An open letter to George Banks - the one who made my dad feel seen!

George Banks is one of the healthiest on-screen dads to exist and no matter how many years have passed, ‘Father of the Bride’ will always continue to be that safe space for my dad and I.

Dear George Banks,

The first time I watched ‘Father of the Bride’ with my father, he told me that he saw himself in you and that's what unfolded your entire journey in front of me. Your relationship with your daughter, Annie hit so close to home. My dad mentioned how he thought about me the entire time he saw you express your feelings about your daughter. Your story was his way of showing me how deeply he loves, cares and feels protective about me. The way you think of Annie as your little girl forever, in the same way, my father’s heart just melts when he sees me adulting. Because although I am growing up right in front of his eyes, he still sees me as the 5 year old who needed him for everything. 

The sheer panic that takes over you when Annie brings her boyfriend home and tells you she wants to marry him is one my father relates to as well. No matter how good looking, cultured, rich and successful, no man is ever going to be good enough for me according to my father. You portrayed that ‘on the fence about the guy’ quality so well. This insecurity also stems from the fact that for both, Annie and me, our fathers were our first best friends and when there’s another guy who overshadows that presence, both of you feel protective towards us. But the truth is that deep down, Annie and I know that no matter what our fathers will always be our BFFs. We know that you, just like my dad, always think about the worst case scenario in any situation so there’s always a safety net that can hold us in case we fall.

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Weddings come with mixed feelings and you gave the world some insight into how a girl dad bears the pressure of paying for his daughter's dream wedding. It's not that you didn't want to do it; it's the things that you weren’t ready for and things you didn’t even know require decision making. Watching those scenes with my dad only made me teary eyed because we were watching our foreseeable future through those scenes. My heart ached when you overlooked every single detail of the wedding and yet you missed out on her most important moments throughout the ceremony. I could resonate with it because in my household, my father is the ultimate problem solver for every situation as well. Before you could even blink, the wedding was over; your house felt like it had an empty void. I choked up when I saw this because I pictured my father also feeling lonely one day without his best friend. The relationship of a father and daughter is complicated for sure, but the crux of it all is that a father could literally be the CEO of a company, the most uptight human being ever and yet the only person who he would bend all his rules for would be his daughter. 

Thank you, George Banks, for giving my dad and I a precious memory to look back at and for summing up our relationship through your character in the most heartwarming way!

With lots of love,
A fellow daughter and her daddy

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