Starring: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short, Kieran Culkin
The Grandfather Meltdown: Déjà Vu at the Banks Residence
The poor, long-suffering George Banks is officially melting down… yet again. Father of the Bride Part III: Here Comes the Grandfather brings the beloved, chaotic Banks family back together for one massive, inter-generational celebration that proves some things never change—chiefly, George’s anxiety.
Thirty years after barely surviving his daughter Annie’s wedding and the subsequent shock of his own late-in-life fatherhood, George (the indispensable Steve Martin) is finally enjoying a well-deserved, peaceful retirement. He and Nina have perfected the art of quiet domestic bliss. That is, until his eldest and favorite granddaughter, the ambitious and tech-savvy twenty-something, announces her engagement—and, to George’s horror, insists that the wedding must take place at the iconic, sacred Banks family home.
The Price of Progress: A Gen Z Nightmare
Steve Martin returns with his iconic neurotic charm, grappling with a financial and emotional reality he never anticipated: he is now footing the bill for a full-blown, maximalist Gen Z wedding. George finds himself completely overwhelmed by the contemporary demands: endless meetings about drone photographers, aggressively plant-based, micro-curated catering menus, “wellness” lounges, and the final, incomprehensible blow—a crypto-registry.
Diane Keaton is the eternally chic and philosophical Nina, the calm, stabilizing force in the eye of George’s storm. She is desperately trying to keep George’s blood pressure in check while simultaneously managing the logistics of having three generations of extended family camped out in the house.
Franck’s Visionary Return
A Banks wedding simply would not be complete without the arrival of the one and only Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short). The eccentric, inimitable wedding consultant is called out of his luxurious (and likely tax-exempt) European retirement to manage the spectacle. Franck returns with “visionary” ideas that are somehow more expensive, more dramatic, and entirely more incomprehensible than ever, constantly whispering urgent, high-volume demands in George’s ear.
The ensemble cast expands with Kieran Culkin playing the stressed-out, perpetually sweating groom-to-be, whose laid-back attitude drives George insane, adding a new layer of cross-generational tension.
Heartwarming, hysterically funny, and packed with wonderful nostalgic callbacks to Annie’s big day, this sequel beautifully explores the circle of life. George Banks eventually learns that while the cultural trends, financial markets, and wedding prices have changed dramatically, the profound, bittersweet feeling of giving away the ones you love remains utterly priceless.