“Dad, I met a man on campus, and he’s wonderful, and brilliant, and we’re getting maaaarried.”
To the delight of my father, I’ve never said this. But, it is a reference to one of the most iconic scenes in Charles Shyer’s Father of the Bride. The original cast reunited September 25th through a Netflix YouTube livestream to benefit World Central Kitchen, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to “create smart solutions to hunger and poverty” around the world.
Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Kieran Culkin all make appearances reprising their Banks family roles, with the addition of Florence Pugh as the youngest Banks, Megan. Ben Platt appears as the grown-up son of Annie Banks (Williams-Paisley) and Bryan Mackenzie (George Newbern). Robert de Niro portrays the father of the bride in this brief sequel, as the storyline surrounds Matty Banks’s (Culkin) virtual wedding to his girlfriend, Rachel (Alexandra Shipp). Martin Short of course officiates the wedding as his wonderfully eloquent character, Franck Eggelhoffer.
Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, the approximately 25-minute special was full of quarantine references and relatable banter reflective of the struggle to maintain family life during a global pandemic. It feels like talking with your own family. According to an Instagram post by Meyers, the VFX team was able to put Keaton right in the Banks house, with the dining room as the background of her Zoom square.
Short and sweet, Father of the Bride: Part 3 (ish) is refreshingly wholesome content as we enter the fall season, the thralls of a political election, and the continuation of COVID-19. In between classes or sports practices, be sure to check out this reunion. Or, if your stress level allows, host a family Zoom call. And finally, if you have a little more time, get ordained so you can help friends with their own Zoom weddings.