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"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.

You know what you're going to get with this movie - and it delivers. It's a good sequel. The downsides are that the plot is pretty thin and unfortunately 50% of the jokes are in the trailer. But it's a feel good movie and it's fun to see everyone from the original cast, 14 years later, including Ian Miller's parents. Funniest parts were when Gus's young grandsons ape him in explaining how the root of every word you can think of actually comes from the Greek.

Nice cameos from Rita Wilson (wife of Tom Hanks and the reason why the first movie got made), bundt cakes, Toula's big glasses and Windex. Lots of "in" jokes for those of us who loved the first movie and thought it was a refreshing change from typical Hollywood fare. Well done, Nia Vardalos. And by the way, she looks stunning in the red lace mini dress at the end of the movie.

First let me say that I loved the 1st movie. I watch it often (maybe too often. lol) Anyway, I was looking forward to this sequel. I haven't been this excited about a movie since the Harry Potter series. I rushed my husband so we could get to the movies 30 minutes prior to showtime. I expected a crowd, but when we arrived it was quiet. Evidently not everyone was anxiously awaiting this film.

I thought the movie started out a little slowly, but it was funny and heartwarming. People in the theater were laughing and clapping and genuinely enjoying it. We enjoyed it too. Did some parts feel forced? Yes. Was it more of the same from the first movie? Yes, but I loved that about it. When the 1st movie ended, I wanted to know more about the characters and their lives. This movie allowed that to happen. I loved that they were able to bring back the old cast. (There is nothing worse than seeing a sequel with different actors.) I loved that the characters were just the same as before, only a little older.

This isn't a film to change your worldview, but it is fun for entertainment. I'm looking forward to being able to buy it blu-ray, so I can watch it again and again.

Weirdly found this film OK. The reviews aren't great so I thought I'll tell exactly what's in it. Multiple love stories at once all tied together with a family upset and something to do with passing knowledge on to different generations.

We have seen this format so many times and by now we should be getting bored. Surely? But no, look it wasn't the most amazing film. The cinematography was average so was the script and the plot. But it knows what it is. And more importantly it wasn't trying to be something it's not. So it's that feel good family love story. And it does make you feel good and it is surprisingly funny. The only one thing that annoyed me was that they used a certain character for comic purposes at nearly the end of every sequence. But apart from that it's all good.

If you like these types of film then you will love it. Even if this isn't your favorite genre but your feeling down then give it a try it's almost certain to cheer you up. And if you hate this genre then I don't even know why your reading this or on this page. You probably decided you were not seeing it when you saw the trailer.

Tom

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.