Father of the Bride

Critics Consensus

With a terrific script, great performances from Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor, and assured direction from Vincent Minnelli, Father of the Bride endures as a sparkling comedy of its era.

93%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 30

74%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 13,898

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Father of the Bride Photos

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Movie Info

Spencer Tracy received an Oscar nomination for his performance in this classic comedy. Stanley T. Banks (Tracy) is a securely middle-class lawyer whose daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) announces that she's going to marry her beau Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor). From that point on, everything in Stanley's life is turned upside down. His wife Ellie (Joan Bennett) wants Kay to have the kind of formal wedding that she and Stanley never had, and between meeting his soon-to-be in-laws, the socially prominent Herbert and Doris Dunstan (Moroni Olsen and Billie Burke), his man-to-man talk with the groom, hosting the engagement party, financing the increasingly lavish wedding, and wondering if Kay and Buckley will resolve their differences before arriving at the altar, Stanley barely has time to deal with his own considerable anxieties about his advancing age and how his "little girl" became a grown woman. Director Vincente Minnelli reunited with the principal cast a year later for a sequel, Father's Little Dividend; and the movie was remade in 1991 with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Rating:
    G (adult situations/language)
  • Genre:
    Classics, Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Vincente Minnelli
  • Written By:
    Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    MGM

Cast

Spencer Tracy
as Stanley T. Banks
Elizabeth Taylor
as Kay Banks
Joan Bennett
as Ellie Banks
Don Taylor
as Buckley Dunstan
Billie Burke
as Doris Dunstan
Leo G Carroll
as Massoula
Moroni Olsen
as Herbert Dunstan
Melville Cooper
as Tringle
Russ Tamblyn
as Tommy Banks
Taylor Holmes
as Wamer
Paul Harvey
as Rev. Galsworthy
Frank Orth
as Joe
Tom Irish
as Ben Banks
Marietta Canty
as Delilah
Willard Waterman
as Dixon
Nancy Valentine
as Elise
Mary Jane Smith
as Effie
Jacqueline Duval
as Peg
Fay Baker
as Miss Bellamy
Frank Hyers
as Duffy
Chris Drake
as Usher
Floyd Taylor
as Usher
Don Anderson
as Usher
William Mahon
as Usher
Walter C. Kelly
as Usher
Peter Thompson
as Usher/Young Man
Carleton Carpenter
as Usher
Brad Hatton
as Florist
Lucille Barnes
as Bridesmaid
Erin Selwyn
as Bridesmaid
Janet Fay
as Bridesmaid
Wendy Waldron
as Bridesmaid
Douglas Spencer
as Organist
Boyd Davis
as Man
Oliver Blake
as Man
William E. Green
as Sad-faced Man
Frank Cady
as Timid Guest
Roger Moore
as Bit
Mickey McCardle
as Bit
Sherry Hall
as Bit
Harry Dean Stanton
Ella Ethridge
as Bits in Dream Sequence
William Bailey
as Bits in Dream Sequence
Dorothy Phillips
as Bits in Dream Sequence
Stuart Holmes
as Bits in Dream Sequence
Anne Kunde
as Bits in Dream Sequence
Fred Santley
as Guest
Philo McCullough
as Guest
Harry Stanton
as Guest
Lucille Curtis
as Guest
Estelle Etterre
as Guest
Peggy Leon
as Guest
Betty Farrington
as Guest
Lillian Bronson
as Schoolteacher
Aileen Carlyle
as Woman
Thomas Browne Henry
as Stranger
Mickey Golden
as Barman
Gene Coogan
as Barman
Lee Phelps
as Motor Cop
Tom Browne Henry
as Stranger
Patricia Miller
as Wispy Girl
Paul Maxey
as Heavy Set Man
Frank Richards
as Truck Driver
William Haade
as Policeman
Jeff York
as Policeman
Dewey Robinson
as Mover
Edward Gargan
as Mover
Ralph Peters
as Mover
Dick Wessel
as Mover
Richard Alexander
as Mover
Joe Brown Jr.
as Mover
Jim Hayward
as Mover
Gil Perkins
as Mover
Bradford Hatton
as Florist
John Welsh
as Western Union Boy
William 'Bill' Phillips
as Foreman of Movers
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Critic Reviews for Father of the Bride

All Critics (30) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (2)

View All Critic Reviews (30)

Audience Reviews for Father of the Bride

  • Jul 29, 2015
    Elizabeth Taylor is classy as the original Kay Banks, though the 1950s twenty-something-who-lives-at-home-before-she-gets-hitched can't afford to be as multi-faceted a woman as the '90s redux. The black and white classic is an endearing production to be sure, but the film is a bit stuffy with no transition music or familial humor.
    Alice S Super Reviewer
  • Aug 19, 2013
    A middle-class attorney has difficulty affording his daughter's wedding. Comparing this film to the Steve Martin remake yields some interesting conclusions. In the Martin version, everybody else, led by the Martin Short character, is nuts or at least a bit unreasonable. In the Tracy version, the father's penuriousness is put on the fore, and while his daughter makes demands, in today's context, nothing seems unreasonable. This adjustment puts the onus on Tracy's performance, He must somehow continue to garner the audience's sympathy without appearing to be too miserly to love his daughter. The only time when Tracy falters is when he's made to attempt to bribe his daughter into elopement. For the rest of the time, we'd follow Tracy anywhere. Overall, this is a strong version of a common story, propelled by the fine work of Spencer Tracy.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Aug 19, 2013
    I never saw the Steve Martin version but I hear that the remake is no different than the original in showing a benign and sometimes funny family. This results in "fun for the whole family". I'm sure your six your old will find the humour leading edge.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • Feb 18, 2012
    Spencer Tracy, as the grumpy, titular father, puts this film on his back and carries it. Incredibly dated, but still a loveable film, and one that features a very young Elizabeth Taylor. Interestingly skewers wedding conventions and the wedding industry in a way that I wish more films did. Sure, all can't help but work out in the end, but the journey is blackly funny and enjoyable.
    Daniel P Super Reviewer
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