My Big Fat Greek Wedding

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. When you finish watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” you’ll be left thinking one of two things; either “wow this really hit the mark on how crazy families and relatives can be” or “wow, I really hate Greek families”. I fall somewhere in between.

Fotoula “Toula” Portokalos (Nia Vardalos, who also penned the screenplay) is 30, single and unhappy. She lives with her overbearing mother, her stubborn father and oh yeah, she’s Greek. Her family expects her to work in their Greek restaurant, marry a Greek boy, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day she dies. She’s nearly given up on ever finding true love or a way to move out of her parent’s place until she encounters Ian Miller (John Corbett) The two soon fall in love and everything seems set up for a happy ending, except for that storm cloud up ahead: how will Toula convince her parents that this non-Greek is the man of her dreams and how is she going to get him to tolerate her insane family?

How much you enjoy the movie really depends on whether or not you can relate to the characters. Do you have a father, grandfather or aunt that has a “cure-all” solution they always go to? Do they claim something along the lines of “everything can be cured through the mouth? If your back is bad, you need to have two teaspoons of castor oil, if you have a headache, gargle some mouthwash for a minute twice a day until it goes away! ” If you do, this movie was tailor-made for you. Do you have a relative that everyone knows is not nearly as knowledgeable as he claims to be, but is tolerated because nobody wants to hurt his feelings? Sure the names are swapped around and instead of Italian/Egyptian/Japanese it’s Greek, but that’s you and your family on the screen! If your family is “normal” though, the quirky characters will quickly become annoying and the exaggerated characteristics will seem like ridiculous cartoon stereotypes. Then again, there are people like that out there…

My family is nothing like the Portokalos but I was able to suspend my disbelief and put myself in Toula’s shoes. Nonetheless I have to call out some of the flaws in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Even for these exaggerated characters, some of their behaviour is unbelievable. Are we really expected to swallow that not only have these people never heard of a bunt cake and that the very idea of a culture outside of their own is so bizarre, so alien that they’re confusing deserts for centerpieces? On the other extreme, some of the characters are incredibly bland. I challenge anyone who’s seen the film to describe either Ian without referring to the way he looks, the job where he works, the fact that he’s not Greek and that he’s in love. Even Toula doesn’t feel nearly as developed as the side characters. Yes, by making the main character non-descript it’s easier to insert yourself in the role but it doesn’t hide the fact that her personality is very flat.

I also have mixed feelings about a scene where Toula gets an extreme makeover. Sure she dresses nicer, gets rid of those goofy glasses and starts wearing some makeup to look better but at the beginning of the story the actress is fitted with some extra makeup and prosthetics to make her look extra un-attractive. We don’t even get a montage of her exercising to explain why she loses a couple of pounds or anything either. They just cheat and make extra unsexy with special effects. It’s just as bad, if not worse as that old cliché of the hot girl wearing her hair back in a pony tail and covering up her face with some thick rimmed glasses.

The strengths of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” are in its total “accuracy”. For many, even the over-the-top stuff will remind them so much of their own yearly reunions that it becomes an inside joke. It’s really difficult to describe how well this element of the film works because there’s no way I can tell what moments in the story will hit their mark for you. I can say this for sure though; the love story is very well done. The two leads have genuine chemistry and particularly during their second meeting you can really see the sparks fly. You totally believe Toula when she goes against her parent’s wishes and keeps seeing this guy. As for Ian, you can completely understand why he puts up with all of the nonsense at the Portokalos house.

What’s also significant is how well the story is written. In most romantic comedies, you know how it’s all going to go. The family hates the new boyfriend. They try and drive him away. They’re obnoxious to the point where he/she finally says ENOUGH! And hearts are broken. That’s when the family realizes their baby is unhappy and everyone patches things up. You don’t get any of those lame clichés here. The people in the story, while eccentric and yes, sometimes cartoonish don’t go through the typical contrived plot hoops. They do warm up to Ian. It’s the fact that they want their Toula to be happy so badly that makes the story funny. The conclusion of the film is also particularly strong, with a very well scripted speech that warmed my heart and gave extra dimension to these eccentric Greeks. The film is what it is, and the talented cast do a great job. Yes there are flaws and a chance that it won’t click with you, but it’s worth taking that chance. I find it unlikely that some aspects of it won’t resonate with you.

I strongly recommend you check out “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, even if I couldn’t totally relate to the outlandish family traits, there’s more to it than that. The odds are good that you will find it hilarious, charming and romantic. It’s a film that’s fun to watch alone and even more enjoyable to watch with your family because it will generate a lot of laughs and will get the older members to recall long-winded tales that you’ll treasure. Because for some people I really don’t think it will work, I’ll give it a 3,5 out of 5 but the beauty of it is that this will hopefully get you to see it, love it more and rate the movie higher than I did. (Theatrical version on DVD, September 19, 2013)