Entertainment

'Father of the Bride': Pros & Cons of a Threequel

by Maitri Suhas
Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Happy belated Father's Day, y'all: Father of the Bride is being rebooted (or should I say, three-booted? Probably not, but it's tempting). On Monday, it was revealed by Nikke Finke that the beloved Father of the Bride series would be getting a third installment, which is HUGE news if true: and this time, it's little brother Matty who's getting married. To a man. That's right, Steve Martin is about to be forced to throw a gay wedding for his son. But hold your applause: even though it's amazing news that initially will make you want to scream for joy, there could be drawbacks to the third.

Sure, we want to see Martin back in one of his best roles, as George Banks, the uptight owner of a shoe manufacturer in California, whose life is turned upside down by the quick wedding of his beloved daughter Annie Banks, and later, by a new, late-in-life baby in Father of the Bride Part II. The first movie is one of the funniest comedies ever (Martin falling into a pool being chased by Dobermans, anyone?), and the second wasn't bad, either.

I'm tempted to hope that the third will be just as amazing, almost 20 years later, but as always with a trilogy, you've gotta be skeptical. Let's make a pros and cons list, shall we, before we jump the gun?

Pro: Father of the Bride 3 will be about gay marriage.

Awesome, kudos, congrats, etc. The plot details so far: George and Nina Banks' son Matty is getting married to the son of a Navy SEAL, and of course, conservative George Banks is so distraught by this news that his wife (Diane Keaton) kicks him out of the house. A pro because it would be a real, relevant and timely story about a family embracing and loving their gay son.

The military aspect of it is interesting, too: surely George Banks and the father of his son-in-law-to-be will either bond or clash over the idea of their sons marrying. With more and more states legalizing gay marriage, a mainstream movie that comments on gay marriage and is a successful and loved franchise could be a huge success.

Cons: A Disney movie about gay marriage could get tricky...

Currently, Disney and Warner Bros. are helming the project, and I'm not sure how sensitive Disney is going to be to the issue of gay marriage. While it is amazing that there's a Disney Channel show with a lesbian couple featured, I'm not sure how Disney will handle a movie about a gay couple and the inevitable backlash. It could get uncomfortable. Also, not looking forward to a ton of tired gay wedding jokes, but maybe, maybe Martin could sort of, perhaps, make them funny? I don't have a lot of hope on this one.

Pro: The cast!!!

Martin and Keaton as the greatest parent couple ever: confirmed. Little Kieran Culkin, who played Matty in the first two Bride films, is conveniently old enough that he could play the same character in the third movie. And of course, FRANCK. (Frank? FRANCK.) Please for the love of all things good and holy, bring back Martin Short as the wedding planner (and B.D. Wong as his ever-loyal, ever admiring assistant.)

Con: The cast?

It's a real possibility that aside from Martin and Keaton, who are formidable themselves, yes, the rest of the cast might not return for Father of the Bride 3. And what would the franchise be without the chemistry between George Banks and Franck? Of course there are bound to be some new additions yada yada BUT I DON'T KNOW THEM LIKE I KNOW FRANCK.

Pro: a gay wedding!

On a Disney budget. Holy crap. The only gay wedding blockbuster style we've seen was Stanford Blatch's in the abysmal Sex and the City movie, and that wedding really wasn't a centerpiece. Not sure how Father of the Bride 3 is going to compete with Liza Minnelli doing the Single Ladies dance — oh, yeah, it will actually be realistic and have Martin in it, so that's automatically a win.

Con: It could be awful.

We truly are in the age of a reboot: and even though 22 Jump Street was a hilarious, sequel for sequel's sake, that doesn't mean that Father of the Bride 3 is going to be any good. The second film from 1995 was pretty funny, but couldn't really hold a candle to the original. Obviously, Martin's very presence puts the film at a higher chance for being successful, but I'm staying skeptical on this one, but only because I really, really truly in my heart of hearts want it to be AMAZING.

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