33 Years Later, Steve Martin In

It’s been over three decades since Father of the Bride hit theaters, but this heartfelt family comedy remains a classic. And a major part of the movie’s enduring magic comes from one character: George Banks. Played by Steve Martin, George may be neurotic and quirky, but this is a man who would walk through fire for his daughter. Here is a man whose daughter knows she can come to him about anything. From the little things, like spending hours playing basketball with her in their driveway, to the big stuff, like holding her when she cried, he is present. It’s why, 33 years later, George Banks is still the type of dad that daughters hope they’re lucky enough to get.

To be clear, George loathes his son-in-law-to-be, Bryan, from the moment they meet. He despises the 26-year-old so much that he pulls a bunch of irrational (but hilarious) stunts, which become the focal point of the film. How could anyone forget when he snoops around his new in-laws’ house, drops Bryan’s father’s checkbook in the pool, and then falls in the pool himself?

But his behavior toward Bryan is actually a reflection of his love for his daughter, Annie. There are several reasons the typically classy and cool family man’s ridiculous behavior throughout the film is fueled by heart. So, without further ado, here’s why George Banks is #dadgoals.

He does the right thing — even when he doesn’t want to.

OK, so he’s a bit of a grump. But anyone who has to deal with a wedding planner like Franck would be frustrated, too. Despite the surprise of his daughter being engaged at only 22 years old and having to meet her fiancé on the same night that he found out, he agrees to pay for the wedding. He also allows a home makeover to host the reception at his beloved house.

And he isn’t just a good father to Annie; he has a young son, too. He tells Matty he’s sorry they haven’t been paying a lot of attention to him as a result of the wedding, which is a hard thing to admit. Throughout the months-long planning process that he wanted no part of, he truly does right by both of his children, proving how selfless he is as a father.

He listens to the voice of reason: his wife.

George totally loses it in the grocery store during his struggle to accept that his daughter is getting married. He rips open all those hot dog bun packages — the police officers who arrest him can’t even get through to him. But who snaps him back into reality? His wife. Moms are always the real heroes, aren’t they?

When he listens to her, he becomes a better father for it. He realizes he needs to have a positive attitude because he’ll be walking Annie down the aisle whether he likes it or not.

He still sees Annie as a little girl but respects her as an adult.

Throughout the movie, he has flashbacks to when Annie was a little girl. He has trouble remembering that she is an adult — a young adult, but an adult nonetheless. While this may come across as a lack of respect, his actions prove he does respect his daughter.

He wants to see that little girl’s dreams come true, and he’s unsure how a marriage may affect them. She had just returned from her architecture program in Italy, where she was setting the stage for her career. George understands that women have their careers sidetracked more often than men because of the expectations for them to prioritize their families. He wants his daughter to get everything she wants out of life, and with his help throughout the movie, she does.

His words bring Annie and Bryan back together.

In the middle of the movie, Annie and Bryan get into a huge fight and call the wedding off. Bryan had given Annie a blender as a gift, and she took it as a sign that he would see her as a housewife — meaning she had the same fears her father did. Clearly, she hasn’t lost sight of her goals in the midst of the wedding.

Although George has had little to no nice words to say about Bryan so far during the movie, he reasons with Annie. He reminds her why she loves Bryan. He even goes out to a bar with Bryan (who orders a cocktail, which I imagine George silently made fun of him for — it was the ‘90s, after all) and gives him some advice. Ultimately, they stay together because of George.

He makes sacrifices to ensure her wedding is perfect.

Aside from money, George gives up a lot in order to make sure the wedding goes smoothly. The reception is far from perfect despite the amount he paid to hire Franck, who even with his assistant, couldn’t handle every problem that occurred during the party. For example, when the police show up to inquire about a permit for all of the cars parked on the Banks’ street, George recruits Matty and his friend to move the cars onto his lawn. This, amongst other issues, causes him to miss dinner, the bouquet toss, and the couple leaving the house for their honeymoon.

It broke my heart that he didn’t get to say goodbye to his daughter, and it broke Annie’s too — which is why she called their house before they got on the plane. Her father’s absence during these moments was notable to her, but their relationship was so strong that she knew not to be hurt by it. On the most special day of her life, and the beginning of her future with Bryan, she still made an effort to call him to say “I love you.”

What daughter doesn’t want that kind of relationship with her dad? If only we were all so lucky.