In 2002 a little romantic comedy called My Big Fat Geek Wedding came out and broke all sorts of box-office records. Considered a “sleeper” hit, this little movie went on to become the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, was funny as hell and showed all the many uses for Windex. It’s been 14 years since the original and writer Nia Vardalos has decided to bring us back into her crazy Greek life with My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
Normally I’m not one to revisit a film series after many years have come and gone. But this does seem to be a trend right now: Star Wars, Jurassic World and Independence Day: Resurgence for example. But when it’s done right, no ones seems to mind. This is the case with My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. It was just as good as the first one. Almost like no time has past since we last left Toula Portokalos and her insane, yet loveable family.
This time around we find Toula and husband, Ian, who have spent most of their time focusing on their teenage daughter, Paris, who is just about to graduate from high school and will be heading off to college. Toula and Ian are facing marital problems as they realize without their daughter around they have to get to know one another again, a very real issue that parents find themselves in when all the kids have left the nest. While dealing with her own personal drama, Toula is also tasked with taking care of her aging parents, who just found out due to an oversight by the priest that their marriage license in Greece was never signed. Now the parents have to get re-married for the first time. Thus the drama and comedy ensues.
As a fan of the original movie it was a great feeling to see the entire cast back: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Louis Mandylor, Joey Fatone and Andrea Martin. This is one immense group of talented people gathered all in one place to make you laugh. All the characters have grown and each actor really brings their A-game to their performance. Each gets their own moment and they really shine together as an ensemble. It really was like visiting old friends you haven’t seen for a long time.
Once again Andrea Martin shines and steals every scene she’s in as Aunt Voula. She comes in like a wreaking ball and smashes everyone out of her way with well-timed comedy and wit, which of course is due to Nia Vardalos’s wonderful and heartfelt script. Without her great writing and talent from Martin the comedy just wouldn’t be the same.
Vardalos has written almost every movie she’s been in. Some have been hits, others not so much, but that never takes away from just how good of a writer she is. She’s brilliantly funny and uses her own real life family as inspiration for her wonderful characters. She makes everyone so believable and real. We all have family members that drive us crazy. Other movies have crazy families too, but there’s just something about this particular family that makes us want to watch. And I believe that stems from the wonderful talent that Vardalos brings.
The movie is one of warm feeling and happy cries. This is perfect date movie, a movie to bring your mother to or a night out with the girls. There’s a way to make romantic comedies not so cheesy and clichéd and this is a prime example of that. Nothing seems too far fetched for the world we’re in and everything can be relatable to someone in some way they can connect with. I hope that this does extremely well, because it is wonderfully funny and full of heart.