What a whirlwind of a week it has been. It was only Monday that I first met the Becker-Hix family, who had gathered to quarrel, self-destruct, and reveal the occasional secret in Children of the Bride (1990), all while celebrating their mother’s marriage to a significantly younger man. And it seems like just yesterday (because, in fact, it was) that Baby of the Bride (1991), its first sequel, incensed me by turning that amiable husband into a floppy-haired jerk who threw a 90-minute fit when his wife wouldn’t have an abortion.
To say my hopes weren’t high for the final entry in this made-for-TV trilogy, 1993’s Mother of the Bride, would be an understatement. How surprised I was, then, to find this the most enjoyable installment of all. In the words of Vanessa Williams, “Just when I thought our chance had passed, you go and save the best for last.” That’s right, stars and executive producers Rue McClanahan and Kristy McNichol, that song is dedicated to you.
The premise of this one is that Anne (Anne Bobby), the wild child of the bunch, is now engaged to the cop who pulled her over for blowing a stop sign in the previous film. Oh no, you might think, that means the gang’s all back together and she’s a-drinkin’ and Dennis is shtuppin’ everything in sight and there are toddlers running amok. That is blissfully incorrect. Why, the toddlers barely make an appearance!
This one’s about Margret and John Hix (Rue McClanahan and Ted Shackelford) and her four Becker children (including our third freakin’ Dennis, now played by Brett Cullen) dealing with the sudden reentry of her former husband, the unreliable Richard, into their lives.
Richard is played by Paul Dooley, one of my favorite character actors—and one of the stars (with Rita Moreno) of the infamous Golden Girls backdoor pilot episode “Empty Nests” (season two, episode 26; you might also recall his appearance as Isaac Newton, a hapless love interest, in “Love, Rose,” the tenth episode of season two). If you haven’t seen him in Robert Altman’s A Perfect Couple, that’s a good place to start.
Dooley’s Richard Becker is a scoundrel through and through, a guy who runs out on his family and then hassles Dennis for not extending him a warm enough welcome when he comes knocking decades later. Anne, the youngest child, has fewer memories of him and is willing to give him, and his checkbook, a second chance when he offers to pay for the wedding. He repays her by bouncing checks and showing up to her fiancé’s bachelor party with hookers in tow.
Nearly everyone in the family has Richard’s number. The screenplay (like the other … of the Bride movies, it’s credited to Bart Baker) regards him ruthlessly and dispatches of him first dramatically, and then comically. His untimely demise leads Andy (Conor O’Farrell) to lament, “He was my dad. I loved him. He was like the little brother I never had.” Margret later gripes to John, “I can’t believe that on top of everything else, we’re now paying for the funeral.”
When his casket falls off its stand and crashes into his grave, the closed captioning reads “upbeat jazzy music,” which recalls the pre-wedding brawl scene in Children of the Bride. Inevitably, his financial misconduct throws the wedding into disarray, giving Anne her opening to revert to previous drama queen behavior and call things off. John, who has agreed to walk her down the aisle, expertly intervenes, telling her “The only retaliation you have is your own happiness.”
As all of this unfolds, Mary’s embroiled in her own odd subplot involving an unlikely and awkwardly coerced flirtation with a construction worker. He interrupts his work at the daycare center her daughter attends to harass her into riding his motorcycle. “This ain’t no hag rice burner, you know, this is a classic. There are 24 coats of hand-rubbed lacquer on this gas tank,” he tells her. That’s where a McNichol character would normally tell a pushy guy to rub his own lacquer, but we’re really stuck with this chemistry-free pairing.
Mary’s unconvincing romance aside, there’s an appealing looseness to Mother of the Bride. The movie’s best scenes are those that reunite the entire family (Andy doesn’t show up until about an hour in and doesn’t have a storyline of his own) and let them goof around. If Baby of the Bride was a family dinner from hell, Mother is the feeling of liberation when your shittiest relatives finally go home and everyone else can relax.
Streaming and DVD availability
Like the other films in the series, Mother of the Bride is currently out-of-print on DVD but can be purchased used. You can also stream it free with commercials at Amazon via IMDb TV.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
… But wait, there’s more!
Be on the lookout for Nan Martin as the owner of Beatrice Bridal, the shop where Anne finds her dream dress. Martin appeared in two episodes of The Golden Girls: the inferior “Foreign Exchange” (S4E22), in which Dorothy’s parentage is questioned, and the superior “It’s a Miserable Life” (S2E4). In the latter she memorably played Freida Claxton, a nightmare of a neighbor who obeys when Rose tells her to drop dead. Oh, and that’s Joel McKinnon Miller, Scully of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as the wedding photographer at the end.
Cranky Lesbian is a disgruntled homosexual with too much time on her hands. Click for film reviews or to follow on Instagram.
Leave a Reply