Production Year: 2002 - Comedy - Director: Joel Zwick - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan more
Toula Portakalos (Nia Vardalos) feels trapped in her large Greek family, where women are expected to do only three things: "marry Greek men, have Greek babies, and feed everyone... more
US theatrical release (whereas most blockbusters open big and then drop precipitously)--not only does it have believable situations and engaging characters, but th...
US theatrical release (whereas most blockbusters open big and then drop precipitously)--not only does it have believable situations and engaging characters, but th...
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, John Corbett, Christina Eleusiniotis, Kaylee Vieira We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, John Corbett, Christina Eleusiniotis, Kaylee Vieira We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
selected original 35mm film from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The collection has a black mount with black frame, an individually numbered plaque and certificate of authenticity.
Allow up to 14 Days for delivery as item is manufactured to order. Your poster is professionally mounted on a High Quality Canvas resulting in a fine piece of Art for your enjoyment. A modern and popular alternative to framing a poster which also makes an ideal gift. Process is irreversible please see our help information for further details., Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
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A review by atticusuk on My Big Fat Greek Wedding (DVD) May 18th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Good
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Good
Advantages:
some great laughs
Disadvantages:
may want to watch it more than once
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
This is a nice, occasionally funny feel good movie. Set in Chicago Toula (Nia Vardalos) might just as well be living in Frumpsville USA. She is a dowdy 30-year-old working in her Greek families restaurant imaginatively named Dancing Zorba’s. Working as a, in her words “seating hostess” or waitress to you or I, her life is going nowhere fast and her traditional Greek family are truly worried that she will never get married.
This film follows a very safe formula, it relies on getting it’s laughs from the eccentricities of the family and the stereotype of a family that is unashamed of its Greek roots something that Toula has spent most of her life trying to play down with flashbacks of her school days where she dreamed of joining the cool blond girls on the top table for lunch. Toula describes the role of a Greek woman as being, to marry a good Greek boy, produce Greek babies and to feed everybody.
One day into the restaurant walks Ian (John Corbett) and Toula is smitten, however despite laughing at her feeble joke he walks out without saying a word to her. Toula then makes some changes in her life, going to college to take a computer course her confidence grows and she begins to transform her looks with contact lenses, a new hairstyle and some modern clothes. Eventually she gets a job in her aunt’s travel agency and she begins to enjoy her work. When Ian sees her again there is an obvious attraction and the two begin dating behind her families back. The rest of the story charts their relationship as it blossoms into a marriage proposal and the impact that this has on the family as they prepare for the traditional Greek wedding and come to terms with the fact that she is not marrying a good Greek boy.
I did not really enjoy this film the first time that I watched it, it had been much hyped and my expectation level was high. Second time round it was far more enjoyable and I was able to enjoy the characters more. There is some great material in this movie and the quirks of some of the characters give it a certain charm that is appealing. Of these the ones who provide the most laughs are; Toula proud father who claims that he can relate any word back to it’s Greek origins and uses Windex to cure all ailments, his mother who has been brought over to live with them from the old country and continually attempts to escape, the aunt who is the life and sole of the party and claims to have had a lump removed from her neck which contained her dead twin hardly the thing you share with the new in-laws and finally Toula brother who delights in setting up Ian with supposedly safe Greek phrases which have entirely different meanings.
There are some great scenes in this by far the funniest are when the whole family are gathered together, the first when Ian gets to meet the whole family and the second when his WASP parents arrive for a quiet dinner to be faced by a lamb being roasted on a spit in the front garden and a host of relatives all with kids bearing the same names.
Having been married to a Greek Cypriot I did wonder whether my own experiences had helped in the enjoyment of this film as some of the characters seemed quite real based upon my own experiences of family life and family weddings, certainly it is well observed with the obsession with feeding people and the entrepreneurial nature of people who run small family businesses.
This is a nice easygoing comedy which most of the family can enjoy, it caries a PG rating and runs for 90 minutes in total. The DVD comes with some unimpressive extras such as Cast Biographies, Feature Commentary, Trailer, Greek School Trivia Track, Soundbites and Production Notes but nothing to get excited about. Rumour has it that a comedy series is to follow, whether it manages to reach the heights of this movie remains to be seen, somehow, if they do not get the strength in depth that the film enjoys, I doubt it.
I picked this film up as part of a buy 5 for £30 at HMV a few weeks ago and Amazon have used copies advertised from £3.50.
Advantages: Charming film, funny, entertaining, nice range of features Disadvantages: Some small criticisms of the DVD extras
...HIRED IT
It was my daughter’s 10th birthday on April 13th and we had offered to hire a DVD for her and her three friends to watch. It had to be something the four of them agreed on and a film that was suitable for all ages (as my youngest daughter would be watching too and she’s not quite seven) and rated a U or a PG. So hubby dutifully took the assembled little ones off to Blockbuster to peruse the latest releases. They came back with ... ...all loved it and even my husband was laughing out loud and subsequently full of praise. So that evening, I watched it once the kids were in bed. The following evening, I spent about four hours watching the extra features too. So was My Big Fat Greek Wedding a big fat success or a small slim failure?
THE STORY
Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) lives in the United States, but she is Greek and is never allowed to forget it! She works in the family business ...
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Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to ...
very helpful
15.04.2003
(19.05.2003)
It's all Greek to me Review ofMy Big Fat Greek Wedding (DVD)by
christianfilmcritic
Advantages: Innocent light hearted fun Disadvantages: none
...the Greek traditions.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a very good modern romantic comedy which follows the trials and tribulations of a young Greek woman, as she attempts to find her own way in life. It also highlights the initial difficulties that her boyfriend finds, as he attempts to fit into a Greek way of life. As you would expect, the plot is very predictable, but that shouldn't bother you, because the enjoyment of the film is all the little stories ... ...View Point
In my eyes, the most important part of this film is that it is good clean humour. Unlike many modern comedies, it doesn't rely on throwing sexual innuendo at you, but provides the humour from subtle gags, such as when Gus is explaining that most words originate from the Greek language, or his over use of window cleaner to cure all ailments. Yes the film does touch on the sexual relationship between Toula ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Is actually funny! Disadvantages: Cant really think of any!
...suspect she’s in love!
My Big Fat Greek wedding has more than its full share of comic gags. When the parents of the charming John come for a customary quiet meal they are struck among the whole family and an enormous party. That isn’t their only misfortune, they are force fed Ouzo and end up more sick then when they arrived! The amazingly talented, star studied family of Toula are absolutely astounding in this film, (including Andrea ... ...and are a true portrayal of a traditional, very large Greek overpowering family. Not only do they kiss everyone they meet, they are passionate about food, especially meat, which is also a disgust to them all when they discover John is a vegetarian, but all is solved when Toula’s Auntie suggests “Oh well, I’ll make lamb”
Even though Toula’s family are not impressed with Ian, he still keeps striving and even agrees to ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Genuinely funny, family friendly Disadvantages: General storyline is the old tried and tested romcom formula(but who cares?)
...I’ve sat through, either by my own stupid fault or in some kind of compromise deal (well how else would I get someone to indulge me in watching tripe like Jason X?) only to be left stony faced at the distinct lack of comedy and stony-hearted at the even more distinct lack of romance. Romcoms are generally neither “rom” nor “com” in my experience but rather, anything empty-headed, dull and otherwise unclassifiable gets shoved under this mantle. Sometimes ... ...this movie.
In essence, My Big Fat Greek Wedding presents you with a very simplistic plot which encompasses the tried and tested Cinderella/Pygmallion storyline once again but mixes it up with some likable characters, some genuinely funny lines/situations and some gentle culture clash ethnic humour which we can all appreciate. The movie opens with dowdy Greek 30-something Toula working at the family restaurant Dancing Zorba’s in downtown Chicago. ...
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...if I don’t like it my daft brother will. Directed By: Joel Zwick
Produced By: Rita Wilson (Mrs Tom Hanks); Tom Hanks; Gary Goetzman
The Cast:
Toula Portokalos – Nia Vardalos
Maria Portokalos – Lainie Kazan
Gus Portokalos – Michael Constantine
Ian Miller – John Corbett
Nikki – Gia Carides
Nick Portokalos – Louis Mandylor
Yiayia – Bess Meisler
Rodney Miller – Bruce Gray
Harriet Miller ... ...Jayne Eastwood
Aunt Voula – Andrea Martin
Rated PG – For viewing with Parental/Guardian Guidance only
95 minutes long
DVD Extras were very disappointing: Trailer – original trailer for film; Cast and Filmmaker Commentary – Some of the cast talks about what the meant meant to them;
Soundbites; Production Notes – How it was produced
“Greek School” Trivia Track – learn more about Greek School
Only ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Cheap Disadvantages: tacky, scary and a bit too graphic in parts
...but you won't be able to read very much of the storyline and it's a cheap DVD. However I'm much more of a comedy fan and would happily watch 'nemo' or 'mybigfatgreekwedding' over this an day!...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: A cheerful comedy that amuses and bemuses in equal measure Disadvantages: Lacks bite
...leopard print and Anna and Pina in tight lycra dresses, bright lipsticks, three inches of slap, big hair and huge plastic earrings. Basically, it?s like the eighties? all over again.
The soundtrack sidesteps all the clichés until the closing titles, when a punked-up version of ?I Will Survive? kicks in. before that most of the soundtrack consists of Italian tarantellas and mambo music. Surprisingly, Rosemary Clooney?s ?Mambo Italiano? doesn?t put in an appearance.
Derivative but fun, this is a film that survives on the energy of its cast. Whilst embracing national stereotypes, it avoids many gay clichés and even the most obvious resolution to the film. Though not a must-see by any means, it is worth seeking out on video or DVD when it becomes available, if you are a fan of ?MyBigFatGreekWedding? or camp classics like ?Priscilla, Queen...
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Plot: A young Greek woman defies her family and falls in love with a non-Greek. Her boyfriend has to accept her Greek family, her father has to accept him and she has to accept herself.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date: 24/03/2003
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: EDV 9178
Screenwriter: Tom Hanks, Nia Vardalos
Barcode: 5017239191787
Composer: Chris Wilson, Alexander Djanko
Featured: Tom Hanks
Executive Producer: Tom Hanks, Paul Brooks, Norm Waitt, Steve Sharsian
Toula Portakalos (Nia Vardalos) feels trapped in her large Greek family, where women are expected to do only three things: "marry Greek men, have Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day they die." Rebelling against this fate, Toula quits the family restaurant, goes to college, fixes her hair, and falls in love with Ian (John Corbett), a guy who is way-too-good-to-be-true, and not Greek. This horrifies Toula's Greek culture-crazed father (Michael Constantine) and sets off a major culture clash between her loud, eccentric family (whose activities include roasting whole lambs on the front-yard barbecue spit) and Ian's subdued, overcivilized Anglo-Saxon parents.
Based on Vardalos' own autobiographical one-woman play, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING is that rare romantic comedy that has the courage to trust its simple, human story and not resort to overwrought Hollywood sentimentality and phoney glamour (all the characters in the film look and act like real people). It's also filled with big, fat, crowd-pleasing laughs, making it a wedding most worth attending. Co-produced by Tom Hanks, the movie is set in Chicago, but was filmed in Toronto. The spirited cast includes Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin (of SCTV fame) as Toula's mom and aunt.
Technical information
Special Features: Trailer, Cast And Filmmaker Feature Commentary, Soundbites, Cast Biographies, Production Notes, Greek School Trivia Track
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