In Father of the Bride (1950), Spencer Tracy plays Stanley Banks, a father who watches his daughter Kay, played by Elizabeth Taylor, announce her engagement and then tries to survive the wedding preparations. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the comedy is told largely from Stanley’s point of view, and Tracy’s narration gives it a wry, affectionate warmth.
Tracy makes Stanley both funny and touching: proud, bewildered by expense, and quietly sad at losing his little girl to grown-up life. The film was a popular success and earned Tracy another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. It remains a beloved portrait of family change, told without cynicism.
