HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Son of the Bride'' ( es, El hijo de la novia) is a 2001 Argentine
comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
directed by
Juan José Campanella Juan José Campanella (born 19 July 1959) is an Argentine television and film director, writer and producer. He achieved worldwide attention with the release of ''The Secret in Their Eyes'' (2009), for which he was awarded the Academy Award for B ...
and written by Campanella and Fernando Castets. The executive producers were Juan Vera and Juan Pablo Galli, and it was produced by
Adrián Suar Adrián Kirzner Schwartz (born March 25, 1968), better known as Adrián Suar, is an Argentine actor, media producer and businessman who is the program director of Canal 13. Early life Adrián Suar born in Queens, New York City, on March 25 ...
. It stars
Ricardo Darín Ricardo Alberto Darín (born 16 January 1957) is an Argentine actor, film director and film producer, he is considered one of the best and most prolific actors of Argentine cinema. Considered one of the greatest and most acclaimed movie stars ...
,
Héctor Alterio Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain. Biography Alterio's theatre debut came in 1948 as the lead in ''Cómo suicidarse en primave ...
,
Norma Aleandro Norma Aleandro (born 2 May 1936) is an Argentine actress. She is considered one of the most celebrated and prolific Argentine actresses of all time and is recognized as a cultural icon in her home country. Aleandro starred in the 1985 film ''Th ...
, Eduardo Blanco and Natalia Verbeke. The film was nominated for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for Best Foreign Language Film and won the Silver Condor for Best Film.


Plot

Rafael Belvedere's (
Ricardo Darín Ricardo Alberto Darín (born 16 January 1957) is an Argentine actor, film director and film producer, he is considered one of the best and most prolific actors of Argentine cinema. Considered one of the greatest and most acclaimed movie stars ...
) mother Norma (
Norma Aleandro Norma Aleandro (born 2 May 1936) is an Argentine actress. She is considered one of the most celebrated and prolific Argentine actresses of all time and is recognized as a cultural icon in her home country. Aleandro starred in the 1985 film ''Th ...
) suffers from
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...
and he has not seen her in a year. Rafael sees his father Nino (
Héctor Alterio Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain. Biography Alterio's theatre debut came in 1948 as the lead in ''Cómo suicidarse en primave ...
) frequently but his friends rarely. He's fielding offers to sell the restaurant he runs in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South Am ...
, but changes his mind because it was started by his mother and father and has been in the family for years. His childhood friend Juan Carlos ( Eduardo Blanco), who he has not seen for twenty years, drops by the restaurant and renews their old friendship, demonstrating the fact that he has become an actor. One day, Rafael suffers a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
and, as he recovers in the
intensive care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...
, he is forced to reevaluate his life and determine his priorities. He now wants to sell the restaurant and move to southern Mexico and raise horses. At the same time his father wants to remarry his wife because they were never married in the Catholic Church and she always wanted a church wedding. Rafael is opposed to the renewal of vows because his ailing mother will not be able to be much of a participant, due to her Alzheimer's. As part of his new life, he tells his much-younger girlfriend Nati that he wants some space and some freedom. At first she is hurt and tells him that he is no
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
,
Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...
, or even Dick Watson (Rafael is puzzled about the identity of Dick Watson, and it becomes a running joke. The end credits make clear that it refers to a character in a porno film). Although Rafael tries to get her to understand his perspective, she breaks off their relationship. Rafael tries to deal with his struggles with this relationships and the fact that the Church cannot re-marry them due to canonical law, and he ends up selling the restaurant and having Juan Carlos act the role of a priest at his parents' second wedding. The film ends after the wedding, with Rafael opening a new restaurant—the down-on-its-luck location across the street from the old Belvedere—and apologizing to Nati; she joyously forgives him. Juan Carlos takes a strong interest in Rafael's ex-wife and is shown pulling up a chair, inserting himself between her and her boyfriend, and chatting animatedly.


Cast

*
Ricardo Darín Ricardo Alberto Darín (born 16 January 1957) is an Argentine actor, film director and film producer, he is considered one of the best and most prolific actors of Argentine cinema. Considered one of the greatest and most acclaimed movie stars ...
as Rafael Belvedere *
Héctor Alterio Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain. Biography Alterio's theatre debut came in 1948 as the lead in ''Cómo suicidarse en primave ...
as Nino Belvedere *
Norma Aleandro Norma Aleandro (born 2 May 1936) is an Argentine actress. She is considered one of the most celebrated and prolific Argentine actresses of all time and is recognized as a cultural icon in her home country. Aleandro starred in the 1985 film ''Th ...
as Norma Belvedere * Eduardo Blanco as Juan Carlos * Natalia Verbeke as Nati * Gimena Nóbile as Vicki * David Masajnik as Nacho * Claudia Fontán as Sandra * Atilio Pozzobon as Francesco * Salo Pasik as Daniel * Humberto Serrano as Father Mario * Fabián Arenillas as Sciacalli * Mónica Cabrera as Carmen * Giorgio Bellora as Marchiolli * Mónica Virgilito as Hospital nurse *
Adrián Suar Adrián Kirzner Schwartz (born March 25, 1968), better known as Adrián Suar, is an Argentine actor, media producer and businessman who is the program director of Canal 13. Early life Adrián Suar born in Queens, New York City, on March 25 ...
as Dodi *
Juan José Campanella Juan José Campanella (born 19 July 1959) is an Argentine television and film director, writer and producer. He achieved worldwide attention with the release of ''The Secret in Their Eyes'' (2009), for which he was awarded the Academy Award for B ...
as Doctor * Alfredo Alcón as Himself


Critical reception

''Son of the Bride'' garnered mostly positive reviews from film critics. On review aggregate website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an overall 86% "Certified Fresh" approval rating based on 57 reviews, with a
rating average A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both. Rating or ratings may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, ...
of 7.3 out of 10. The site's consensus is: "A film about one man's mid-life crisis, The Son of the Bride is both touching and funny." At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc D ...
, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 0–100 reviews from film critics, the film has a rating score of 68 based on 29 reviews, classified as a generally favorably reviewed film. ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' magazine film critic Eddie Cockrell lauded the film in his review and wrote, "A 42-year-old Buenos Aires workaholic discovers family means more than his restaurant business in superb contempo comedy ''The Son of the Bride.'' Unflaggingly genial and universally funny pic is already generating favorable word of mouth on twin strengths of Montreal competish jury's Special Grand Prix and kudos as best Latin American film of the fest. Wedding bells will ring in cinema cathedrals worldwide, with whirlwind honeymoons and long and happy lives on the tube and in homevid." Critic Jeff Stark liked the comedy and wrote, "Argentinean director Juan José Campanella's ''Son of the Bride'' is about a lot of things, but at its core it's about a man's midlife crisis. A witty script, a fleet camera and a pitch-perfect cast keep the movie from being dragged under by the selfishness of its central character...By the end, this crisply agreeable picture has made several points. One, I suppose, is that there are different levels of reconciliation, in troubled families and beleaguered businesses as well as in nations beset by permanent crisis. A more important one, perhaps, is that there's a difference between dropping out and running away." ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' film critic Stephen Holden gave the comedy drama a mixed review, writing, "Although there is much to like in this psychologically canny film and in Mr. Darin's warm-hearted central performance, the movie is also rambling and digressive. It is so determined to delve into every cranny of Rafael's world, from his minor business woes to his rekindled friendship with the zany childhood friend with whom he used to play games of Zorro, that it has the feel of an unedited personal journal."Holden, Stephen
''The New York Times,'' film review, "One Man's Rocky, Rambling Journey Through Midlife," March 22, 2002. Last accessed: January 21, 2008.


Distribution

The film opened wide in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
on August 16, 2001. Later it was presented at the Montréal Film Festival on August 29, 2001. The picture was screened at various film festivals, including: the Valladolid International Film Festival,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
; the
Havana Film Festival The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Latin American filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as ''Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana,'' and in English as International Festiv ...
, Cuba; the ''Muestra de Cine Mexicano en Guadalajara'',
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
; the Latin America Film Festival,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
; the
Copenhagen International Film Festival Copenhagen International Film Festival (CIFF) was a film festival held annually in Copenhagen, Denmark from 2003 to 2008. The main prize, the Golden Swan, was awarded for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Script and Best Cinem ...
,
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , established ...
; and others. It opened in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
on a limited basis on March 22, 2002, and it was later optioned for a remake with an American setting and characters.


Awards


Wins

*
Havana Film Festival The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Latin American filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as ''Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana,'' and in English as International Festiv ...
: Audience Award; OCIC Award; both for Juan José Campanella; 2001. *
Montréal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...
: Best Latin-American Feature Film; Special Grand Prize of the Jury; both for Juan José Campanella; 2001. * Valladolid International Film Festival,
Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
: Silver Spike, Juan José Campanella; 2001. * Viña del Mar Film Festival,
Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
: Paoa, Best Supporting Actress, Norma Aleandro; 2001. *
Argentine Film Critics Association Awards The Argentine Film Critics Association ( es, Asociación de Cronistas Cinematográficos de la Argentina) is an organization of Argentine-based journalists and correspondents. The association presents the ''Silver Condor Awards'' (''Premios Cóndor ...
: Silver Condor; Best Actor, Ricardo Darín; Best Director, Juan José Campanella; Best Editing, Camilo Antolini; Best Film; Best New Actress, Claudia Fontán; Best Original Screenplay, Juan José Campanella and Fernando Castets; Best Supporting Actor, Eduardo Blanco; Best Supporting Actress, Norma Aleandro; 2002. * Cartagena Film Festival: OCIC Award, Juan José Campanella; 2002. *
Gramado Film Festival The Gramado Film Festival ( pt, Festival de Gramado) is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. In 1992, the festival began to award Latin American films produced outside of B ...
: Audience Award Latin Film Competition, Juan José Campanella; Golden Kikito Latin Film Competition - Best Actress, Norma Aleandro; Kikito Critics Prize Latin Film Competition, Juan José Campanella; 2002. * Lima Latin American Film Festival: Elcine First Prize, Juan José Campanella; 2002. * Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain: CEC Award, Best Supporting Actor, Héctor Alterio; 2002. * Ondas Awards, Barcelona,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
: Film Award, Best Actress, Natalia Verbeke, (also for ''El Otro lado de la cama''); 2002. * Oslo Films from the South Festival: Audience Award, Juan José Campanella; 2002. *
Sant Jordi Awards The Sant Jordi Awards ( ca, Premis Sant Jordi, links=no; es, Premios Sant Jordi, links=no) are film prizes awarded annually by the Catalan branch of the Spanish public radio network Radio Nacional de España Radio Nacional de España (acr ...
, Barcelona, Spain: Best Foreign Actor, Ricardo Darín (also for '' La Fuga'' and ''
Nueve reinas ''Nueve Reinas'' () is a 2000 Argentinian crime film written and directed by Fabián Bielinsky. It stars Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, and Leticia Brédice. In the film, con artists Marcos (Darín) and Juan (Pauls) unexpectedly team up to sell ...
''); Best Foreign Film, Juan José Campanella; 2002. *
São Paulo International Film Festival The São Paulo International Film Festival ( pt, Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A non-profit event, the festival is organized ...
,
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, Brazil: Audience Award, Best Feature - Foreign Language, Juan José Campanella; 2002.


Nominations

* Montréal World Film Festival: Grand Prix des Amériques, Juan José Campanella; 2001. * Valladolid International Film Festival: Golden Spike, Juan José Campanella; 2001. *
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
: Oscar; Best Foreign Language Film, Argentina; 2002. * Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Art Direction, Mercedes Alfonsín; Best Cinematography, Daniel Shulman; Best Music, Ángel Illarramendi; Best Supporting Actor, Héctor Alterio; 2002. * Cartagena Film Festival: Golden India Catalina, Best Film, Juan José Campanella; 2002. * Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain: CEC Award, Best Actor, Ricardo Darín; Best Supporting Actress, Norma Aleandro; 2002. * Gramado Film Festival: Golden Kikito, Latin Film Competition - Best Film, Juan José Campanella; 2002.


References


External links

*
''El hijo de la novia''
at the cinenacional.com
''El hijo de la novia''
review at ''Cineismo'' by Guillermo Ravaschino

review at ''Cinestros'' by Juan Antonio Bermúdez * {{DEFAULTSORT:Son Of The Bride 2001 films 2001 comedy-drama films Films shot in Buenos Aires Films directed by Juan José Campanella Argentine independent films Sony Pictures Classics films Films distributed by Disney Films about Alzheimer's disease Spanish comedy-drama films 2000s Spanish-language films 2001 comedy films 2001 drama films 2001 independent films