Father of the Bride

I used to think a wedding was a simple affair.

Boy and girl meet. They fall in love. He buys a ring.

She buys a dress. They say, "I do."

I was wrong. That's getting married.

A wedding is an entirely different proposition.

I know. I've just been through one.

Not my own, my daughter's--

Annie Banks-MacKenzie.

That's her married name-- MacKenzie.

I'll be honest with you.

When I bought this house 17 years ago, it cost less than this blessed event...

in which Annie Banks became Annie Banks-MacKenzie.

I'm told that one day I'll look back on all this...

with great affection and nostalgia.

I hope so.

You fathers will understand.

You have a little girl...

an adorable little girl who looks up to you...

and adores you in a way you could never have imagined.

I remember how her little hand used to fit inside mine...

how she used to lover to sit on my lap and lean her head against my chest.

She said I was her hero.

Then the day comes when she wants to get her ears pierced...

and wants you to drop her off a block before the movie theater.

Next thing you know, she's wearing eye shadow and high heels.

From that moment on you're in a constant state of panic.

You worry about her going out with the wrong kind of guys...

the kind of guys who only want one thing.

And you know exactly what that one thing is...

because it's the same thing you wanted when you were their age.

Then she gets a little older...

and you quit worrying about her meeting the wrong guy...

and you worry about her meeting the right guy.

And that's the biggest fear of all because...

then you lose her.

And before you know it, you're sitting all alone in a big, empty house...

wearing rice on your tux, wondering what happened to your life.

It was just six months ago that it happened here.

Just six months ago that the storm broke.

Annie had been studying for her masters in architecture...

for the past semester in Rome.

I remember I was at work, walking through the factory.

I own a company called Sidekicks. We manufacture athletic shoes.

Anyway, I remember how preoccupied I was that day.

- I'm sorry, Mr Banks. - My fault, Grace.

Annie had never been that far away from home, and she was due back any minute.

I couldn't wait to see the kid.

George, she landed.

My daughter has been studying abroad, been flying for 11 hours.

I'm not wild about her being in the air. You have kids, Juan.

You understand. It's-It's better when they're on the ground.

I've always been a concerned parent.

I'm big on car seats, seat belts, bedtimes, curfews...

calling when you get somewhere, never running with a sharp object.

- Hi, George. - What can I say? I'm a father.

- Worrying comes with the territory. - Is Nina picking her up at the airport?

- Yeah. - And you're gonna meet them?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm going home right now.

I, uh-- My keys are--

- Here. - Oh, yeah. Sorry.

- And sign this. - Okay.

- Hat. - Okay, thanks. Now-- Oh!

- Okay. Bye. - Bring her by.

I left work early because I had a little something to pick up for Annie's homecoming.

We live in a small town in Southern California called San Marino.

I love this town, and not just because it's the kind of place...

where people still smile at each other...

- Bye. - but because it hasn't changed much in the past 25 years.

And since I'm not a guy who's big on change, this town fits me like a glove.

I got Annie's ten-speed all cleaned up and polished.

New seats, new tyres. I couldn't wait to show it to her.

This is our house. 24 Maple Drive.

Annie was just in grammar school when we bought it.

A few years later, we got a surprise package-- our son Matt.

I love this house. I love that I taught my kids...

to ride their bikes in the driveway.

I love that I slept with them in tents in the backyard.

I love that we carved our initials in the tree out front.

This house is warm in the winter, cool in the summer...

and looks spectacular with Christmas lights.

It's a great house, and I never want to move.

But the think I think I like best about this house...

are the voices I hear when I walk through the door.

- Hey. Hi. You got out early. - Hi.

- Where is she? - Oh, she's, uh, unpacking.

She looks-- She looks so fabulous, just fabulous. Different.

- Anyway, she can't wait to see you. - Different.

- Ciao, Papa. - Hey.

Annie brought me this candy bar all the way from Rome.

Let's not get it on our American furniture.

Matty. The high tops.

- Hey, grazie. - Hey, you're welcome.

- What do you mean, different? - Oh.

- Annie. - Hi, Dad.

Hey, hey, hey!

- God, I missed you. - You look all lit up inside.

Oh, I feel all lit up inside.

- Maybe we should go to Rome for a few months, honey. - Oh, you two would love it.

It's the most romantic place on Earth.

- You smell pretty good too. - Oh, you like it? It was a present.

Doesn't she look incredible? I almost didn't recognize her.

Come on. Dinner's on the stove. Honey, you wanna come?

Oh, Mom, I had this pasta in Florence. I forget what it's called.

All right. Now that we're all back under one roof...

we have some very important items to discuss.

First on the list: Who wants to go to the Laker game on Thursday?

- Oh. - Me. Definitely yes.

Okay, and with your busy schedule too.

Honey, I can't. I have inventory to do that night.

- Aw. - Uh, Thursday, sure. Absolutely.

- Okay. - Matty, could you use your fork?

Number two: Paul Simon is coming to the Forum...

and I think I can get us great seats.

- Um, yeah, sure. - All right. Paul Simon's an "um, yeah, sure..."

which I believe translates to a yes?

- All right. I'll call that guy. - Um, honey?

Could you please get that bottle of wine in the fridge for me?

- Sure. - Dad, wait. Um, I don't know.

- You don't want to see Paul Simon? - No, I-I do. It's just, um--

- Well, what is it? - Well--

- Honey, is something going on? - Yes.

Yeah, it is, Mom. Uh-- God, this is a hard thing to tell parents.

Especially when they're my parents. Oh, God.

Honey, just say it. What's the big deal?

- Yeah. - Okay.

I met somebody in Rome. Um, he's an American.

Uh, he's from L.A., actually, and, um, his name's Bryan MacKenzie.

And he's this completely wonderful...

wonderful, amazing man, and--

Well, we, we started seeing each other...

a lot, and, um...

we fell in love.

It actually happened. And, uh...

we've decided to get married which means that I'm engaged!

I'm engaged! I'm getting married!

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

Well, my, my.

Oh, so-- Oh, my. And that's your engagement ring, huh?

Yes, yes! We got it at a flea market outside of Rome.

The guy we bought it from said it was at least 100 years old.

- Wow. - So, Dad. Stop it. Say something.

I-I'm sorry. What did you say?

Dad, I met a man in Rome, and he's wonderful...

and brilliant, and we're getting married.

- Mom, what's he doing? - George.

George, what is it?

Well. This is-- This--

This is ridiculous.

- What? - You're-- You're-- You're too young to get married.

Too young? Dad, I'm 22. If I'm not mistaken...

that's, that's a year older than Mom was when you guys got married.

- That is absolutely not true. - Oh, no, you-- Ha!

You're absolutely wrong.

- You were this age when I married you? - No! I was younger.

I was this age when she was born.

That-- That-- That doesn't matter. Times have changed.

You mother was mature, and, uh, 22 isn't what it used to--

Matty, would you turn on the air conditioner? It's hot in here.

I thought-- I thought you didn't believe in marriage.

I thought that it meant that a woman lost her identity.

I-I thought you wanted to get a job before you settled down...

so you could earn money and be your own person.

All right. Hold on.

I didn't think I believed in marriage until I met Bryan.

And Bryan's not like any other guy I've ever known.

I want to be married to him.

And I'm not gonna lose my identity with him...

because he's not some overpowering, macho guy.

I mean, he's like you, Dad, except he's brilliant.

He happens to love the fact that I want to be an architect.

He wants me to design a house for us to live in.

He said he'd move anywhere I got a job.

Give me a little credit, George.

I'm not gonna marry some ape who wants me to wear...

go-go boots and an apron.

I'm telling you you'll love him. He's a genius.

And sweet.

And I-- I love him more than anything in the world.

- What does Bryan do? - Who's Bryan?

- I forgot his name! - He's an independent communications consultant.

- Independent? - Yes.

Yeah. That's code for "unemployed." This is perfect. You meet an unemployed...

amazingly brilliant non-ape that I'm going to have to support.

I suppose I'm going to have to hire him and fire some hard-working guy...

with three kids because my son-in-law--

the, the independent communications consultant--

can't get a job anywhere else.

No wonder he'll move anywhere you get a job.

You're not getting married, and that's it, and that's final.

And I don't like you calling me George. I mean, when did this start?

Daddy, what is wrong with you?

What? You're telling me you're happy about this ?

George, please, will you stop acting like a lunatic father...

and go out and talk to her before she runs out that door...

marries this kid and we never see her again?

All right.

"Kid." How do you know he's a kid? He could be 45 years old.

An independent communications consultant...

does not mean he's an unemployable non-ape.

Bryan happens to be a computer genius.