|
SON OF THE BRIDE Send This Review to a Friend
A rich family drama from Argentina and a 2002 Oscar nominee in the best foreign language category, "Son of the Bride" is graced with excellent acting, a warm story and plenty of atmosphere. It also pushes the right buttons to evoke laughter and tears.
The picture-stealer is distinguished actress Norma Aleandro, who was so wonderful in "The Official Story," about the kidnapping of children from victims of the death-squads in Argentina and the struggles to bring such abuse to light. Here Aleandro plays an aging woman whose memory is disappearing. Her loyal husband Nino (Hector Alterio) loves her, but she is in a home and while smiling as if content, she is getting increasgly senile.
Their son Rafael (Ricardo Darin) runs a restaurant that Nino founded, but his problems are mounting, not only with making the restaurant pay but with his angry ex-wife who castigates him for not being around sufficiently for their daughter. He has a girlfriend who loves him, but he is not the type to make a commitment, and that can destroy the relationship.
At 42, Rafael is struck by a heart attack, which leads him to rethink the way he has been existing. Eduardo Blanco plays an old buddy, and when he and Rafael meet again, the experience is instructive for Rafael.
Nino is haunted by never having had the church wedding that his wife had wanted. He wants to have one to give her a bit of happiness before she dies. At first, Rafael mocks the idea because he finds it unlikely that his mother will even realize what's happening. But soon it becomes a family project and director Juan Jose Campanella, co-writer with Fernando Castets, push the emotional buttons. With Aleandro at the center the film achieves special distinction.
"Son of the Bride" is too long and piles on the drama excessively, but it is nevertheless a rich saga that introduces us to an interesting family situation, weighs relative values and intersperses funny material within the more serious whole. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
|