BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Jessica Carvalho ''El Hijo de la novia'' is a comedy about a stressed man called Rafael Belvedere that is full of responsibilities and problems in his life. He assumed the restaurant that his father founded and is always living in his shadow because of that. The restaurant also demands his entire time, making him almost not have time for his mother( who suffers from Alzheimer) his daughter and even his girlfriend. One day, Rafael suffers a heart attack that compels him to think better about his life, making him realize how wrong he was doing many things. He also reunites with his childhood friend Juan Carlos, that becomes an important piece of his story, helping him to deal with many things that happens in his life.I liked this movie because even having its predictable moments, deals with many themes in a more real way that many comedies usually does, like Rafael's and Naty's relationship or even his mother relationship with him. It is also a very sweet movie, since it is impossible to not like the cute relationship between Rafael's parents( Can you imagine how sweet is to be married for so many years and still be in love with the same person?).The only I didn't like very much, was the fact that movie has some very slow moments that helped me to feel a little bored, but this is a person opinion, so, maybe many people will not even notice or care.

Nick Dets I am always surprised when I find a movie that genuinely revels in the ordinary and keeps away from unrealistic, extravagant elements. I enjoyed Mike Leigh's "All or Nothing" for this reason, because the entire film never compromised realism for the "dramatic intensity" most dramas cheaply exploit. What surprised me most about Juan Jose Campanella's "The Son of the Bride" is that it took a very sincere approach towards a crowd-pleasing story.The last time I saw a crowd-pleaser, it was "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and I was bored with its reliance on platitudes and I was annoyed with its constant cuteness. It wasn't until I saw Campanella's film that I remembered that the goal of a good crowd pleaser is to give the audience an optimistic perspective of life, not to bombard them with farcical whimsy and relentless, shallow cuteness."The Son of the Bride" is a remarkably honest movie about a man named Rafael who has been living the wrong life for years. He doesn't realize his disposition until it is almost too late, but circumstances allow him to reevaluate the choices he has in life. A story like this could have taken the lesser, "Greek Wedding" road, conforming to all kinds of crowd-pleaser clichés to create a naively positive tone, but "Son of the Bride" realizes that nothing in this life is absolute. Good moments never last forever, and life is never completely beautiful or completely ugly. The characters are all very realistic, because they doubt themselves and others, they sometimes contradict themselves and are therefore closer to feeling like real human beings than any character in a crowd pleasing movie I've ever seen.Watching "Son of the Bride," I was reminded of a little film I once saw called "Los Lunes Del Sol," which chronicled the ordinary plight of some unfortunate working men of Spain. I loved that movie, because it reminded me of the frustrations of my own family during hard times. "Son of the Bride" brought back those same sad memories, but also reminded me that its through pain and struggle that we grow up and are enabled to see things clearer. Nothing is absolute- yes, hard times are hard, but they are essential for growing and learning how to truly live.My only complaint for this frequently funny and touching epic of ordinary proportions is its opening scene. The opener is an unnecessary, not to mention corny, scene where Rafael is a little boy. It could easily be trimmed without effecting the movie in any negative way. This is a minor gripe, though. The movie is marvelously, but realistically, optimistic and is a new benchmark by which all crowd pleasers should be measured.

noralee "Son of the Bride (El Hijo de la Novia)" is an Argentinian "It's A Wonderful Life" for baby boomers.Because nowadays even George Bailey would be overworked, with sandwich generation responsibilities, and probably an ex-wife. Instead of an angel, here, it's a heart attack, the sudden appearance of a childhood friend, and his aged father who wants to give his mother the church wedding she wanted for the past 40 years, at least before her mind was lost to Alzheimer's.What makes the movie enjoyable and not schmaltzy, as written and directed by TV director Juan Jose Campanella, is the charm of lead actor Ricardo Darin, the comfortably realistic dialog (with only a couple of missteps in the subtitles) and situations, and the very funny bits that shine through (which Hollywood will smooth out when it re-makes it in English), including boomer pop culture debates (but who is Dick Watson?).Each of the characters has at least some individuality, even the male fantasy young girlfriend and the loving daughter.I loved the penultimate line: that his father makes a loving long marriage "look like Fred Astaire." (originally written 9/2/2002)

armstrongd_uk My wife 'found' this film, of which I hadn't heard, in our local video shop and I'm so delighted she did.The central performance of Rafael was a tour de force - this actor stands very strong beside the likes of Pacino, and I can imagine him in many of the earlier 'gangster with hidden depth' roles the latter excelled in. He was so believable as the 'godfather' neighbourhood restaurateur. The other principal actors were also brilliant, although in my opinion Eduardo Blanco as the comedic interest overegged and hammed a little too much in a couple of scenes, eg as bogus priest. But that is nitpicking in one of the most memorable romantic films I've ever seen.I totally agree with one of the reviewers who compared and contrasted to the dreadful film travesty made of 'The Notebook'recently which missed all the buttons around Alzheimers and real people with real believable feelings and reactions. I also agree that while if this product had been American with J Nicholson, etc it would have been a surefire Oscar winner, it would actually have been ruined by the Hollywood treatment...Thanks you Argentina, and I hope to see much more of Senor Darin before long.