Every time I see these ‘anniversary editions’ it just makes me cringe. Not so much because we’re seeing additional releases of films that tempt us to open our wallets, but because it becomes a slap in the face that time… way too much time… has passed. Could it really have been 15 years since I sat down in a theatre to watch the Steve Martin comedy “Father of the Bride?” Well I did a little checking and thank the Gods… no. It has only been 14 years, thank you very much. (Hey, at my age… a year can make all the difference in the world.) “Father of the Bride”, which came out in 1991, was a remake of the classic 1950 film starring Spencer Tracy. There was even a TV series spawned about a decade later, but it didn’t last that long. Remakes can be trouble if poorly handled, but under the deft direction of Charles Shyer, ended up being one the funniest films of that year. When I first saw the film, I remember laughing so hard that I thought I’d pass out. And it’s not that it was so uproariously funny, but more so that it faithfully captured the ‘magic’ experienced by ‘fathers of the bride’ when their little girls get married. (…at least those with a decent bit of money.)

And while Steve Martin did a fantastic job in the lead role, especially with scenes involving hot dog and hot dog bun packaging, it was Martin short who nearly stole the show. As the “Wedding Advisor” Franck Eggelhoffer, he flitted through each scene with the unyielding air of a no-account snob (accent intact) paid to do a job that your local high school student could do. His performance is priceless.

“Father of the Bride” is a hysterical movie to watch, not just for its humor, but for its picture of just how out of sorts wedding planning can become. I’m probably a bigger romantic than most of the guys I know (my wife and I had a full costume Renaissance wedding), so I can understand the importance of a wedding day. But I have to admit that the demands that are placed on Martin’s character are often unwarranted. There is no reason on God’s green Earth that a wedding should require costs going into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. When it does, some of the special goes out of the occasion and all it ends up being is a day set up for show. Heck, our wedding was extremely inexpensive, considering the costumes and style turned in into a show. The emotion ruled the day, not the almighty dollar.

Buena Vista is releasing a 15th Anniversary Edition of “Father of the Bride” this week, and it comes complete with an all new transfer and a couple of extra features. I don’t have the original DVD release that came out a few years back, so I cannot tell you if any of these features are new, but I can say if you don’t already have a copy, this is the one to get. First up, there is a commentary by director Shyler, which is far more entertaining than most commentaries. He brings a lot of personal opinions into his comments and that is to be appreciated. I would have loved to have heard commentary by Martin and Short, but no luck. They do however team up for a rather off-kilter interview which is as peculiar as you might expect from these two. You’ll also find a short making of featurette that runs just a little over ten minutes.

“Father of the Bride” was funny when it came out 15 (14) years ago, and it is still funny today. If you don’t already have a copy of it on DVD, be sure to grab one!!! (But Dads… don’t let you daughter see it!!)

Directed by: Charles Shyer
Starring: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, George Newbern, Martin Short, B.D. Wong
Extras: Director Commentary, Making of Featurette, Interview with Steve Martin and Martin Short
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Buena Vista
Release Date: 6/7/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Father of the Bride an A.