Top 10 Differences Between Father of the Bride (2022) & (1991)
#10: The Cultural Changes
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Steve Martin’s father of the bride heads a ‘90s take on the family. The Banks are upper-upper-middle class white folks living in a huge house in the suburbs, white picket fence and all. In other words, there’s not much diversity. Contrast that with Andy García’s Billy Herrera - a Cuban-American exile who built a regal life for his family, brick by brick. His obsession with tradition comes from a deep connection to his heritage and community. And cultures collide when he learns that his daughter Sofia is marrying a Mexican man, Adan Castillo. Mother of the bride Ingrid’s “West Side Story” analogy sums it up quite nicely. When things go sideways with the wedding, both communities rally to ensure the couple get the nuptials they deserve.
#9: The Marriage
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In 1991, Steve Martin’s George Banks spirals out of a sense of losing his perfect world, where his daughter Annie is a little girl forever. His marriage to Diane Keaton’s Nina is a blissful, peaceful one without much conflict. She doesn’t know how to handle the sudden turbulence in their relationship because she’s presumably never experienced it before. Billy Herrera’s marriage, though, is on the rocks from the beginning. The film opens with him and his wife Ingrid in couples’ therapy, where she says she wants a divorce. We then see the duo bicker, fight, and make up throughout. While George is afraid of his perfect life being disrupted, Billy is unmoored because his marriage is ending as his daughter’s is about to begin.
#8: The Sibling
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A very young, pre-Roman Roy from “Succession” Kieran Culkin plays the younger brother of the bride in the 1991 movie. Besides being cute and letting his dad know he doesn’t feel abandoned, he doesn’t have much to do, hilarious driving stint aside. Conversely, Cora Herrera - Sofia’s little sister - plays a much bigger role in 2022. Unlike her older sibling, she isn’t into the idea of college and struggles to keep a job. She has big dreams of becoming a fashion designer, but her father initially just thinks she’s undisciplined. Her character is crucial to the story, especially as Sofia enlists her services to design the wedding and bridesmaids dresses. Through her skills and drive, Cora proves to her dad that her dreams are worth supporting.
#7: The Mother of the Bride
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Nina Banks, too, doesn’t have much to do in the 1991 film. Her main job is to talk her husband down from the ledge every time he panics over the cost of the wedding. Her biggest scene arguably comes when she bails him out of jail after he loses it at the grocery store. Ingrid, though, is a more fully-fleshed out human being with her own wants and desires, who feels stifled in a marriage that hasn’t grown in ages. The free spirit needs more excitement and fulfillment in her life, and she isn’t afraid to ask for it. She’s ready to leave Billy until he finally realizes just how much he’s neglected her and changes his ways.
#6: The In-Laws
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A running theme in the “Father of the Bride” movies is the insane expense that comes with throwing a massive, fancy wedding. Both George Banks and Billy Herrera are made to feel like relative paupers compared to their future in-laws. The former’s son-in-law-to-be comes from a rich Bel-Air family. But after some hijinks at their stunning mansion, those parents are barely seen again. Meanwhile, Adan's father Hernan is a wildly well-off beer company owner who has a professional soccer team. He and Billy have an actual conflict that adds an extra layer to the story. Partially fueled by the latter’s feelings of inadequacy and partially driven by machismo, the two fathers are fully at odds until they reconcile at the wedding.
#5: The Dilemma of the Wedding
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The husband-to-be in 1991 majorly messes up when he gets Annie a blender. To a ‘90s woman with professional ambitions, it seems like a message: stay in the kitchen. That disconnect almost blows up the wedding, but it’s easily solved by a few conversations. As far as arguments go, it’s minor compared to what we get in the 2022 version. First, Billy angrily insults Adan’s family in front of everyone. Though he apologizes, more chaos ensues when Cora exposes his and Ingrid’s impending divorce at the rehearsal dinner. With those issues fixed, the Herreras are dealt another blow by Mother Nature when a hurricane destroys the venue and the bridge to it. Thus, Billy leads a family-wide effort to save the wedding in mere hours.
#4: The Father’s Relationship with the Fiancé
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After “BlenderGate,” George Banks grabs a beer with his son-in-law-to-be Bryan, and gives him advice as to Annie’s state of mind. While his words are wise, the pair’s relationship doesn’t go much deeper than that. In the 2022 movie, Billy offers Adan a sincere apology at the bachelor party. He confesses that the planned divorce has completely turned his world upside down. Adan forgives him immediately, and reveals that the young couple’s future plans to head to Mexico are all Sofia's idea. The patriarch comes to see and respect how supportive his daughter’s beau is of her focus and purpose. The two end up in a place of mutual admiration, setting a solid foundation for the future.
#3: The Groom
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Adan gets a lot more screen time in 2022 than Bryan did in 1991. Even after their heart-to-heart, the latter character and George never appear to get close. The groom isn’t really involved in the planning of his own wedding, so the audience doesn’t get to know him very well, either. Adan, though, plays a crucial role in the story. He’s gentle, soft-spoken, and not a fan of sports. In other words, he initially seems like Billy’s polar opposite. The more we see of him though, the more we grow to like him and see the similarities between the pair. He’s the understanding young man the Herreras need in their life to help them learn to stop and smell the roses.
#2: The Bride
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Sofia Herrera is arguably a much more compelling character than Annie Banks. George tells Annie, a 22-year-old, that she’s just too young to get married after only a few months of dating someone. Honestly, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from. Sofia, by comparison, is a fully-fledged adult. She’s a lawyer, fierce and independent, and has a good head on her shoulders. You can tell she’s an intelligent woman who’s making the right choice for herself. Sofia holds her own with everyone in the movie, and is a complete force of nature. It’s crystal clear that Billy is making a huge mistake by not trusting her judgment from the beginning. The same can’t necessarily be said for George and Annie’s situation!
#1:The Father of the Bride
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While George Banks’ attitude can be patronizing, Billy's feelings are well-anchored in his Cuban exile background. He’s traditional because he wants to hold onto a culture and homeland that he had to leave. George’s perfect world is upended by his daughter growing up. While it’s a fun time, the stakes don’t feel particularly high. Billy is thrown when his wife asks for a divorce and his daughter announces a marriage and move to Mexico. We believe that he truly feels like he’s losing everything. Both fathers of the brides learn a hard truth: all little girls grow up. Unlike George though, Billy takes that lesson and uses it to save his own marriage and grow as a person.
