Every year there seems to be one independent film that comes out of nowhere and sweeps the public’s hearts away and becomes a box office smash. In 2002, that was My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Writer and star Nia Vardalos took that old adage, write what you know, and hit pay dirt with a romantic comedy that took ethnic familial flair and amped it up of maximum laughs. It may have taken over a decade, but Vardalos and her Greek clan are back in My Fat Greek Wedding 2.
The sequel picks up virtually in the same amount of time after the first, plus or minus a few years. Nia’s character Toula and her husband Ian (John Corbett) have progressed far in some ways – they’ve welcomed a daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris), who is now 17 — and in other ways she has not moved too far, i.e. she lives next door to her parents and her brother and his family.
Toula and Ian are in a rut. They’ve been so focused on raising their daughter, that they’ve forgotten how to be a couple. Not helping things is that Ian’s family is so demanding and Toula seems to be the glue that holds them together. As My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 begins, it appears that our heroine has not grown too much from the first film. Making matters even more complicated, there is a family secret that will come to light that will cause a rift on numerous levels throughout the clan, and also — potentially — result in another Big Fat Greek Wedding.
The story this time out, feels awfully similar in beats and tone, to the first film. And in some ways, there’s nothing wrong with that. Why change what isn’t broken? So often these days, comedy sequels that take over a decade to hit the screen feel that they have to alter what made the first film such a hit (Anchorman 2, Zoolander 2). In some cases it works (Anchorman 2) and in others it doesn’t (Zoolander 2).
We actually give Vardalos credit for having the presence of mind to give us some surprises (how the wedding comes to be and who it is that is getting married), while still staying true to the core principles of what made the first film such an enormous hit.
The cast is game, and in this case a few people get a little more to do than in the first film, and hit a home run with it. Lainie Kazan’s Maria is a riot as Toula’s mother. The legendary actress takes a gamble with much of what she days and it pays off in droves. Also raising their game is the actress charged with playing Maria’s sister, Toula’s Aunt Voula. Andrea Martin is a vision of class, integrity and yes, sexiness as the matriarch with the most whose pearls of wisdom are pitch perfect.
Another whose role is expanded is former ‘Nsyncher Joe Fatone. His Angelo gets an emotional growth that is rich, timely and emotionally rewarding. With the first film, his role was truly just a glorified cameo, and in the sequel, he is much more filled out and the singer delivers.
Vardalos and Corbett continue to charm and their little rut is believable as many parents should be able to relate to how a personal relationship between two people alters when a child enters the world and it all becomes about raising them into a productive, smart and sensitive human being.
There are also lessons aplenty about accepting who you are within the prism of where you come from (i.e. your family, even if they drive you crazy). Sure, there are stereotypes aplenty that are far from insulting and the presence of food everywhere will certainly have you craving a certain cuisine when leaving the theater.
Surprisingly, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is charming, emotional in a few parts and even has a number of LOL moments. It’s not the best comedy sequel we’ve seen, but it still makes us utter… Opa!
Grade: B-