Mariage à la grecque 2

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!"

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"

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, the sequel to the 2002 highly successful hit comedy is finally here with the whole family returning for another wedding. Like most belated comedy sequels, i wasn't expecting a whole lot from this film, i expected it to play off what made the first film successful and be relatively average. And that is more or less what we have here, in some aspects it delivers fairly well and in others it really doesn't. One of the things i liked hearing going into this film was that the whole cast was returning and that it was being written by Nia Vardalos who also wrote the first one. It gave me some hope that it would have the same overall feeling, but it kinda didn't in the end.

Unlike the first film, it didn't feel like a 'Greek' movie for around half of it, it was more of a modern Romantic Comedy with some Greek comedy and set-pieces here and there. Structurally the films plot was kinda all over the joint. There were a lot of side- plots in this film and to be honest, there wasn't really a main plot in the film. It kinda jumps around between the romantic stories revolving around Nia, her parents, and her daughter. Neither one took control of the film and the focus kept swapping throughout. And when the film did depart from the Greek aspect and started heading in the Rom-Com direction they just organised a couple of Greek jokes to remind you that this is still a Greek themed film, and maybe that's where Nia Vardalos writing the film helped it but also kinda let it down. But what i really loved was just by watching this film you could tell that she loves this property, she loves the character Toula and she really didn't want it to fail, and i love when a film is written with so much passion.

Now, the comedic aspects of the film were definitely there and there were some very very funny moments. There wasn't really a steady flow of comedy throughout the film, it's sort of delivered in sections here and there. Pretty much, whenever it focused on the Greek aspects of the film there were plenty of jokes, most of the time. And after seeing this film, i gotta say, there are quite a few good laughs..... if you're Greek that is, but if you're not and you don't understand a lot about Greek culture, there really isn't much here for you. Being Greek is really what made a lot of the comedy in the film actually funny. And in terms of who was delivering the comedy, the supporting cast (the entire extended family) were the ones delivering ALL of the jokes, and i mean ALL of them. Unfortunately, Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, and the daughter Elena Kampouris didn't contribute to the humour like at all, not even once from memory. They tried, they definitely tried to have them be funny but it just didn't work at all.

But, one thing i have to give the film 100% credit for is what jokes they did provide. Like all of these comedic sequels it would have been incredibly easy to just re-use jokes from the first film and hope people laugh at them as much as they did in 2002. But this film didn't go with any obvious joke callbacks to the first film, which i loved and more comedy sequels should do. I thought for sure they were going to make Nick and Angelo have Ian say something wrong in Greek, and they didn't which was great. They went for new material so i admire what they did.

In the end, it isn't nearly as good as the original film, there was less of an authentic Greek feeling, and it kinda lost itself in the Romantic Comedy elements. In terms of the plot it was very unfocused jumping around a lot. But it does deliver on the comedy and there are plenty of laughs to take out of this film, mainly if you are Greek.

5/10

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!!!!

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.