Steve Martin and Martin Short’s friendship and creative partnership is one of the longest and most successful in Hollywood. Since first co-starring in Three Amigos to their current work on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, the two have shown strong comedic chemistry that delivers very funny results. And yet, their funniest comedy movie debuted nearly 35 years ago. In 1991, Martin starred in Father of the Bride, a sweet and funny story about a loving dad who loses his mind when his daughter gets engaged. Short has a supporting role as a flamboyant wedding planner, and his moments with Martin are not only the best in the movie but the highlight of these two legends’ long partnership.
‘Father of the Bride’ is a Hilarious and Heartwarming Family Comedy
Father of the Bride is a remake of the 1950 film of the same name starring Spencer Tracy. Martin plays George Banks, a doting father of two who runs a successful sneaker company and lives in a beautiful house in a Southern California suburb. When his daughter (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) announces her engagement, George and his wife must pull together the funds to give her a lavish wedding.
The wedding is a major stressor for George, who doesn’t care much for change and doesn’t want to go overboard on the expenses. That all goes out the window when Short shows up as Franck, an over-the-top wedding planner who steamrolls George and encourages the family to go big, starting with a $1,200 cake and ultimately incorporating a new tulip garden, a giant tent in the backyard, and swans. As the price tag soars, George begins to lose his cool, and at one point finds himself thrown in jail for trying to remove extra hot dog buns from the bag at the grocery store.
The film is a warm and funny family movie, from co-writer and director Charles Shyer, that finds jokes in the absurdity of modern weddings without losing the heart of the relationship between George and his daughter. It’s also perfectly cast, with Martin giving one of his great slow-burn performances and Williams-Paisley radiating joy as the bride-to-be. Oscar winner Diane Keaton has fantastic chemistry with Martin as George’s wife, and even future Oscar winner Kieran Culkin shows up as the couple’s young son. Yet, the film’s highest praise went to Short, who, much like his character, bursts in and commandeers the entire project.
Steve Martin and Martin Short Are at Their Best in ‘Father of the Bride’
Although Steve Martin’s stand-up career and early films like The Jerk showed he could give very big, funny performances, he hit his stride in films like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, where he plays a straight man being pushed to the brink by others. Few people do mounting frustration as well as he does, and Martin’s hilarious as George overreacting to the wedding’s expensive twists, coupled with the emotional upheaval of watching his baby daughter grow up.
Short, on the other hand, is funniest when he goes off the chain, and Franck is one of his most memorable characters. Exuberant and equipped with a nearly indecipherable accent, he explodes into the movie alongside B.D. Wong as Howard Weinstein, his executive assistant, is also very funny in this movie as the bearer of bad news for George’s bank book. Franck is a joyful and extravagant wedding master who believes his clients should go big or go home. He’s exactly the wrong person to come into George’s life at this moment.
Despite their long friendship, Short and Martin are funniest when they’re getting under each other’s skin. Often, Martin plays the more uptight and reasonable character, and Short is the overly excited extrovert careening into his wife. That’s their dynamic in Father of the Bride, as Franck gets too physically close to George, mocks him in front of his family – who, of course, adore the wedding planner – and finds new ways to drive the bill up, usually walking off the hero while George has to pay for the mess. Late in the film, the police show up at the Banks’ house during the wedding reception to talk about some parking issues, and Short’s delivery of “I’ll handle this George, give me your wallet” is a perfect encapsulation of their dynamic.
Steve Martin and Martin Short Have Been a Reliable Comedy Duo Ever Since
Father of the Bride was a commercial and critical hit, with many reviewers particularly singling out Short for praise. A less-beloved sequel was released in 1995, but the original holds such fondness that the cast was reunited in late 2020 for a Netflix special that observed the Banks planning another wedding, this time during COVID lockdown. It even had a remake in 2022, with Andy Garcia stepping in for Steve Martin, although the film lacked the heart of the original.
And Steve Martin and Martin Short continue to do their double act, with a popular live show that regularly tours the country, and season five of Only Murders in the Building set to hit Hulu in September 2025. It’s one of entertainment’s great collaborations, but they’ve never been better than in Father of the Bride.
Father of the Bride is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu in the U.S.
Father of the Bride
- Release Date
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December 20, 1991
- Runtime
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105 Minutes
- Director
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Charles Shyer
- Writers
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Charles Shyer, Edward Streeter, Nancy Meyers