THE FATHER OF THE BRIDE (2022)

This is a polished, entertaining remake with a Latino family at its center. Andy Garcia gives a convincing performance as Billy, an immigrant father who has worked hard to build a home and successful business. The story also makes room for family, forgiveness, cultural tradition, and learning to love other people.

The cost is substantial for families. The film includes strong language, sexual references and implications, drinking and implied drunkenness, cigar smoking, lingerie and partial rear nudity, and an implied same-sex attraction. Its worldview is also mixed, with Christian and traditional moral references alongside false New Age religious ideas.

If you are a discerning adult, this can be a worthwhile streaming choice. For children and young teens, choose something else.

Billy and Ingrid Herrera have been attending marriage counseling while facing serious problems in their relationship. Then their daughter Sofia comes home with life-changing news: she is engaged to Adan.

The wedding brings both families together, along with conflicting expectations about money, culture, religion, and tradition. Billy must learn whether he can accept Adan, get along with Adan’s father, and put his family ahead of his own fears and ambitions.

Four stars means this film succeeds strongly as entertainment. It has a distinct feel from the earlier movies, while the Latino family dynamics give the story a different texture.

Andy Garcia does a great job as Billy and is believable as an immigrant father who left Cuba with nothing before building a beautiful home and successful business. The entire movie is entertaining, although it is not as funny as the 1990s version. It remains an effective and enjoyable family drama.

The film presents a loving family and values forgiveness, reconciliation, cultural traditions, and learning to love others. Billy must focus on his marriage and family more than his work, and he fights to preserve moral traditions within his culture.

Its worldview is mixed. The story includes mentions of church, a Catholic priest, God, Christianity, and traditional morality. At the same time, the younger couple wants a New Age “zen yoga” instructor to perform the wedding, and the film includes false theological references to meditation, yoga, and Zen. The New Age wedding does not ultimately take place, but the film treats the couple’s movement away from their Catholic and Christian upbringing as a joke. An implied same-sex attraction also occurs.

The film’s emphasis on forgiveness and restored family relationships connects with Scripture’s call to forgive one another: “As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13).

This is an entertaining, well-acted story about family, forgiveness, and learning to love across differences. Its adult content and mixed worldview make it unsuitable for children and young teens, but discerning adults may find the streaming experience worthwhile. WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a family-friendly alternative, see.