Starring Andy García and Gloria Estefan as parents Billy and Ingrid, the romantic-comedy is a celebration of love and Latin American culture.
The film, which is out on HBO Max now, is the third version of the story, following the 1950 original starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor, and the 1991 film which saw Steve Martin take on the title role.
How Does HBO Max’s ‘Father of the Bride’ Compare to Other Versions of the Story?
HBO Max’s Father of the Bride is directed by Gary “Gaz” Alazraki and was written by Matt Lopez, who adapted Streeter’s book for a new take on the story.
The film follows father Billy as he comes to terms with his daughter Sofia’s (Adria Arjona) recent engagement to Adan (Diego Boneta), as well as the prospect of his imminent divorce from wife Ingrid.
One twist on the story is that Adan did not propose to Sofia, it was the other way around, and Billy and Ingrid’s marital troubles are also a new addition to the story.
Much like in the other versions of the story, Billy does not take a shine to his daughter’s fiancé at first, and while he is determined to make her wedding a momentous occasion he does feel some of the suggestions from his daughter’s wedding planner are far more costly than needs be.
Billy, like Martin and Tracy’s characters before him, also has a hard time with his daughter’s future in-laws, particularly his millionaire father Hernan (Pedro Damián) who is insistent on paying for the wedding.
But, as everything seems to be going wrong, Billy and his family are able to come together to make Sofia’s big day one of the best of her life.
While both Martin and Tracy’s version of the film ends in the same manner with the father missing his daughter as she leaves for her honeymoon, the HBO Max version ends on a happier note.
At its heart, HBO Max’s Father of the Bride tells the same story as the other versions of the film but that’s only because it is based on the same source material and the themes of the story are universal: A father will help his daughter get married, and that’s what makes the film so appealing even if its the third take on it.
Not only that, but this version of the film breathes new life into the story by modernizing it and also by celebrating Latin American culture so vividly through both Billy’s Cuban roots and Adan’s Mexican family.
Father of the Bride is available to stream on HBO Max now.
