'Father of the Bride' cast reunites 25 years later for sort-of sequel, with new cameos
It turns out Steve Martin's "Father of the Bride" character George Banks is well-equipped to deal with a pandemic.
We know, because the neurotic and lovable character reunited with the rest of the movie's main cast Friday for a new story self-recorded by the actors and written and directed by Nancy Meyers. "Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)" was shared on the Netflix YouTube and Facebook accounts to benefit World Central Kitchen.
The nearly 27-minute-long sort-of-sequel, which takes place 25 years after "Father of the Bride Part II" (yes, it has been that long) follows a current-day Banks family Zoom, complete with Nina (Diane Keaton), daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), son Matty (Kieran Culkin) and eclectic wedding planner Franck (Martin Short).
The babies from the second movie, now in their 20s, are also on the call and played by Florence Pugh and Ben Platt. And there are new characters: Robert De Niro and Alexandra Shipp make appearances.
Amid COVID-19, we learn that George has been sending hundreds of masks to his kids, obsessing over the availability of Clorox wipes and measuring out a 54-foot table that could safely seat his family at a social distance. He spends time deliberating over how to take off his face mask after washing his hands, and decides to use two pencils to nimbly remove the straps from his ears.
"I know all of you think I'm an overreacter," he says in his sweats. "I've never had anything this huge to overreact to."
The conversation rehashes some "FotB" stories and gives updates on the characters before viewers learn the real reason for the family chat: Matty, now a 37-year-old writer, would like to marry his doctor girlfriend Rachel (Shipp), who's quarantining in a hotel room, on Zoom. Her father (De Niro) also joins the call.
The ceremony, officiated by Franck, is schmaltzy but charming. After George gets over the fact that he won't get to watch Rachel's dad fund an elaborate wedding while he enjoys the food and flowers he didn't pay for, he gets sentimental.
"I couldn't be prouder of my family, or happier for Matt and Rachel," he says. "We're living in a tough time ... but we've managed to stay OK all these months because we have each other."
As Platt's George (Annie's newborn from "Father of the Bride 2," named for her father) sings "The Way You Look Tonight," it's hard not to let your eyes water.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Father of the Bride' 3: Cast reunites for story set during pandemic
