FATHER OF THE BRIDE (2022)

The film opens with Guillermo “Billy” Herrera (Andy Garcia) talking about how he fled from Cuba and came to America to have a better life. He met Ingrid (Gloria Estefan) and they fell madly in love. Today, they are married with two daughters, Sofia (Adria Arjona) and Cora (Isabela Merced), and Billy has done everything to ensure that they would never struggle like he did, so he is now the owner of a very successful architect firm in Miami. However, even though he feels he did everything right, he has found himself facing a new problem.

Billy and Ingrid are in couples therapy with Dr. Saeger (Matt Walsh). Although Billy would like to try and fix their marriage, Ingrid is at her end and prefers to get a divorce, thinking that Billy is too much of a stubborn workaholic, and he is never going to change.

The two, plus Ingrid’s mom Chi Chi (Marta Velasco), are preparing for Sofia to return home from working in Mexico. They are joined by Billy’s brother Junior (Enrique Murciano) and Tio Walter (Ruben Rabasa). Meanwhile, Cora is working at a dress shop, as she wants to work as a professional designer, but when she shows off an unconventional quinceañera dress, the girl’s parents are mad and refuse to buy it. Unable to follow the standards set on by the store, Cora quits and goes home to join her family.

Sofia arrives, and everyone gathers for dinner. Billy and Ingrid get ready to tell the rest of the family that they are divorcing, but Sofia announces that she is engaged to her coworker Adan Castillo (Diego Boneta), and Sofia is the one who proposed. While the family is mostly supportive, Billy is quick to make it clear how much he does not approve of this since they have not even met Adan. He leaves the house to play dominoes with his buddies, and Sofia finds him there. After beating the guys in a game, she gets Billy to go with her, and he reluctantly attempts to show support for her.

Adan visits the house to meet Sofia’s parents. While Ingrid takes to him right away, Billy shows some resistance. He does still end up giving Adan his blessing to marry Sofia. She also reveals to them that because of work, they are planning on getting married within a few weeks, and they will also be moving to Mexico after the wedding. When Billy later expresses his doubts about Adan to Ingrid, she makes him sleep on the couch.

Sofia introduces the family to their wedding planner, Natalie Vance (Chloe Fineman) and her assistant Kyler (Casey Thomas Brown). Billy’s old-fashioned ideas clash with Natalie’s more contemporary millennial ideas. Despite Sofia and Adan wanting a lowkey wedding, Billy wants to throw it at a hotel that he helped build. Sofia protests, but Billy claims he is calling the shots because he is the one paying for everything.

The family then goes to try on wedding dresses, with Sofia introducing Cora to Adan’s cousin Vanessa (Ana Fabrega). Sofia decides she doesn’t like any of the dresses and asks Cora to design them for her and the bridesmaids. Cora doesn’t think she can do it but her sister encourages her, so she takes on the task.

Adan’s family comes to meet the Herreras. Adan’s father Hernan (Pedro Damian) arrives with his second younger wife Julieta (Macarena Achaga), along with Adan’s mother and his first wife, Marcela (Laura Harring). Hernan is incredibly wealthy since he owns one of two beer companies in Mexico. He offers to invites hundreds of guests in a much more extravagant setting, which upsets Billy since he insists he is the one paying for everything. After a grand party on a yacht (with musical guest Ozuna), Billy snaps when Hernan insists on having the wedding at his own luxurious building. Billy says he is not okay with any of this, including the fact that Sofia is marrying Adan, which shocks everyone. Sofia tells Billy that she will get married to Adan with or without Billy there.

Billy tries to make amends with Sofia while she is trying on her dress, but she still doesn’t want to talk to him. Ingrid tries on her old wedding dress at her daughters’ behest, and everyone is surprised and happy to see it still fits her.

Billy gets Adan to join him, plus Junior and Tio Walter, for a little bachelor party at a strip club, which makes Adan uncomfortable. He finds Billy looking sad by himself, and he admits to Adan that he and Ingrid are divorcing. He also apologizes to him for what he said about not wanting Sofia to marry him, because he was also upset about her leaving to Mexico with him. Adan forgives Billy, but he also lets him know that moving to Mexico was all Sofia’s idea. As this goes on, Sofia and Cora go out with Ingrid, Chi Chi, Julieta, Marcela, and Vanessa. Julieta and Marcela get along well enough, they just like to mess with Hernan and pretend they are fighting over him. Cora gets drunk and has a small fight with Sofia.

The family throws an engagement party the next day, just as a storm starts brewing. Cora is hungover and goes to lay down in the bedroom. Junior sees that Billy is troubled, so they go into the bedroom to talk. Billy tells Junior about the divorce, and Cora overhears. She storms out and blurts it out in front of the whole party, so Sofia finds out the truth as well. Ingrid and Sofia are also mad when they find out Billy told Adan about it first. Chi Chi says it is not a big deal, as she drops a bomb on Ingrid that she stayed with Ingrid’s father even after finding out he had a second family. Billy goes to find Sofia to talk to her, and she reconciles with him.

The storm begins to intensify overnight, leading Sofia and Cora to sleep in their parents’ bed like they did as kids. By the morning, the storm has knocked over trees. The family drives to the venue for the wedding, only to find a bridge has been partially collapsed and cops are keeping people from crossing it. Making matters worse, Natalie finds out from Kyler that the venue has been destroyed by the storm. Sofia is ready to give up on the wedding, but Natalie gets help from the whole family to scramble together for a last minute wedding back at the house.

The Herreras and Castillos work together to get things ready for the wedding. Sofia wears Cora’s dress, and both Billy and Ingrid walk her down the aisle. Sofia and Adan are married. Later, Billy offers to help Cora start up her own dress business. Cora also dances with Vanessa. Sofia plays Billy and Ingrid’s wedding song so that they can share a dance together. Billy offers to take Ingrid to Greece if they are going to get divorced, so they can “go out with a bang”. Ingrid agrees, and they share a kiss, implying their romance might still be there.