Customer Reviews

Son of the Bride

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There are not enough positive adjectives to adequately describe the impact of this beautiful little film from Argentina. The writer and director have created a universal story about the place to which we've come as a society in the 21st Century. The alienation of the individual whether by self induced means of over-reaching in career achievement, by the problem of the senior citizens groping for a place in this fast paced, youth oriented world, or by the 'new' diseases such as Alzheimers - all are put into his story, stirred with love and intellect, and the result is a feast for the soul and the heart. Ricardo Darin subtly progresses from a divorced, distant father completely absorbed by a restaurant business he inherited and has only submerged himself in because of his need to at some point please his mother. Hector Alterio is his father who remains at the side of his Alzheimer wife (incredibly portrayed by the immensely gifted Norma Aleandro), seeking only to grant her 'forgotten' wish of a true wedding. The simplicity of this gesture of love alters the lives of all characters. After a stay in the ICU following a myocardial infarction, the son (Darin) finds his way back to the meaning of love, of family, of changing the focus of his life. This story may sound banal as stated, but with a cast of main and supporting actors of this quality, I doubt there will be a dry eye in the room when you gift yourself with this film. A little masterpiece.

"Son of the Bride" is a story about family, love, and what is really important in life. It takes place in Argentina, during its 2001 economic crisis, but I think that everybody can relate to the subject it tackles, disregarding the place where one lives.

The main character is Rafael (Ricardo Darín), a self-absorbed man in his forties who runs a prestigious Italian restaurant, "Belvedere". Rafael is separated, and has a daughter he often forgets to pick up due to his numerous responsibilities. Rafael also has a beautiful girlfriend, Naty (Natalia Verbeke), but doesn't pay her enough attention, so their relationship starts to go to the dogs.

Rafael's relationship with Nino (Héctor Alterio), his father, is good, but he hasn't seen her mother Norma (Norma Aleandro) in a year. He had a huge argument with her after dropping out of university, and they stopped talking to each other. Some time after that, his mother got Alzheimer's disease, an illness that made her forgetful and disoriented. As a result of all this, they never really manage to patch things up.

Truth to be told, Rafael doesn't seem to mind. His entire life is his job, and he is content. That is, until he has a heart attack, something that leads him to revaluate his priorities, and to see things from another perspective. An excellent example is that while before he was against his father's idea of marrying Norma in a church (in a belated religious wedding after 44 years of being married), he ends up helping him to do exactly that. In a way, he realizes that even though Norma won't be aware of what exactly is happening, his parents would be doing something terribly important to them.

But will Rafael be able to change his life after making such a tremendous mess out of things?. What is more, will he learn the real meaning of the word "family"?. Watch "Son of the bride", and learn all that, and more. On the whole, highly recommended !!!

Belen Alcat

What a wonderful film! Rafael, stressed and overworked, is rapidly screwing up all the important relationships in his life. He's already divorced, is about to lose his lovely girlfriend, nearly stands up his about-10yo daughter, and doesn't understand why his charming father would want a church wedding for his `wife' of 44 years, esp since she's suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Then he has a heart attack - and goes thru a classic change of life. But in this case, he first makes everything worse before figuring out how to make it all beter.
Incandescent performances by everyone. Really an astonishingly wonderful Argentinean movie almost overflowing with touches of humanity.

This little seen Argentinian film is, simply put, one of the most refreshing comedies of the last few years. Nominated for a Foreign Language Film Academy Award in 2001, the movie stars Ricardo Darin (Nine Queens) as Rafael, a man who operates a restaurant once owned by his parents, Nino and Norma.

Basically, the film shows us how Rafael's life changes through a series of events that happen to him and his family, with the final message being that there's more to life than work, and that love is the strongest force there is (at least, that's my take). The tag line says it all: "If life passed you by, what are you waiting for to catch up?". It has some of the funniest dialogues ever, showcasing, in a not-so-stereotypical way, how people from Buenos Aires speak and behave (and I should know, my wife's family's from there!) - although it should be said that some of it may get lost in the translation, especially when really local expressions are used.

The acting is excellent accross the board. Darin is great as the not-so-likeable protagonist, with whom we grow closer as the movie progresses, and most of the other characters, like his girlfriend Naty (the lovely Natalia Verbeke), his ex-wife (Claudia Fontán) and others, while not having that much screen time, give great performances. But the best acting of the film is done by Héctor Alterio, as Nino, Rafael's father, Norma Aleandro (they've worked together in many films, most notably The Official Story, and most recently Cleopatra, with Natalia Oreiro) who plays Norma, his Alzheimer's disease suffering mother, and by Eduardo Blanco, who plays Juan Carlos, his wacky childhood friend who has become an actor.

If you're in the mood to try something that's decidedly not Hollywood, yet refreshing, funny and heartwarming, be sure to give this movie a look. It's well worth it!

Watching this movie, I couldn't help but cry. It is not hard to identify with Rafael, this guy who is so submerged in his the world of his business, that he doesn't have enough time to give to others around him (his mother/father, his girlfriend, his daughter from a marriage that also failed due to the same thing...) It's sad to realize how many of us fall in this category, where a business meeting can take precedence over those, more important things in one's life, but it happens. And Ricardo Darín (Marco from "Nine Queens") does a magnificent job at playing the part in this movie.

Equally odd are the turns our lives need to take for us to realize how fragile we are and how important it is for us not to fall pray of the machine that hounds us and surrounds us. Rafael had to suffer a stroke to "get it", and even then, he'd still struggle against some deeply rooted habits. His dad and the strength of the love he still had for his mom, after over 44 years of marriage and in spite of her ailment (suffering from Alzheimer's), inspires Rafael to overcome any leftover stupidity in his life and not let the important things be lost without a fight.

"Son of the Bride" is an inspiring story with splendid acting by the entire cast, that reminds you of the important things in life and that life itself is indeed what you choose to make of it.

This film shows true love and devotion the way it's meant to be seen - something that ages beautifully, even after 44 years and 37 days. Nino's love for his wife, Norma, IS happily ever after, in sickness and in health.

DON'T FORGET TO STAY FOR THE CREDITS! You finally learn who the mysterious Dick Watson is and it is hilarious.

This is a fantastic movie from beginning to end...literally.

How easy is to put aside what give us life, how easy is to fall into "reality". This movie is about the importance of recovering what we've lost in the past for being "somebody". Our whole life can change in five seconds, but it seems that we always deny this fact. When watching this movie you'll remember that we are the products of a not-so-good social machinery. Highly recommended for those who love life.

I initially watched the firm to learn Spanish but it turns out to be the best firm that I have ever seen--even though I have not seen too many. It's very uplifting and brought out all the good things in life.

Son of the bride is a drama/comedy whitch is beautifully written, acted and directed. Ricardo Darin (one of my favorite actors of all time) completely takes this movie to the limit with fantastic acting. A great movie.

What really matters in this life? How to recognize love? How to keep it alive? How wise and discerning can one be in the crazy logic of love?
This is one simple and beautiful story, with everything I most like: family, food, values, expectations and life choices. Héctor Alterio and Norma Aleandro deliver the most touching couple performance ever seen in a movie, yet the supporting actors also shine and bring to the plot different perspectives. The result is an amazing movie, very relatable and heartwarming, that you will never forget.