My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

I saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 last night at a screening last night and was apprehensive about going but so glad I went! It was a great silly date/family movie that I really think out-did the original and was a great reminder that sequels can revive the energy and feeling of the first film without relying on the same jokes, and storyline. It had plenty of great call-backs to the original and any fan of that film or anyone with, or who knows, a loud big family will be smiling ear to ear and can plan on laughing away. The film was more or less what you would expect with almost all of the original characters making reprisals and the time didn't degenerate their characters or the absurdity of their actions but like a fine wine they matured with time. I laughed out loud many times and the theater actually erupted in applause when it ended, which is very rare with silly comedies like this, and my only disappointment was that it finished almost too soon. I wanted to spend more time with the characters, but it didn't drag on, wasn't unnecessarily absurd and kept the tone and fun that the original film had. If you are looking for a feel-good film and a nice escape from our hectic wild world this movie will definitely please.

sequel (noun) – "a literary work, movie, etc., that is complete in itself but continues the narrative of a preceding work." That's the definition on dictionary.com. Miriam-Webster.com says that the word's origin is… "Middle English, from Anglo-French sequele, from Latin sequela, from sequi to follow." Unfortunately for Gus Portokalos, the root of the word "sequel" cannot be traced to any Greek word, but it also in no way means "completely original". Actually, it kinda means the opposite. I generally avoid reading other reviews before I write mine, but when I saw the low scores that critics on various websites gave to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" (PG-13, 1:34), I had to at least take a peek at some of their comments.

Most criticisms of this movie can be summed up in one word – "unoriginal" – but is that fair? It's a sequel, people! Think of it like this: If you went to spend time with a friend whom you haven't seen in 14 years, would you be happy if your friend acted completely differently than the last time you were together? What if that friend refused to talk about the history you two shared, instead insisting on discussing all new topics, expecting you to enjoy that conversation as much as you'd enjoy a little reminiscing? Well, this film doesn't make those mistakes – and is to be commended for it! For those of us who loved the 2002 original, seeing this movie is a lot like visiting an old friend – and it's a visit filled with the perfect combination of fond memories and new experiences that are both fun and sweet.

Correction: Seeing "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" is like visiting a LOT of old friends. First up is our host, actress and comedienne Nia Vardalos. She wrote the screenplay for the original, which became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time (!) and earned Vardalos an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Naturally, Hollywood types and ordinary fans alike have been asking her about a sequel ever since, but she cared enough about quality and her own integrity that she says she didn't write the sequel until she had a story that she felt was good enough, and she was ready to write it well enough to be worthy of the original. And when Vardalos wrote her new story, she brought back all the main characters from the first film – and many of the minor ones – and all played by the original actors! Our calendars tell us that the sequel came 14 years after the original, but that's 18 years to a Greek (or, at least, to these Greeks). Toula (Vardalos) still lives next door to her parents, Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) and she's still married to Ian Miller (John Corbett), with whom she is raising their daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris). Paris is a 17-year-old high school senior who, like her mother before her, works part-time at the family-owned Greek restaurant, feels smothered by her loud, proud, loving but meddling Greek family, and wants that proverbial "something more" out of her life. Paris' plan is to go to college – as far away from her Chicago home as the continental U.S. can carry her. Toula is struggling to deal with her only child leaving – and with keeping the passion in her and Ian's busy lives.

And then there's the rest of the family. Just to cite a few examples: Ian's best friend, Mike (Vardalos' real-life husband Ian Gomez), has gotten married and become a police officer. Toula's cousin, Angelo (Joey Fatone) is the last unmarried member of his generation in the family and he's catching some flak for it. Toula's Grandma Yiayia (Bess Meisler – who is believed to be in her 90s), who is, of course, also Paris' great-grandmother, is not only alive and kicking, but even funnier and more developed as a character than in the first film. I won't spoil the movie's big surprises by telling you about the changes in all of the characters' lives, but I will say that almost all of their stories are updated – and in ways that are alternately fun, surprising and always logical and right for the individual characters. There are also a few new characters, played by familiar faces such as Rob Riggle, John Stamos and Rita Wilson (the producer who brought the idea of the original film to the production company of her husband, Tom Hanks).

But what about the "big fat Greek wedding" (#2) from the movie's title? Well, the "my" no longer refers to Toula, but to her mother! Gus discovers that his and Maria's wedding license was not signed by a licensed priest, meaning that they were never legally married. Maria sees this news as an opportunity to make Gus woo her more romantically than he did the first time and show her how much he really cares. Obviously (given the movie's title), the old man eventually gets with the program and Maria begins planning a big fat… you know – but when the planning hits a major snag, it starts to look like there will be no Greek wedding after all. This sets the stage for a grand finale which brings together all the film's story lines in ways that are more fun and heartfelt and less predictable than some critics say.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" is everything a sequel should be. The script, directing and strong ensemble acting all remain true to the original characters. Great running gags from the first film continue (although some are overplayed), but also work well standing alone, while many of the new jokes and sight gags are laugh-out-loud funny. Although there's a minor Gus-centered sub-plot that I could've done without, the multiple story lines are fresh and woven together wonderfully. This film isn't perfect, but it's nearly as hilarious and has even more heart than its much-beloved inspiration. "A"

If you are Greek you'll get it, if you are not you'll learn! This is one of the best sequels ever made for a comedy. Very funny, with it's usual cliché punchlines that anyone with a sense of deep family ties will understand. Expect the same amount of laughter and emotional connection as the first movie, with a touch of modern! Same lovable characters, similar story that has some twists and turns and surprisingly did not get old after waiting 14 years. For all of you who loved the first Big Fat Greek Wedding, go see it, you will be crying with laughter and emotion that only Greeks know how to bring on. OPA!!!!

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" is probably the best sequel that could've been spawned from a largely forgotten but monstrously successful independent romantic comedy from twelve years ago. One could theoretically call it a "too little too late" sequel, something Hollywood has been good at churning out recently with sequels to "Barbershop," "Joe Dirt," and "Zoolander," but when a sequel is so similar in line with its predecessor after so many years and practically oozes the same kind of sentiment, one has to be a bit forgiving and credit it for what most sequels fail to capture.

Both sequels to "Joe Dirt" and "Zoolander" were flawed from the very concepts, and when it came time to try that concept again, over a decade later, it felt stale and desperately forced when it came to trying to modernize it for the times and the now-grown up audience. While "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" has obligatory scenes of poor Toula (Nia Vardalos) trying to teach her loving father Gus (Michael Constantine) how to work a computer, it nonetheless manages to effectively work as charming comedy of moments, even if its structure and narrative theme is about as basic as it can get.

The film reenters the lives of the characters we fondly recall from the first film, only now, well into their married lives and elder years. Toula and Ian (John Corbett) are having the typical kinds of struggles most semi-long/long-term married couples have emotionally and romantically, especially with their teenage daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) in the midst of deciding where to go to college. While she wants to go off to New York University, her parents want her to stay in Chicago and go to Northwestern University, but Paris has been constantly smothered by her borderline insufferable Greek family to the point where she wants none of it.

Meanwhile, Toula's parents Gus and Maria (Lainie Kazan) are getting well into their old age, especially Gus, who has had hip and memory problems for a while now. All is going well between him and his wife until Gus uncovers a much-repressed family secret that the priest never signed the certificate of marriage to make Gus and Maria an official union, meaning Gus and Maria aren't legally married, despite fifty years of togetherness. How this was never uncovered before, as if the two never had to file taxes or partake in any other legal activities, I'm not sure, but long story short, they're not married. Rather than doing the logical thing and just going down to the courthouse to make the marriage official, of course the family must complicate it, starting with Maria wanting not only a real proposal from Gus, but a full-blown, bank-breaking wedding. So we're back to square one, this time planning a wedding for the older couple, rather than the younger one.

The scene-stealer this time around, however, isn't so much Vardalos playing a role she can practically sleepwalk, but Aunt Voula, played by the lovely Andrea Martin. Not a hugely significant presence in the first film, it would appear that Vardalos decided to give some of the best quips and zingers to her character's aunt, whose loud presence and boisterous, if invasive, mannerisms often result in some strong belly-laughs. Also giving his all in a performance that he can probably perform at any given time of the day is Michael Constantine; despite his character, the actor can't hide his energy and Jack Lemmon-esque grouchiness when it comes time to really commit to being an enthusiastic presence. He winds up being the most commendable presence here.

The rest of the film is damn-near what you can imagine if you close your eyes and picture potential setups and events for the Portokalos family. Paris is a fascinating character, but unfortunately underwhelming because, fitting for her character and her situation, she keeps getting nudged out of the frame by her louder counterparts. It would've been nice to see a setup solely involving Paris and her decision of grappling with her parents, her heritage, and her decision of where to go to school. Instead, we get a pretty lukewarm plot involving her making impromptu prom plans with another boy (The Naked Brothers Band's Alex Wolff) after he is rejected by the prettiest girl in school. That's about as cliché as Greeks kissing each side of another person's face when they first see one another.

However, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" has some remarkably funny moments. A scene involving Gus stuck in a bathtub isn't played for the kind of bawdy and slapstick gimmicks you'd expect and a scene between all the female Portokalos members at a beauty salon is the epitome of what I wanted from this film all along: good conversation amongst people you can believe are family. Because of their general talent and the fact that they've done this before, the cast's chemistry is fun and the events of the film are lively and concise enough to assure it's never boring and always moving. It's the best sequel you probably could've made twelve years later, and if that's good enough for you, it's certainly good enough for a rainy day at the movies.

Greetings again from the darkness. It's been 14 years since the Portokolas family took over movie theatres, the box office, and casual conversation in most every social setting. I'll readily admit that, despite my leanings toward more serious film fare, I was a huge fan of the 2002 surprise mega-hit. The movie was refreshing and observational, with commentary on proud cultures and helicopter parenting – but mostly it was funny. Bundt cakes and Windex will forever be a part of movie lore … as this sequel reminds us.

Given the Hollywood proliferation of sequels, re-makes and re-imaginings, the only thing surprising here is that it took so long for Wedding number 2. And yes, that is the only surprise. Nia Vardalos obviously wrote this script as a love letter to the fans of the original. It fits like a warm blanket – comfortable and familiar. The setting, the characters and the jokes … all familiar … yet still pleasant and easy to watch.

With that title, we know we are in for another Greek wedding. However, Toula (Ms. Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) have one daughter – 17 year old Paris (Elena Kampouris), and her big decision is whether to stay local for college or leave Chicago and the family for NYU. Since the wedding is not for the daughter, it falls to Toula's parents. It seems Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) have been living in sin for 50 years – all because the priest never signed the marriage certificate. Let the histrionics begin! Director Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee, Waking Ned Devine) stays true to the spirit of the Vardalos script and legacy, and much of the movie plays like one big inside joke for fans of the original. Windex make an appearance in each of the three acts, and we get a shot of decorated Bundt cakes, some exaggerated make-up and hair styles, and a steady stream of family members who just can't help their propensity for being loud and up in everyone's business.

Most of the original cast returns. Andrea Martin is back as scene-stealer Aunt Voula, and Mama-Yiayia (Bess Meisler) gets her usual "pop-ups" plus a touching moment in the wedding spotlight. New faces include Alex Wolff (brother of Nat, son of Polly Draper) as Paris' prom date; and Rita Wilson (also a producer with her husband Tom Hanks) and John Stamos have a couple of scenes as a Greek couple; while Mark Margolis ("Breaking Bad", "Better Call Saul") appears as Gus' brother from the homeland.

Nostalgia and familiarity are the keys here, and there is no reason to be overly-critical of a movie that is so pleasant and light-hearted. "There you go!"