MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002) / ***
Directed by Joel Zwick. Screenplay by Nia Vardalos. Starring Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated G by the MFCB. Reviewed on September 12th, 2002.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Toula Portokalos (Vardalos) is thirty and unmarried -- a virtual crime in the eyes of her enormous Greek family, who see it as a Greek woman's duty to marry a Greek man and churn out a brood of Greek kids. But then Toula meets and falls in love with decidedly non-Greek Ian Miller (Corbett). And, much to the Portokalos family's shock, the couple are soon engaged to be married.
Review: Some viewers may spend the entirety of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" waiting for the other shoe to drop. It never does. This is a film in which there's not really a plot, just a premise: a Greek woman from a culturally conservative family becomes engaged to an American; hijinks ensue. In many comedies, this would be disastrous, giving rise to a pointless morass without any forward momentum. Not so here. Vardalos' script is funny enough that we hardly care about the lack of plot; it would probably just get in the way. By concentrating on its characters rather than shoehorning in a bunch of artificial story complications, "Wedding" has a genuine feel to it which only enhances the humour of the piece. We might not be Greek nor engaged to be married, but most of us can sympathise with being an outsider, or dealing with the eccentricities of our parents, or getting caught up in events that are spiralling out of our control. And while there is, perhaps inevitably, some cultural stereotyping at work here, I doubt many will find it offensive. This is the kind of gentle ribbing which can be accomplished only by those who truly cherish their target. From Constantine's show-stealing performance as Toula's backward father to Zwick's seamless, assured direction, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is a labour of love, and the audience reaps the benefits.
Copyright © 2002 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html
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