I'd like to be able to write that Father's Little Dividend is as worthy a sequel to Father of the Bride as The Bells of St. Mary's is to Going My Way. Unfortunately it did not happen that way.
The whole cast is re-united for this sequel with newlyweds Elizabeth Taylor and Don Taylor expecting their first. The possibility of being a grandfather has Spencer Tracy all disjointed, old age has come upon him with the suddenness of a punch in the nose. But the film essentially is the story of his adjustments to the situation. The other three grandparents, Joan Bennett, Moroni Olsen and Billie Burke all seem to be taking it in stride.
Joan Bennett has a lot more to do in this one than in Father of the Bride. Her driving like a maniac to get to Elizabeth Taylor's side as she's about to deliver is a great scene. And her plans to take over the raising of the baby are pretty funny as the whole thing just exasperates Tracy.
But the end was a horrible let down. I have to agree with the other reviewer that there ain't nothing funny about losing an infant which is what Tracy does when he's distracted by kids playing in the park while he's taking the kid for a stroll. Too many real tragedies happen this way for any humor to be gleaned from the situation.
But if you find humor in it or think the way it was handled OK, than by all means see Father's Little Dividend.
The whole cast is re-united for this sequel with newlyweds Elizabeth Taylor and Don Taylor expecting their first. The possibility of being a grandfather has Spencer Tracy all disjointed, old age has come upon him with the suddenness of a punch in the nose. But the film essentially is the story of his adjustments to the situation. The other three grandparents, Joan Bennett, Moroni Olsen and Billie Burke all seem to be taking it in stride.
Joan Bennett has a lot more to do in this one than in Father of the Bride. Her driving like a maniac to get to Elizabeth Taylor's side as she's about to deliver is a great scene. And her plans to take over the raising of the baby are pretty funny as the whole thing just exasperates Tracy.
But the end was a horrible let down. I have to agree with the other reviewer that there ain't nothing funny about losing an infant which is what Tracy does when he's distracted by kids playing in the park while he's taking the kid for a stroll. Too many real tragedies happen this way for any humor to be gleaned from the situation.
But if you find humor in it or think the way it was handled OK, than by all means see Father's Little Dividend.