The 1951 sequel to the Father of the Bride starring Spencer Tracy & Elizabeth Taylor directed by Vincent Minnelli (Some Came Running/An American in Paris). Picking up after the events of the original, Tracy's daughter is now pregnant & as much as the extended family means well (the in-laws offer to build a home for the expectant newlyweds, they prattle on w/name suggestions for the newborn), being put under a microscope for any & everything is starting to take its toll on Taylor to the point where she moves back home to reorient herself even though her husband, played by Don Taylor, can't seem to catch a break. Tracy, musing through his v.o., thinks he's above it all, the only sane man in a mix of lunatics but his own actions belie that belief (in one hilarious sequence he gets sidetracked by a bunch of kids playing soccer losing the sight of the pram which contains his grandson). Efficient, tidy & ultimately rounded out to the most pleasant number possible, Dividend doesn't overstay its welcome & Minnelli manages to capture winning comedic perfs from his cast while having the story streamlined within an inch of its life. Co-starring Joan Bennett as Tracy's put upon spouse, Russ Tamblyn as one Taylor's brothers & Hayden Roarke (who I remember as Colonel Bellows from I Dream of Jeannie) as Taylor's doctor.
Review of Father's Little Dividend
