Son of the Bride

A winner on the international film festival circuit, this accessible Oscar-nominee for Best Foreign Film stars Ricardo Darin as Rafael, an overwhelmed 42-year-old whose chaotic life, someone observes, is reminiscent of "a juggler spinning plates." A successful restaurateur who nevertheless faces financial pressures, the frazzled Rafael, who has little time for either his daughter or his girlfriend, is considering selling the family business…when that perspective-shaping heart attack comes along to force a shifting of priorities. Hector Alterio and the magnificent Norma Aleandro, so memorably paired in The Official Story, star as Rafael's parents, with the mother suffering from Alzheimer's and the father wanting to remarry her in a church as she originally wanted (not surprisingly, as indicated by the title, the wedding idea presents its own problems). An amiable comedy-drama with a solid veteran cast, this is recommended. (K. Lee Benson)