Summary
With his daughter Kay now happily married, Stanley Banks thinks that
his worries are over. How wrong he is. Just when everything
appears to be going swimmingly, Kay drops her bombshell – she is
expecting a baby! The spectre of sleepless nights and soiled
nappies swoops down on Stanley when his wife Ellie suggests that Kay
and her husband, Buckley, move into their house. Stanley cannot
be more relieved when Buckley decides to take out a mortgage on his own
property. But that is not an end to the nightmare, oh no.
When the in-laws aren’t fighting over the unborn child’s Christian name
and trying to out-do each other in their choice of furnishings for the
nursery, Stanley is called upon to patch things up when Kay and Buckley
fall out. Finally, the big day comes. A bouncing little boy
is born, and you’d have thought that would be an end to the tension and
strife. No, Stanley’s nightmare has just begun...
Review
The eagerly awaited sequel to Father of the Bride (1950) sees
a grouchier than usual Spencer Tracy reunited with Joan Bennett and a
youthful Elizabeth Taylor for another entertaining round of domestic
mayhem. Although dwarfed by Vincente Minnelli’s subsequent big
budget productions, this low key affair shows the director’s flair for
comedy and his ability to get the best from his performers. Father’s Little Dividend has its
share of delights, a film that is both amusing and true-to-life in its
portrayal of a father’s anxieties over the birth of his first
grandchild.
Spencer Tracy may appear to be the definitive grumpy old man but, beneath that hard-bitten waspish exterior, there’s beats a tender heart, as can be seen in his gentler scenes with Taylor, which are amongst the most poignant and humane of his career. Father’s Little Dividend is perhaps too banal to be ranked along side Minnelli’s best films, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable excursion into sitcom land, and highly recommended for expectant grandpas.
Spencer Tracy may appear to be the definitive grumpy old man but, beneath that hard-bitten waspish exterior, there’s beats a tender heart, as can be seen in his gentler scenes with Taylor, which are amongst the most poignant and humane of his career. Father’s Little Dividend is perhaps too banal to be ranked along side Minnelli’s best films, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable excursion into sitcom land, and highly recommended for expectant grandpas.
© filmsdefrance.com 2009
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Related links
- Other American films of the 1950s
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To buy this film
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Credits
- Director: Vincente Minnelli
- Script: Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Edward Streeter
- Photo: John Alton
- Music: Albert Sendrey
- Cast: Spencer Tracy (Stanley Banks), Joan Bennett (Ellie Banks), Elizabeth Taylor (Kay Dunstan), Don Taylor (Buckley Dunstan), Billie Burke (Doris Dunstan), Moroni Olsen (Herbert Dunstan), Richard Rober (Police sergeant), Marietta Canty (Delilah), Russ Tamblyn (Tommy Banks), Tom Irish (Ben Banks), Hayden Rorke (Dr. Andrew Nordell), Paul Harvey (Rev. Galsworthy)
- Country: USA
- Language: English
- Runtime: 82 min; B&W
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To buy Father’s Little Dividend:

Comedy / Romance


