NICO The character of Juan Carlos (Eduardo Blanco) is the most influential force in the life of his best friend, Rafael Belvedere. We see them both in the initial scene as little boys who went around getting in trouble and helping each other out. The next time we see the character together is after a surprise visit by Juan Carlos, where he pretends to be a detective and scares his friend as a joke. At this point we see how different of a person he is compared to his friend, as he displays much friendlier and relaxed characteristics. The next time Juan Carlos appears is at the hospital where Rafael is after a stroke. From here on out we begin to see this character a lot more as he enters the life of his friend once again and helps him during his troubled times.

eldiez4ever Today was the 5th time I watched the movie, although after a considerable gap and I loved it. It left me emotional and extremely content. Juan Jose Campanella, as in all his movies, champions the portrayal of this utopian love with breathtaking conviction. The script is perhaps one of the best that I have enjoyed in the last decade. Even though its so Argentine, it translates into a universal language of love, longing and life. Full of witty dialogues carried out by amazing performance and extraordinary insight into the present Argentine society thrown nonchalantly throughout the 123 minutes of the feature. Ricardo Darin as Rafa Belvedere, a 42 year old restaurant owner from Buenos Aires, fits into the character to the tee. The two stars of Academy Award winning Argentine foreign feature "The Official Story," Norma Aleandro and Hector Alterio play the parents of Rafael Belvedere (Darin) and once again carry the movie to its very deserving Oscar nomination. In this latest viewing of the film, I enjoyed more the at-times-subtle and at-times-sarcastic nuances of friendship and relationship.Its a must see for everyone who loves their parents, their partners, kids, spouses, friends, employees, employers, colleagues ... etc etc etcIts one of the most beautiful and uplifting film of this generation. Campanella rocks!

Jessica Carvalho ''El Hijo de la novia'' is a comedy about a stressed man called Rafael Belvedere that is full of responsibilities and problems in his life. He assumed the restaurant that his father founded and is always living in his shadow because of that. The restaurant also demands his entire time, making him almost not have time for his mother( who suffers from Alzheimer) his daughter and even his girlfriend. One day, Rafael suffers a heart attack that compels him to think better about his life, making him realize how wrong he was doing many things. He also reunites with his childhood friend Juan Carlos, that becomes an important piece of his story, helping him to deal with many things that happens in his life.I liked this movie because even having its predictable moments, deals with many themes in a more real way that many comedies usually does, like Rafael's and Naty's relationship or even his mother relationship with him. It is also a very sweet movie, since it is impossible to not like the cute relationship between Rafael's parents( Can you imagine how sweet is to be married for so many years and still be in love with the same person?).The only I didn't like very much, was the fact that movie has some very slow moments that helped me to feel a little bored, but this is a person opinion, so, maybe many people will not even notice or care.

Nick Dets I am always surprised when I find a movie that genuinely revels in the ordinary and keeps away from unrealistic, extravagant elements. I enjoyed Mike Leigh's "All or Nothing" for this reason, because the entire film never compromised realism for the "dramatic intensity" most dramas cheaply exploit. What surprised me most about Juan Jose Campanella's "The Son of the Bride" is that it took a very sincere approach towards a crowd-pleasing story.The last time I saw a crowd-pleaser, it was "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and I was bored with its reliance on platitudes and I was annoyed with its constant cuteness. It wasn't until I saw Campanella's film that I remembered that the goal of a good crowd pleaser is to give the audience an optimistic perspective of life, not to bombard them with farcical whimsy and relentless, shallow cuteness."The Son of the Bride" is a remarkably honest movie about a man named Rafael who has been living the wrong life for years. He doesn't realize his disposition until it is almost too late, but circumstances allow him to reevaluate the choices he has in life. A story like this could have taken the lesser, "Greek Wedding" road, conforming to all kinds of crowd-pleaser clichés to create a naively positive tone, but "Son of the Bride" realizes that nothing in this life is absolute. Good moments never last forever, and life is never completely beautiful or completely ugly. The characters are all very realistic, because they doubt themselves and others, they sometimes contradict themselves and are therefore closer to feeling like real human beings than any character in a crowd pleasing movie I've ever seen.Watching "Son of the Bride," I was reminded of a little film I once saw called "Los Lunes Del Sol," which chronicled the ordinary plight of some unfortunate working men of Spain. I loved that movie, because it reminded me of the frustrations of my own family during hard times. "Son of the Bride" brought back those same sad memories, but also reminded me that its through pain and struggle that we grow up and are enabled to see things clearer. Nothing is absolute- yes, hard times are hard, but they are essential for growing and learning how to truly live.My only complaint for this frequently funny and touching epic of ordinary proportions is its opening scene. The opener is an unnecessary, not to mention corny, scene where Rafael is a little boy. It could easily be trimmed without effecting the movie in any negative way. This is a minor gripe, though. The movie is marvelously, but realistically, optimistic and is a new benchmark by which all crowd pleasers should be measured.