“Father of the Bride”, the third film based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Edward Streeter, is a likable remake which deserves its own little place besides the 1950 version and the 1991 version. Again, we see the comic struggles of a father who must give away his dear daughter sooner or later, but this remake version brings enough life and personality to its familiar plot and characters, and you will easily go along with that while alternatively amused and touched along the story.

In this version, the story is set in Miami, Florida, and Billy Herrera (Andy Garcia), the titular character of the film, tells us about how he has worked hard for achieving an American dream for himself as well as his family for many years. When he came into US from Cuba, he was a poor but ambitious immigrant lad quite determined to succeed, and, fortunately, he eventually became a prominent local architect while happily married to his wife Ingrid (Gloria Estefan). In addition, they came to have two lovely daughters, and they have done everything they could for their daughters as good parents.

When their older daughter Sofia (Adria Arjona), who has been a promising young lawyer in New York City, is about to return for a hometown visit, both Billy and Ingrid are certainly ready to welcome Sofia, but they actually have a big problem behind their back. Feeling a lot estranged from each other than before, Billy and Ingrid have gone to a therapist for some time, but they are only reminded more of how much they have been distant to each other during recent years, and they come to admit in the end that it will be better for them to have a divorce.

However, Billy and Ingrid soon confront an unexpected news from Sofia. It turns out that she recently met someone she really loves at her workplace, and, what do you know, she and Adan (Diego Boneta) are going to get married after a few months of engagement period. Once they get married, they will go to Mexico for working together in some non-profit organization for those poor Latino immigrants coming into US, and it certainly helps that Mexico is Adan’s home country.

While Ingrid and her other family members wholeheartedly bless Sofia’s upcoming wedding, Billy is not so pleased in contrast. After all, he and Ingrid do not know that much about Sofia’s fiancé, and, though Adan looks like an ideal groom to be welcomed by any future father-in-law, Billy does not like him that much – especially when he comes to see that Adan is not particularly interested in outdoor activities in contrast to him.

Anyway, Billy does what the father of the bride is expected to do, mainly because that is the only thing which feels like being under his control. Although Adan and Sofia want a simple intimate wedding, Billy insists that they should have a grand expensive one to remember mainly because he can afford that, though he subsequently finds himself outmatched by Adan’s parents, who turn out to have much more money and resource compared to him.

Meanwhile, a series of small comic moments happen here and there around our titular hero. Because the wedding is going to be prepared within one month, Billy reluctantly hires a wedding planner named Natalie Vance (Chloe Fineman), and she certainly provides some funny moments just like Martin Short’s supporting character did in the 1991 version. In addition, Sofia’s younger sister Cora (Isabela Merced), who is incidentally an aspiring clothes designer, later finds herself hired as her older sister’s dressmaker besides being rightfully chosen as the first bridesmaid, and she surely feels pressured even though she is really honored to be a more important part of Sofia’s wedding.

Of course, many things often go wrong even right before the eventual wedding ceremony, and our titular hero goes through several conflicts with many others around him, but director Gaz Alazraki and screenplay writer Matt Lopez keep things pleasant and lightweight from the beginning to the end. While Billy and many other main characters are more or less than broad archetypes, they are depicted with enough sense of life and humanity to hold our attention, and even Adan shows more human depth than expected when he happens to have a little private moment with Billy later in the story.

Above all, the movie is steadily buoyed by the earnest efforts from its good cast members. While he surely has to meet the standards set by Spencer Tracy in the 1950 version and Steve Martin in the 1991 version, Andy Garcia deftly balances himself between comedy and drama besides being successful in that task, and he and Gloria Estefan are believable as two persons who have somehow complemented each other despite their many differences. In case of several other main cast members in the film, Adria Arjona, Isabela Merced, and Diego Boneta adequately fill their supporting roles, and Chloe Fineman certainly has lots of fun with her neurotic wedding planner character.

On the whole, “Father of the Bride” is an enjoyable remake which distinguishes itself enough from its two predecessors, and it will be interesting to watch these three movies together for observing how fathers of brides always struggle in one way or another. After all, it is really hard and difficult for them to give away their daughters, right?