Greek Wedding Celebrates Family,
Heritage and Life

In the surprise of the summer, a small independent film about a Greek girl finding true love has captivated America and the box office. It's no small wonder. My Big Fat Greek Wedding fills a niche that has long been absent in American film. Finally an ordinary, unassuming woman finds her prince charming, one who sees her beauty within.

The story of My Big Fat Greek Wedding is adapted from Nia Vardalos' one-woman play and draws heavily on her personal experiences. Vardalos also stars as Toula Portokalos, the quiet, shy daughter in a loud, larger-than-life Greek family.

Playing her father is veteran actor Michael Constantine. With his overwhelming Greek pride and penchant for Windex, Gus Portokalos is the center of his world. He wants nothing but the best for his daughter, but every day he tells her to hurry up and marry before she gets too old.

According to Toula, her family's only expectation of her is to one day marry a Greek man and have Greek babies. But it is clear from the beginning that she wants more. As she works in her father's restaurant, she meets the man of her dreams who sweeps in and out before she can move. As if changed by the encounter, she begins taking computer classes and soon takes a job in her aunt's travel agency. Not surprisingly, her dream man comes back into her life. But Ian Miller (played by John Corbett, Serendipity) is not Greek, and this poses a problem for her family.

The delight of this story is in its freshness. It does not become bogged down in predictable trappings. When Toula's father begins inviting Greek men to dinner so that Toula may meet them, the evenings are short vignettes punctuated by stereotypical images of the men she meets. This one is old and bald. That one is young, but sleazy. Another is covered in gold chains and rings. As these nights pass quickly, so do her nights with Ian, where we see their relationship progresses. The story moves a good pace, racing toward the inevitable wedding.

And the film is downright hilarious. For years I have been trying to convince my friends that a movie can be funny without resorting to gross-out toilet humor or just plain stupidity that marks the works of Tom Green, Ben Stiller, and Jim Carrey. My Big Fat Greek Wedding may not have the witty repartee of Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, but it has a zany farcical quality that makes it outrageous. Toula's family is over the top. Each of them is unbelievable, but realistic. One is torn between pitying Toula for being cursed with such a family and envying her for being blessed with them.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is posed to be one of the most profitable movies in history. Made for a mere $5 million dollars, the film has (as of this writing) grossed approximately $137 million. Not a bad return on the initial investment. Hopefully this will help spur Hollywood to encourage more small films that will appeal to family audiences.

MY RATING: 9 out of 10.

RATED: PG
RUN TIME: 96 min.