Father of the Bride: Part II

Directed by Charles Shyer, Father of the Bride: Part II follows Steve Martin’s George Banks as he and his wife (Diane Keaton’s Nina) prepare for their daughter (Kimberly Williams’ Annie) to give birth. Filmmaker Shyer, armed with his and Nancy Meyers’ screenplay, delivers a perpetually affable comedy that tends to unfold precisely as one might’ve anticipated, as the movie progresses through a fairly run-of-the-mill narrative that’s been augmented with an assortment of entertaining (yet periodically lackluster) digressions and comedic set-pieces. (The early emphasis on George’s misguided attempts at feeling young again falls relatively flat, for example.) It goes without saying, then, that Father of the Bride: Part II benefits rather substantially from the winning work of its various players, with Martin and Keaton’s anchoring, charismatic efforts certainly matched by top-notch periphery performers like Martin Short, B.D. Wong, and George Newbern. (The less said about Eugene Levy’s uncomfortably racist turn as a greedy Middle Eastern property developer the better, ultimately.) By the time the agreeably funny and frenetic final stretch rolls around, which is also just as heartwarming as one might’ve anticipated, Father of the Bride: Part II has confirmed its place as a first-class (albeit slightly erratic) sequel that falls right in line with its equally easygoing predecessor.

*** out of ****