Casarse... está en griego

I have seen many movies in the past year, some have been wonderful and some have been downright terrible. My Big Fat Greek Wedding has to be one of the best written and best acted comedies I think I have seen in a long time. While the concept of making a movie about weddings is not unique, I believe that those of us who either have gone through planning a wedding or have experiences with family having too much influence in our lives will relate to this movie better than other wedding movies.

This movie is about an ordinary rather plain looking thirty something unmarried woman who comes from a large extended Greek family. All Greek women are expected to go to Greek school, find a good Greek man, marry him and have lots of Greek babies according to the narrator who is also the main character in the movie. This simple premise is what sets us off in almost two hours of raucous humor centered around planning a wedding where a couple coming from completely different backgrounds has to deal with all the external pressures that happen when two people decide to go down the aisle together.

This movie has several very heartwarming and somewhat emotional scenes in it so don't expect it is just a funny movie. Acting in this movie on all characters was very well done and very believable. I thought however that the roles of the Grooms Mother and Father were rather flat and two dimensional. This movie reminded me quite a bit of Father of the Bride starring Steve Martin, except in this case, the writers for Monty Python obtained the script for final treatment. While the writers for Monty Python did not actually write this movie but was instead written by the leading lady, there were some moments where it appeared that the humor was drawn right out of a book of British comedy. All in all I felt that the whole movie had a British feel to it.

This movie will delight you and leave you with a smile on your face. While the audience in the theater was more of an adult composition, I do not remember any nudity or adult language in the entire picture which means this movie is one that the whole family can see together. I would wholeheartedly recommend this movie to anyone who would like a good laugh.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a hilarious and sweet film about a Greek woman, waiting for her life to take off. One day however, she meets and falls in love with Ian and gets engaged. The problem is, he's a non-Greek and her family is uneasy about accepting him. Ian must appease them by being baptized into the Greek Orthodox church in a kiddie pool, and inviting his boring parents to meet the family.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding was an independent smash starting with a budget of barely $5 million and in the end, grossing over $200 million at the box office. And there's a solid reason for that. The film is filled with heart, humour, and romance. It's set in the real world, interacting with real characters and not seeming like they are drawn up from some fantasy. It's living proof that independent films can dream big and achieve just as much. Opa!

This film is a celebration of life steeped in tradition, family, love and just the joy of living; and it invites you to come in and participate in that celebration, rather than leaving you on the outside looking in, as it were, merely as an observer. A film that seemingly welcomes and passionately embraces all that is good and worthwhile in the world, `My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' directed by Joel Zwick, will make you laugh and make you cry, but most importantly, it will make you `feel.' It's one of those rare cinematic experiences that afterwards makes the sky seem bluer, your step a bit lighter and a smile easier to come by; and when a film can do all of that, you know you've come across a bona fide treasure that you're going to hang onto for a long, long time in your memory.

Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is thirty years old, lives with her parents in Chicago and works in the family restaurant, `Dancing Zorbas.' Every facet of her life is imbued with all things `Greek,' and by proclamation long since issued by her father, Gus (Michael Constantine), Toula is bound by all that is `holy' (read: `Greek') to marry a Greek, live a Greek life and bear many Greek children. For her to even think of doing otherwise would be unfathomable, unthinkable, unimaginable and, well...'UN-Greek.'

So it becomes something of a conundrum for Toula when she meets and becomes interested in a man named Ian Miller (John Corbett), a guy who is decidedly NOT Greek in any way, shape or form. But he asks her out, and one thing leads to another and then another, but before Toula will allow things to get seriously out of hand, meaning `serious,' she knows she must run up the flag, take a deep breath and tell her father. And for Toula, it just may be the hardest thing she's ever had to do in her life. Ian, meanwhile, is about to experience culture shock, as he is about to be confronted by a family that includes, for example, twenty-seven first cousins, something Ian isn't quite used to; after all, he has `two' of his own, and they live in another state.

The screenplay was written by star Nia Vardalos, adapted from her own one-woman show, and it fell into capable hands when she turned it over to director Joel Zwick, who picks up the rhythms and the `sense' of the story without missing a beat. Falling into step with his star, Zwick crafts and delivers a film that is totally immersed in the zest and zeal of living. Under his astute tutelage, the viewer becomes a part of Toula's life, sharing that grand heritage of which Gus is so proud. He brings the story and the characters to life with detail and nuance, and in such a way that your senses will kick into full throttle. The images he creates are so vivid, and it's such an engaging presentation, that the vitality he generates is almost tangible, and you can smell the lamb and all of those Greek delicacies cooking in the kitchen. And Zwick sets it all in motion by establishing a pace that will sweep you along with the story; a carousel ride that will keep you involved and smiling all the way to the end.

Nia Vardalos certainly captures the essence of all that is `Greek' with her story, and with her affecting performance as Toula. This is a young woman you get attached to very quickly; there's something of Benny, from `Circle of Friends' about her, as well as Muriel, from `Muriel's Wedding.' It's a character your heart goes out to immediately, one to whom you wish all good things will come. There is an introspection to her portrayal that contrasts effectively with her vigorously outgoing environment, and it makes her presence all the more dominating and singular. And it's actually in the reserve Vardalos exhibits in her character that the viewer finds the way inside to Toula's deepest longings and emotions. Without question, this is a complex individual, in whom we find not only the strength necessary to maintain autonomy (which she manages to do within the greater structure of her family), but vulnerability born of the respect she demonstrates toward her father, her family and the traditions they so lovingly serve. It is this very complexity, in fact, that elicits the necessary empathy of the audience, enabling that vital connection between the viewer and Toula. And Nia Vardalos IS Toula, from the ground up and from the inside out. Moreover, one would be hard put to discern any distinction whatsoever between the actor and her character, as her performance is entirely natural and genuine.

As Toula's mother, Maria, Lainie Kazan is a delight. The character she creates is totally credible, and she's just a joy to watch. And the same can be said of Andrea Martin's performance as Aunt Voula. This is a VERY Greek woman who is boisterous, overtly self-assured, opinionated and dominant; and she will win you over in an instant. It is Maria and Voula that add some real spice to the film, and when you add in Gia Carides (who plays Nikki) to the mix, you've got a Greek feast fit for the gods.

Of all the actors in this wonderful cast, however, the one who absolutely steals `My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' is Michael Constantine, who has the role of his career in Gus, and without question, makes the most of it. From his overabundance of Greek pride to his many and varied personal peccadilloes (like his ever-present bottle of Windex, which he is convinced can cure everything from a minor scrape to the common cold), he simply gives the performance of a lifetime; and if there is any justice in the whole `Greek' world, Constantine-- and this film-- will be duly remembered at Oscar time. It's the magic of the movies. 10/10.

An extremely good little film that shows that smart ideas, good writing, solid direction, likeable characters and an engrossing story will always win out in the end. Nia Vardalos stars as a Greek woman who just seems a bit out-of-place in her not always normal life. She is shy, reserved and ashamed of her heritage. Some makeup, a few college classes, stylish clothes and a travel agency job away from her father's restaurant are just the tickets to help her come out of her shell. Soon high school teacher John Corbett is entranced by her and they start a sweet love affair. Naturally she keeps the secret from her parents (Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan) and the sparks fly when they eventually find out. They want their daughter to marry a Greek man and have lots of children, but Vardalos has other plans for her life. Corbett's love knows no bounds though as he makes it clear that she is the one he really wants. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" happened due to good timing and lots of luck. Vardalos was struggling when Tom Hanks' wife (Rita Wilson) went to see the small play that the film is based upon. Wilson happened to see an advertisement for the show in the newspaper one day (the only day Vardalos could afford to run an ad) and the rest as they say is history. The film cost very little to make and usually second-rate director Joel Zwick ended up running the show. Vardalos' screenplay (Oscar-nominated) was the catalyst that put the film on the map and kept it there permanently. Most all the extras are real family members of Vardalos and Ian Gomez (who plays Corbett's best friend) is actually her husband in real life. Easily one of the most successful films of all time financially speaking (based upon the bargain basement cost and the astronomical showing at the box office), "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is a wholesome film that the whole family can enjoy. It is another one of those rare films that feel like it was made during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1940s. Not quite excellent, but dangerously close. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding makes up for what it lacks in plot with a cast of amusing, lovable characters. Like any large extended family the Portokolos family is a collection of oddball, zany characters. Toula's father Gus can find the Greek root of any word, and believes windex to be a wondrous cure to any ailment. Toula's mother says "the man may be the head of the household, but the woman is the neck, she can turn the head whichever way she wants". And throughout the movie we see matriarchal power in action as she and Aunt Voula subtly manipulate Gus, the father. Toula's Cousin Nikki with her provocative fashion sense and brother Nick with his quiet passion for art, fill out the Portokolos personality tree.

In contrast the Millers are a subdued, small family. Ian has only two cousins. When Toula invites the Millers over for a quiet dinner to meet her parents they are in for quite a shock. The dynamics between the overwhelmingly extroverted Portokolos family and the reserved parents of the groom provide some amusing moments.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding had potential to be an exceptional film. It was hindered by a far too contrived romance and a particularly unconvincing performance by John Corbett as Ian Miller. His character was so lacking in personality, so bland, especially in contrast to the Portokolos family members. Plus the robotic delivery of his declarations of love were unbelievable. His character seemed an afterthought. Had Ian Miller been better acted, and developed as well as all of the supporting characters, the film would have been great. However, it is still an above average romantic comedy, providing many laughs and feel good moments.