Most Rewatchable Scene
The family dinner where Annie announces her engagement
In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:15Read transcript
- The opening direct-to-camera monologue works despite the panel's usual skepticism about narration because Steve Martin sells the writing. — Bill Simmons
- The narration lets George express fears he cannot tell his family until the end. — Bill Simmons
- Annie's marriage announcement is rewatchable for Steve Martin's horrified reaction to his twenty-two-year-old daughter getting engaged. — Bill Simmons
- The flashback that replaces Annie with her seven-year-old self captures a parent's inability to see a child as an adult. — Bill Simmons
- Diane Keaton's growing happiness during the announcement contrasts with Martin's panic and makes the family dynamic visible. — Bill Simmons
- The dialogue about Paul Simon tickets and an independent communications consultant supplies specific comic detail. — Amanda Dobbins
- Brian's first meeting with George works because the son-in-law is pleasant and unthreatening enough to leave the story centered on the family. — Amanda Dobbins
- Cutting the wedding list is funny because its ruthless logic includes crossing off a guest who died. — Bill Simmons
- Kimberly Williams sells Annie's disproportionate anger during the blender fight. — Bill Simmons
- George helping resolve the blender fight shows that love for his daughter overrides his resistance to the marriage. — Bill Simmons
- Steve Martin opening the feared gift box only to find a blender gives the scene a physical-comedy payoff. — Amanda Dobbins
- The childhood montage into the basketball scene combines Darling with a sentimental father-daughter memory. — Amanda Dobbins
- The final family-dinner choice establishes every central relationship and lets each actor react differently to the engagement. — Bill Simmons