This movie is a classic. Believe it or not, despite its success, and despite the fact that everyone kept talking about it when it just came out, it was only two months ago that I finally picked this DVD up and my first impression was pure, undiluted regret about not having watched that before. Now, every time that my brother comes around, we just pop this in the DVD and laugh like a couple of maniacal hyenas. There is something very different about this movie; the atmosphere, the acting, the characters and personalities are all fresh and original. While not all actors gave top notch performances, a few endearing characters did more than just acting their parts out, they dived into their characters in such a way that you cannot help but double over with laughter.
The story is about Toula, a thirty year old unmarried girl who comes from an orthodox Greek family. Toula has always been repressed by her somewhat macho, but extremely endearing father who always wants to do things the right "Greek" way. She is shown to be plain, both in appearance and personality but gradually, the audience is shown how Toula is just like every normal girl with aspirations, hopes and wishes. When she starts going to University, Toula comes out of her shell and even falls in love with tall, handsome Ian. Life is perfect.
Except for one tiny detail. Ian is non-Greek. How long will Toula keep him hidden from her family? Worse of all, what will happen once they find out?
Now, I must say that I really despise movies which poke fun at any culture, ethnicity or religion and the reason why I took such a long time in watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding is because I've read a couple of reviews which poked fun at Greek culture, based upon the movie. But when I finally watched it, I must admit that there are absolutely no racist connotations in the movie. Yes, it does poke fun at Toula's Greek family, but I would rather say that the audience gets to laugh with the family, and not at it. It is an extremely, extremely entertaining and diverting movie, and the family is one that we can all relate too (even if we do not have 27 first cousins like Toula!) But the way that the family is sometimes depicted as dysfunctional, and all the fun, fights, clashes and arguments provide various elements which every viewer will be able to relate to at some point in the film. In addition, I just adored the characters- my favorite one being Toula's aunt.
Truth be told, I am sure that we all have such an aunt in our families: She butts in other people's businesses, talks a lot more than necessary and is melodramatic in everything that she does. There is one particular scene in the movie - which I will not describe here for fear of spoilers- but this is the scene which made me adore the aunt in the movie. Once you watch it, you will know exactly which scene this is! She has some amazingly funny lines in that particular scene and she delivers them with such an art and genuine humor that you cannot help but laugh yourself to tears! Not to speak of these facial expressions that completely match her hilarious lines. I do believe that Toula's aunt was not only the most entertaining character in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but she was also the best actresses in the movie. She completely and totally masters the art of line delivery and I must admit that it was she who turned my brother and I into complete guffawing hyenas.
In fact, Toula's family is so, so large that I can say that there are characters for every viewer to love. The family is endearing and one cannot help but fall immediately in love with it. There are quite a few serious themes between the lines, though: I thought I caught some feminist issues, as well as acculturalisation and trying to fit in. However, I must admit that such serious issues only come to mind after you've watched the movie 50 times and got over the comical atmosphere of it all. This is the way in which the producers present underlying serious factors under laughs and funs- you never feel the seriousness of it all, there is so much entertainment going on. I would say that the movie just lightly mentions, or brushes across these issues, but does not elaborate or explore them any further. I think that for those who are looking for sheer entertainment and fun, without any realism or seriousness, such a movie will be perfect.
While romance does not exactly jump from the movie, I think that the very idea of a man and a woman from two different cultures who compromise with each other to build a relationship is quite romantic. Ian is great as a very tolerant boyfriend, and Toula is more than amazing in her coming-of-age role. In fact, this is yet another element that differentiates My Big Fat Greek wedding from other movies: Toula's coming-of-age process happens at the age of 30. It is extremely interesting to see how she emerges out of her shell to discover her own self and find love for the first time at a late age. After all, as the movie points out, love knows no age or race! DVD Extras include:
Commentary with Nia Verdalos (Toula) , John Corbett (Ian) and Director Joel Zwick
Theatrical Trailer
Interviews
I must admit that the extras were quite disappointing, but I was also quite hyped up and still laughing over the movie that I soon got over it! I read that the movie was done on quite a tight budget, which might somewhat explain the lack of DVD bonus features.
Overall, if you still haven't watched My Big Fat Greek wedding, and if you are not planning on watching it, then you have sadly missed out on some great laughs and hilarious one-liners!
Most certainly a movie to recommend.
Thanks for reading!
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Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
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It's not surprising thatMy Big Fat Greek Weddinggrew more popular over the course of its ... 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...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It's not surprising thatMy Big Fat Greek Weddinggrew more popular over the course of its ... 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...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula. Still unmarried at 30-years old, ... more
she works at Dancing Zorba's, the Greek restaurant owned by her parents, and smells like garlic bread. Her days are drab and dull, just like her hair, her clothes, ...
Advantages: Had John Corbett in it and was a gentle, sweet tale. Disadvantages: Not much chemistry from the two leads, John Corbett didn't live up to Sex in the City previous form
![My Big Fat Greek Wedding [DVD] [2002]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78528744.jpg "My Big Fat Greek Wedding [DVD] [2002]")
Sep 4th, 2009
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