the MacKenzie home, Nina explains to George that she's been feeling the symptoms of what she believes is menopause. She goes to the doctor to check on it, and later gets a call that she should come with George to find out what the source of her symptoms is. Fearing the worst, George and Nina are shocked to hear that Nina is pregnant. When they break the news to Annie and her husband Brian, George angers Nina by making jokes about what old parents they are, and Nina storms out. She refuses to take his calls.

Out on a walk alone one day, George sees that the man who bought his home has a wrecking crew in his front yard, and they are preparing to destroy the house. He intervenes, deciding that this house is too important to him, and he buys it back for much more than he was paid for it. When he announces it to Nina, she is so joyous that she forgives him and they return home.

To further make up for his behavior, George hires Annie's former wedding planners, Franck and Howard, to coordinate a surprise baby shower for the two of them. This leads to Franck becoming involved in the planning of an additional room for George and Nina's baby. While the "Baby Suite" is pricey, George admits that it is perfect.

As nine months have passed, everyone is on alert to take Annie to the hospital at a minute's notice. For two nights in a row, Annie believes she is going into labor, but both times are false alarms. George, as a result, goes a full three days without sleeping. When it appears that Annie is definitely not going to have the baby that night, George tells Franck of his sleeping problems. Franck gives George sleeping pills that aren't exactly legal yet in America. He takes the two together and, in no time, he is asleep. Ironically, Annie goes into labor, and Franck comically drags an unconscious George to the car. A nervous wreck and a terrible driver, Franck is forced to drive the group to the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, George seems awake, but when no one is watching, he falls asleep in a wheelchair, and is mistaken for a patient needing a prostate exam. He is, of course, jarred awake by this. While Annie is doing fine dealing with her labor, Nina has also fallen into labor. Soon enough, Annie gives birth to a boy, who she names George. After some complications, Nina's baby is delivered, a girl. They name her Megan, after the doctor who delivered her.

As the movie ends, Annie and Brian are headed to Boston to live with their son. George, left alone with his daughter for the first time, decides to have their first game of basketball, a long-standing tradition between him and Annie.

Cast

Trivia

*In "Father's Little Dividend", the 1951 film upon which "Father of the Bride Part II" is based, Steve Martin's role was played by Spencer Tracy, with Joan Bennett as his wife and Elizabeth Taylor as his daughter.
*The Turkish businessman is played by the same actor, Eugene Levy, that played a band singer auditioning for the wedding in the first movie.
*This film influenced the Brad Paisley album "Part II" for which the title track was about the film. Paisley developed with his infatuation with actress Kimberly Williams. The third song released from Paisley's album, "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", would be made into a video during 2002 featuring Williams and Paisley. "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)" would win the Country Music Association Video of the Year in 2002 and be ranked #19 on CMT's "100 Greatest Videos in Country Music" in 2004. He and Williams are currently married.
*This is the third film Steve Martin and Martin Short appeared in. Their second film together was the 1991 film the first Father of the Bride.

External links

*imdb title|id=101862|title=Father of the Bride
*imdb title|id=113041|title=Father of the Bride Part II