Alright, so many of you remember saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding when it was released back in 2002, did you not? If you did then many of you also enjoyed it as well, yes? Either way, because the third film was just released earlier this month, we shall go back, and review the first two films, followed by the third one that just came out recently. Had there not been the third film recently, I’m not sure when I would have rewatched, and reviewed this film. So now, in honor of the third My Big Fat Greek Wedding film being released recently, let’s go back in time to 2002, and review the one that started it all, the 2002 classic film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding!
Plot: Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos), thirty years, part of a Greek family, and not married. But one day, she meets, and begins to date Ian Miller (John Corbett), who is not Greek. Even if the family wanted her to originally marry a Greek man, the question remains, will they accept Toula, and Ian’s relationship, or will the relationship, and a potential marriage between the couple have to be called off in the end?
Well, I must say, it was definitely exciting that even if the filmmakers didn’t expect this film to be as big of a hit as it was in the end, it was definitely a miracle that it was. First of all, since this movie revolves around a Greek family, My Big Fat Greek Wedding respects that by incorporating Greek music into this film, giving us a taste of Greek culture with the food, what Greek families act like, viewpoints on topics such as marriage, and things like that. The movie is also really, really funny, especially with Nick, one of Toula’s brothers, Toula’s family in general, and, sometimes, even Toula herself, bringing some great humor to this film. Additionally, the characters are all really memorable, and likable. Whether it be Ian, and Toula, most, if not all, of Toula’s relatives, or any other character that one can think of, they each bring a special ingredient to the table that helps make this film a surprisingly classic film. It was also great to see that a popular film like this one could succeed in incorporating Christian elements into this film. This is most notably true with elements such as the main character being named Toula, her name meaning “light of God”, a scene when a character gets baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church at one point in this film, and reasons like those. Honestly, even back then, one could probably say that it was most definitely a miracle that this film was as popular as it was because of that. Another really great element about this film is how the movie does well with portraying two cultures. I mean here we have Toula, and a huge family works together for the most part, does nearly everything together, and more. Yet, we also have Ian, and his parents. Sure, Ian had other relatives as well, I’m sure, but didn’t get to meet them in this film. Well, not to mention the film does well with showing how getting immersed into another culture can be shocking more often than not. Finally, the movie is overall memorable, has plenty of heart in it, has plenty of lessons to take away from it, and will help others understand what’s like to become part of another culture, be it the Greek culture, Italian culture, or other ones. As a result, My Big Fat Greek Wedding served as proof that even recent decades like the 2000s, and onwards, were capable of having films that would be come timeless classics. Too bad these decades didn’t seem to have quite as many nostalgic films like that, especially when compared to say earlier decades like the 1950s, 1960s, or even 1970s, or decades like those.
So, what flaws are there with this film, if any? Well, there’s the fact that some of the humor may be a little too crude, and inappropriate at times, especially for a PG-rated film. I’m not sure how many parents took younger kids to see this film at the time that it was released. Either way, the film probably should have been given a PG-13 rating instead. Thankfully, the filmmakers seemed to have learned that lesson for the second, and third films. Thankfully, the scenes beside those couple moments were much cleaner, and justified all the more the film being given a PG-rating. So, maybe that’s why this film was rated PG in the end? You got me!
And that’s my review for My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It is fun, really memorable, has plenty of nostalgia even 20+ years later, has heart, likable, and memorable characters, and nearly every ingredient that help make a good classic film. If you’re one of the rare to few people who who hasn’t seen this film for one reason, or another, then make an effort to do so whenever possible. And if you choose not to see the two sequels that follow this film, then at least see this first film once, if not more, and stick with just this one. After rewatching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I’m not that surprised that many people talked about it a great deal. In the end, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a movie that you’ll want to watch once, if not multiple times. So, definitely make a point to watch My Fat Greek Wedding, and see what you think!
Final Grade: A
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