Father of the Bride

Spencer Tracy could be very good at comedy. His sense of timing was flawless, and he knew how to make the smallest gestures tell volumes about what he was thinking. I’ve always really enjoyed this little trifle, about a man going through the horrific ordeal of marrying his daughter off. She wants a small wedding somewhere out in the country, and naturally it evolves into a huge shindig in the church and then at their home. New clothes. A bullying caterer. A growing guest list, until people are elbow to elbow at the hideous reception. The story alternates between laughs and sentiment. None of these people are at all bad, they all love each other, and when Tracy is closest to being at his wit’s end, something happens to make him appreciate his family again. There is one absolutely classic scene, a nightmare he has on the eve of the wedding. He’s trying to walk down the aisle but the floor is grabbing at him, then swallowing him up. Then the floor turns to rubber and he bounces on it. With each step his cutaway suit gets more and more tattered, until he is dressed in rags. All the while everyone in the church is staring at him, horrified. I laugh out loud every time. One of his sons is played by a very young “Rusty” Tamblyn.