“The Father of the Bride” franchise spans more than 70 years, with a storyline that has become a timeless classic.
Adapted from Edward Streeter’s 1949 novel of the same name, “Father of the Bride” first became a feature film in 1950 with Spencer Tracy as Stanley T. Banks, the father who is not prepared to see his daughter Kay, portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor, get married.
The rom-com was remade for audiences in 1991 with Steve Martin as George Banks, following a screenplay. Written by Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, the 1991 version closely follows the original's plot.
Flash-forward 31 years, and a new iteration starring Andy Garcia as the father of the bride with a predominately Latinx cast has come to HBO Max.
All three versions follow the same beats: A stubborn father comes to grips with his eldest daughter getting married.
However, each film has its own unique take on what it means to be the father of the bride in its day and age. For example, while Tracy and Martin's versions break the fourth wall in the opening scene and have plenty of voiceovers, Garcia's take begins with Billy sharing his story of moving from Cuba to Miami to build a better life for his family, and is full of Latinx specificity.
Read on to see the similarities and differences between each film.
The families
1950: The Banks are a happy middle-class family who live in the suburbs outside of New York. Lawyer Stanley T. Banks (Tracy) is head of household alongside homemaker wife Ellie (Joan Bennett). The two share sons Ben (Tom Irish) and Tommy (Russ Tamblyn) and daughter and bride-to-be Kay (Taylor).
1991: The Banks are California-living in this version. They consist of father George Banks (Martin), the owner of athletic shoe company called Side Kicks. He shares daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams) and young son Matty (Kieran Culkin) with wife and businesswoman Nina Banks (Diane Keaton).
2022: The Herreras are a Cuban American family who reside in Miami with patriarch Billy, a successful architect, at the forefront. He's married to Ingrid (Gloria Estefan), a former interior designer, and has two daughters: bride-to-be Sofia (Adria Arjona) and Cora (Isabela Merced).
One of the biggest differences in this version is that Billy and Ingrid have marital problems and have decided to get a divorce. Their relationship plays out in a flashback sequence in which Estefan's real-life daughter, Emily, portrays a young Ingrid.
The engagements
1950: Twenty-year-old Kay is enamored with businessman Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor). She fawns over her beau to her parents during dinner one night and tells them she plans to marry Buckley. Kay's parents are worried about their daughter's relationship and want to get to know the groom-to-be over dinner.
There is no talk about Kay's career or college prospects.
1991: The family finds out 22-year-old Annie is engaged after she comes home from studying for a Masters in architecture in Rome. Her fiancé, Bryan MacKenzie (George Newbern), is an independent communications consultant whose rich parents live in a mansion in Bel-Air.
2022: Lawyer Sophie, who has two competing job offers, returns from New York to visit her family in Miami. While dining with her family, she announces that she got engaged to Mexican lawyer Adan Castillo (Diego Boneta). She further shocks her family when she tells then that she was the one to propose to him.
She also tells her family that she and Adam plan to leave their New York law firm jobs to move to Mexico and work at a non-profit.
Meeting the future in-laws
1950: Stanley and Ellie meet their future in-laws Herbert (Moroni Olsen) and Doris Dunstan (Billie Burke) at their swanky home. They appeared to have a pleasant toasting to the bride and groom. However, Stanley drinks too much and falls asleep on the couch after sharing stories about Kay and her past boyfriends.
1991: George and Nina make their way to Bel-Air to meet Bryan's parents, John (Peter Michael Goetz) and Joanna (Kate McGregor-Stewart). The father of the bride is flabbergasted at the size of the MacKenzie's home. While snooping around, he ends up accidentally throwing John's bank book in the pool.
In both the 1950 and 1991 version, the parents joke about changing multiple times before meeting each other.
2022: While Billy initially thought he was going to have to support Adan and Sofia, the Herreras are shocked to find out that their future in-law Hernan Castillo (Pedro Damián) is a millionaire who owns a mega yacht and a soccer team.
The two fathers' relationship becomes strained when Hernan offers to help pay for the wedding, as he wants to include his own Mexican traditions, food and beverages — as well as invite many friends and family. Hernan is also divorced and married to a much younger woman named Julietta (Macarena Achaga). The two have a baby together. Adan’s mom, Marcela (Laura Harring), is also in the mix.
The wedding planning
1950: Wedding planning initiates after Kay and Buckley's engagement party. The party soon grows beyond the small reception Stanley suggested, and he's focused on what's sure to be a high price tag.
At one point, Stanley even suggests to his daughter that she elopes. Caterer Mr. Massoula (Leo G. Carroll) acts as the family's wedding planner who helps the family get their home party ready.
1991: Fans of this version couldn't get enough of eccentric French wedding coordinator Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short) and his assistant Howard Weinstein (B. D. Wong). The two light up the screen with their quirky mannerisms and comedic timing.
As for the father of the bride, George wants his daughter to get married at his favorite restaurant The Steak Pitt, while Annie would rather get married in a church and have the reception at her childhood home.
Upon finding out the cost of the wedding — $250 a head — George freaks out and constantly brings up how much money the celebration is costing him.
2022: Chloe Fineman brings her own hilarity to the film as modern-day wedding planner Natalie Vance. Casey Thomas Brown takes on the role of Natalie's loyal assistant Kyler.
“I did channel Martin Short’s Franck-ness in the sense of there’s a looseness and a hilariousness,” Fineman told TODAY about her role. “This is a very modern interpretation of what a wedding planner is, AKA ... someone glued and fully-functioning from a phone.”
She added that she was inspired by Short’s character in “bringing a lot of improv” and riffing on set.”
While Natalie comes equipped with a handful of ideas, Billy wants his daughter to get married at the luxurious Biltmore Hotel and invite everyone they know — an idea the engaged couple isn’t too thrilled about. Sophie, on her end, does not want a Catholic church wedding, and envisions a party with a few guests and a DJ. She and Adan also want to pay for their wedding themselves, which Billy does not approve of.
The complications
1950: After finding out something “unforgivable” about Buckley, Kay calls off the wedding. When her father asks what’s wrong, she tells him that her soon-to-be-husband planned to take them fishing in Nova Scotia for their honeymoon. Kay calls him selfish after telling him that she wanted to go somewhere romantic. She starts to worry about their future together and ends up getting in a fight with Buckley.
1991: Annie comes home one day and tells her parents that the wedding is off. She's sobbing after Bryan gives her a blender for their eight-month anniversary and becomes scared of the expectations that her he has for her as a wife. The two then get in a fight in where Annie calls Bryan a liar for telling her that George threw his dad's bank book in the pool — which George actually did.
2022: Days before the wedding, a tropical storm is headed to Miami and puts the wedding day at risk. Sophie takes it as a sign that maybe she and Adan are rushing into things. She then gets upset when she finds out that Adan knew about her parents' pending divorce and he didn't tell her.
The father-groom heart-to-heart
1950: Towards the beginning of the film, Stanley gives Buckley a lengthy speech about his life and career prospects. It's not much of a heart-to-heart as Stanley tries to intimidate Buckley and barely gives him a chance to talk.
1991: George takes Bryan to a bar, where he gives in and tells the groom-to-be how everything will be OK. George realizes in that moment that Bryan loves his daughter more than anything in the world, and he might just be the perfect man for Annie.
2022: Billy’s moment of clarity comes during Adan’s bachelor party at a strip club. Adan sees Billy alone in a room looking less than thrilled and walks over to talk to him. During their chat, Billy learns that it wasn’t Adan’s choice to move to Mexico and that he only wants to support Sophie’s dreams. Meanwhile, Adan also finds out that Billy’s difficult attitude stems more from Ingrid’s impending divorce than anything else.
The siblings' role
1950: For the most part, the Ben and Tommy have very limited roles in the original film.
1991: Matty has a limited role in this version — but he does have his stand-out moments. Among them includes Matty letting his father know that he does not feel ignored amid his big sister’s wedding planning. The youngster reassures George that “no permanent damage” has been done to his childhood.
2022: Cora has her own storyline in the revamped version. Aside from being her sister's maid of honor, she's also an aspiring designer who is tasked with making Sophie's wedding dress and the bridesmaids' looks. Throughout the film, she feels as though her father isn't supportive of her dreams, nor does he believe in her artistic abilities.
Additionally, Cora is also the one who finds out her parents are getting divorced and spills the secret to everyone just before the big day. There's also a subtle romantic storyline between her and one of her sister's bridesmaids.
The wedding day
1950: The wedding day is chaotic with everyone setting up the reception. Stanley walks his daughter down the aisle and continues to see Kay as his little girl.
Throughout the reception, Stanley tries to find Kay to give her a kiss but they keep missing each other. He finally sees her just as she heads off to her honeymoon, but doesn't get the chance to say goodbye. Kay ends up calling her father from the train station before she leaves to say goodbye and how much she loves him.
1991: Annie and Bryan exchange vows in a beautiful and traditional church wedding. The reception is held at the Banks' home but all night George has trouble finding a moment to say goodbye to his little girl before she leaves on her honeymoon. Annie then calls her father from the airport to tell him she loves him.
2022: Sophie and Adan have their happily-ever-after at the Herreras' residence after their original plans fall through. Officiated by their wedding planner Natalie, the celebration is a beautiful blend of their families' Cuban and Mexican cultures — complete with a mariachi and Cuban cigars. Billy and his daughter share a sweet father-daughter dance and he reconciles with Ingrid.
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