Juan Jose Campanella's Son of the Bride is an Argentinina crowd-pleaser, a family drama that will draw you in with its warm humor and universal portrayal of personal redemption. It's a bit long on talk but undeniably effective in its characters and human relationships.

The focus is on Rafael Belvederes (Ricardo Darin, whom you might remember from the dazzling Nine Queens), the forty-something proprietor of his family's Italian restaurant, which his parents (the great Hector Alterio and Norma Aleandro, stars The Official Story) handed down to him. Unfortunately, Rafael finds himself so embroiled in his business life that stress consumes him and even compromises his health. There's also stress in his family life. His mother—now enduring an Alzheimer's decline—would rather have seen him go to law school than choose the restaurant path. He has a daughter (Gimena Nobile) whom he doesn't spend enough time with, and an ex-wife who hates him. And he's blind to the affections of beautiful young Nati (Natalia Verbeke). The cumulative stress is so great that he wishes only to flee alone to Mexico, where he might live in some ill-conceived fantasy world. It is when Rafael's childhood pal Juan Carlos (Eduardo Blanco)—an oddly jovial sort who will remind you of Roberto Benigni—drops unexpectedly into the picture that Rafael begins to step back from himself and see what needs to change.

Campanella is most concerned with the interactions of his characters, the honesty of small moments, the subtle affection inherent in a glance or a touch. The film is filled with warmth and humor, much of it radiating naturally from the effortless performances and naturalistic writing. Although the focus of Son of the Bride is on Rafael, each member of the ensemble cast attains an equal importance. The relationship between Rafael's parents is vital to the film's climax. Rafael's daughter and his lover also prove not only to be key figures in his emotional turnaround, but also rich characterizations in their own right.

The acting is flawless on all fronts, and although Son of the Bride occasionally bogs down under too much talk, it's important to remember that talk is what this film is all about. Human interaction. Honesty. Love. Once you accept its aims, Son of the Bride provides a pleasant pace that's quietly entertaining.

Columbia TriStar presents Son of the Bride in a fine anamorphic-widescreen transfer of the film's original 1.85:1 theatrical presentation. Colors are vivid, although skin tones seem somewhat on the pinkish side. Detail is wonderful, reading into backgrounds. I noticed no haloes of any kind. My only complaints are the presence of mosquito noise in backgrounds and the ever-presence of very minor dirt specks through the film. Those complaints are minor. This film looks terrific.

The DVD offers a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 track that is quite front-heavy. As mentioned, Son of the Bride is an extremely dialog-rich film, and as such, most of the audio action occurs front-and-center. That being said, the audio experience is wide across the front, and the score often gets boosted in the surrounds to provide a nice sense of envelopment. Dialog is clear and accurate. English subtitles are switchable.

The trailer.

If you're in the mood for a gentle, warm film that focuses on the universal emotions and gestures of the family, you can't go wrong with Son of the Bride. The DVD offers excellent picture and sound quality. However, the price seems a bit steep for a barebones release.