Director Juan Jose Campanella could have turned this into an Argentine retread of “Iris” or “American Beauty,” but instead pulls a little from each film and creates something more beautiful than either of those films.
The Son of the Bride (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:57
Fresh:49
Rotten:8
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: A film about one man's mid-life crisis, The Son of the Bride is both touching and funny.
Theatrical Release:Mar 22, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: At age 42, Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darín) is having a crisis. He's overwhelmed by his numerous responsibilities and just isn't having any fun. He has spent most of his life frantically trying to... At age 42, Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darín) is having a crisis. He's overwhelmed by his numerous responsibilities and just isn't having any fun. He has spent most of his life frantically trying to run the restaurant his father, Nino (Héctor Alterio) founded. He has achieved success, but nevertheless, continues to live in the old man's shadow. He rarely visits his aging mother, Nora (Norma Aleandro), who is slowly losing her memory, because he resents her inability to appreciate his accomplishments. His ex-wife is bitter towards him because he never takes the time to play a role in their daughter's life. And finally, Rafael is too self-involved to make a commitment to his beautiful girlfriend, Nati (Natalia Verbeke). Just when Rafael feels the most alone and unable to reach out to anyone, a series of unexpected events lead him to reevaluate his life. A minor heart attack forces him to slow down, and a reunion with Juan Carlos (Eduardo Blanco), a childhood friend who tries to keep a positive attitude in the wake of a personal tragedy in his own life, helps Rafael to reconstruct his past and look at the present in new ways. Most importantly, when his father makes the decision to fulfill his mother's dream of getting married in a church, it gives Rafael a task to focus on, stirring him to action, and bringing the family together to create a new memory they can share. -- © 2002 Sony Pictures Classics [More]
Starring: Ricardo Darin, Héctor Alterio, Norma Aleandro, Natalia Verbeke
Starring: Ricardo Darin, Héctor Alterio, Norma Aleandro, Natalia Verbeke, Eduardo Blanco, Gimena Nobile, David Masajnik, Claudia Fontan, Atilio Pozzobon, Salo Pasik
Director: Juan Jose Campanella
Director: Juan Jose Campanella
Screenwriter: Fernando Castets
Producer: Adrian Suar, Fernando Blanco, Pablo Bossi, Jorge Estrada Mora, Gerardo Herrero, Mariela Besuievdsky
Composer: Angel Ilaramendi
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
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Reviews for The Son of the Bride
It would seem that wherever there are middle-class, midlife crises to be suffered, there are movies to be made about those crises, and they somehow all manage to transcend their local trappings in favour of a kind of borderless emotional banality.
Son Of The Bride is one of the few movies we've witnessed that could make you cry for both its dramatic moments and its comedic.
What starts off as a possible Argentine American Beauty reeks like a room stacked with pungent flowers.
Cinematographer Daniel Shulman keeps his lens focused on the faces of this fracturing family, and the result is surprisingly affecting, as it mirrors not only the fictional lives onscreen but clearly those of the director and, yes, the audience as well.
Like any good romance, Son of the Bride, proves it's never too late to learn.
A knowing sense of humor and a lot of warmth ignite Son of the Bride.
A movie that will wear you out and make you misty even when you don't want to be.
Campanella gets the tone just right -- funny in the middle of sad in the middle of hopeful.
Passion, melodrama, sorrow, laugther, and tears cascade over the screen effortlessly...
Too often, Son of the Bride becomes an exercise in trying to predict when a preordained "big moment" will occur and not "if."
Son of the Bride manages to be affectionate without drawing too deeply from a well of sugar and schmaltz.
If you're able to go, relax and lower your expectations, you might be carried away by it.
Jose Campanella delivers a loosely autobiographical story brushed with sentimentality but brimming with gentle humor, bittersweet pathos, and lyric moments that linger like snapshots of memory.
This is a sweet film, one not without a certain emotional intelligence and fleeting bursts of wit and humor.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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