No, you haven’t accidentally time-traveled to 1991 — or to 1950. The third time may be the charm, but viewers have found this classic rom-com, coming-of-age tale charming for over 70 years, and through three time periods, directors, casts, and cultural evolutions. Now, it’s time to enjoy this classic tale of wedding planning woes and a deep dive into the father-daughter bond as well as the pride and pain of letting go. Based on the 1949 novel by Edward Streeter, Father of the Bride is a new twist on an old tale that’s melting a third generation of hearts like an ice sculpture at an August Wedding — and HBO MAX has your invitation.
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Watch Father of the Bride on HBO Max
Here Comes the Bride — Streaming Right Into Your Home
June may be over, but it’s still wedding season on HBO Max, which began streaming Father of the Bride on June 16. This 2022 reboot adds some spice to the typical vanilla wedding cake by setting the story in Miami with the wedding taking place within the colorful Cuban culture. With Andy Garcia as the father of the bride, Gloria Estefan as the bride’s mother, and Adria Arjona as the bride, the cast also sizzles in this updated, more culturally diverse version of the classic.
The Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max release follows much of the original plot line from both the 1950 original film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy and the 1991 remake starring Steve Martin and Kimberly Williams Paisley. Only the new reboot kicks things into the 21st century with a few timely additions.
Something Old and Something New
In the HBO Max release, directed by Gaz Alazraki, not only is the bride’s family a large, Cuban-American family, but the bride-to-be in the film admits to her disgruntled dad that she was the one who proposed. Also, the sprawling Herrera family themselves are in a state of dysfunction as the bride’s parents are undergoing counseling and heading for a divorce — something they decide to keep secret until after the wedding. The new screenplay, written by Matt Lopez, also diverges from previous versions by having the engaged couple wish for a small wedding, while Dad, Billy Herrera, urges them into an enormous traditional Cuban wedding.
And then there’s the family of the groom … the groom’s wealthy father, Hernan Castillo, quickly clashes with Billy when he sails into town on a lavish yacht and rents a mansion with an offer to host and help pay for the wedding.
Will the carefully laid wedding plans fall apart when a storm approaches Miami, or will the tropical storm blow the lid off of the family’s secrets instead?
Here’s Where to Watch Father of the Bride, 2022
The classic story of a father grappling with the idea of his little girl growing up while also juggling the challenges of wedding planning takes on a new flavor with this up-to-date reboot of a tale that never grows old. Get into the spirit by putting on your ugliest bridesmaid dress from the back of the closet and curling up to watch the wedding of the year with The Father of the Bride streaming directly from your HBO Max subscription.
Watch Father of the Bride on HBO Max
