An Andy Garcia Remake Is At The Top Of The Streaming Charts
Andy Garcia has a movie that's absolutely crushing on streaming right now and it's an updated version of a classic comedy
These days in Hollywood, especially when it comes to streaming services getting into the mix for more and more content, we are bound to see remakes of classics (or not so much) films for years to come. After all, why come up with a new idea for a movie when it’s already been done before? In that respect, some of the “hard” work has already been put in and movie makers now just need to repackage the old side for a new group or generation of viewers. That being said, this isn’t always the worst idea either, something we’ve seen recently with an Andy Garcia remake that is really crushing it on streaming. Father of the Bride is sitting at number one on HBO Max and has beaten some records along the way as well.
Father of the Bride is a remake of the movie that’s come out twice previously with the same name. The first was the 1950 version with Spencer Tracy in the lead and the second came out in 1991 with Steve Martin getting star billing. This version has Andy Garcia as the titular dad who is set to give his daughter away. In many ways, this version of Father of the Bride plays along the same lines as the two previous ones. Garcia’s character is a successful architect living in Miami with his wife and his oldest daughter lets them know that she’ll be getting married. Andy Garcia has some of the typical fatherly responses to this, of a protective nature, though he’s dealing with issues of his own as well.
As things get closer to the big day, there are increasing issues and friction between Andy Garcia and really just about everyone involved with the wedding. He and his wife are on the outs, something they tried to keep behind closed doors when it became apparent his daughter was going through with the nuptials. And he’s also trying to juggle some of the family dynamics in this Cuban-American family with plenty of folks wanting to be part of the planning. Of course, there’s the groom’s family that Andy Garcia’s character simply can’t handle, though for reasons having to do very little with his daughter here. Check out Andy Garcia in the trailer for Father of the Bride
The Andy Garcia version of Father of the Bride doesn’t take many of its beats from the Steve Martin version which performed very well at the time. Where that movie had a slapsticky corniness to it, that totally worked, this one takes a bit more of a “serious” tone with the struggles of Andy Garcia through the lead-up to the wedding. For starters, he’s going through a divorce, something they are trying to keep out of the public eye for the sake of the newlyweds. And he’s also struggling with his own ideas around manhood and coming to peace with the idea that his soon-to-be son-in-law is nothing like him. But where the older version had Steve Martin working overtime to stop the wedding, no such thing is happening here. It’s more about Andy Garcia learning to live with reality.
Joining Andy Garcia in Father of the Bride is Gloria Estefan who plays his wife (or possible ex) Ingrid. Adria Arjona plays his oldest daughter who’s headed down the aisle with the younger daughter played by Isabel Merced. Diego Boneta plays the future son-in-law Adan and his father is played by Pedro Damian. The movie is helmed by Guy Alazraki with a script from Matt Lopez.
Andy Garcia and Father of the Bride have been a total hit for HBO Max since it came out on the streamer on June 16th. In about a week the movie has become the best-ever streaming-only release for HBO Max worldwide. A big part of that was the movie streaming for Latin American audiences who’ve flocked to see the updated version of the film. And critics have been kind as well. Father of the Bride is sitting at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes with reviews praising the tone of the film, the shifts it made from the two previous versions, and of course Any Garcia’s performance. Go and check out Father of the Bride with Andy Garcia and see what I mean. There’s a reason audiences are loving this movie.
