Review: Son of the Bride

The film’s beautiful, simple finale suggests second weddings will open doors to second lives.

Son of the Bride
Photo: Sony Pictures Classics

A Tiramasu-induced heart attack thrusts Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darín) into mid-life crisis mode. His mother Nora (the great Norma Aleandro) is afflicted with that rare from of Hollywood Alzheimer’s that mixes in the Tourette’s and OCD. Girlfriend Nati (Natalia Verbeke) doesn’t take kindly to a non-committal Rafael while father Nino (Héctor Alterio) desperately itches for a second wedding despite his wife’s ongoing mental breakdown. Once childhood friend Juan Carlos (a hysterical but tragic Eduardo Blanco) comes to visit, director Juan José Campanella drops the final piece of emotional baggage. Son of the Bride may be a good half-hour too long but comes replete with a flattering sense of mystery and quietness. The family restaurant, once founded by a young Nino and Nora, is now Rafael’s to sell. The establishment is a wondrous signifier for a past now forgotten by a woman who once charmed Rafael’s Zorro-loving friends with butter cookies. Never knowing whether he should discard his young lover in favor of a second chance with his ex-wife, Rafael makes awkward grasps at solidarity, becoming a fascinating, uncertain journeyman who negotiates his past by ridding himself of it. The film’s beautiful, simple finale suggests second weddings will open doors to second lives.

Score: 
 Cast: Ricardo Darín, Héctor Alterio, Norma Aleandro, Eduardo Blanco, Natalia Verbeke, Gimena Nóbile, David Masainik, Claudia Fontán, Atilio Pozzobon  Director: Juan Jose Campanella  Screenwriter: Juan Jose Campanella, Fernando Castets  Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics  Running Time: 124 min  Rating: NR  Year: 2002  Buy: Video

Ed Gonzalez

Ed Gonzalez is the co-founder of Slant Magazine. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, his writing has appeared in The Village Voice, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.