Review: 'Greek Wedding' Completely Engaging
Ensemble Cast Feels Real
POSTED: 12:02 a.m. EDT May 10, 2002
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (PG)
(out of four)
In addition to having a great title, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is one celebration that will, for the lack of better words, completely engage you: It's fun, light, and a wonderfully heartfelt romantic tale. In a nutshell, it's about family, and afterward, you won't help but feel that you're a part of it.
Based on her one-woman stage show, Second City alum Nia Vardalos stars as Toula, a 30-year-old woman held under the thumbs of her father's (Michael Constantine) and mother's (Lanie Kazan) strict cultural traditions: "Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day we die."
Feeling dull and trapped, Toula is shaken out of her doldrums one day when a tall, handsome and non-Greek man, Ian Miller (John Corbett), happens upon her parent's restaurant: Just one look and she's in love.
Transformed by the experience, Toula changes her looks, life and attitude, and leaves her parent's restaurant business for a job at a travel agency. But while working there, she meets up with Ian and begins the most romantic journey of her life.
The only problem is that she needs to convince her very large and boisterous Greek family that this non-Greek man is worth breaking a tradition for.
While the cultural-clash dilemma that Toula and Ian face doesn't sound completely original, Vardalos injects new life into the flagging romantic comedy genre with some fresh dialogue and a heartfelt look into the seldom-seen Greek culture.
While the narratives are dramatically different, it recalls the magic of Bonnie Hunt's magical romantic comedy "Return to Me." Like that film, there's a cultural celebration in the way of the Irish, which added so much more depth to the characters. For obvious reasons, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" does the same.
Most importantly, the movie succeeds because it captures what so many screenplays these days seem to have lost -- a heartbeat. Thanks to bubbly and engaging performances by Vardalos, Corbett ("Northern Exposure," "Sex and the City"), Constantine, Kazan, and so many others, this film feels alive. Despite their faults, you come to care for the characters like members of your own family.
The story itself isn't about lines, it's about feelings that Toula's family creates. The bottom line: it feels real, a point punctuated by Joel Zwick's perceptive direction. Besides, you know that there had to have been something special when Tom Hanks (along with wife Rita Wilson and veteran filmmaker Gary Goetzman) stepped up to produce the piece.
Zwick captures the emotions of the players perfectly, and his timing in fleshing out Vardalos' characters is spot-on. So get on your tuxedos and party dresses, and invite yourself to this "Wedding" -- it deserves a big fat toast.
(out of four)
In addition to having a great title, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is one celebration that will, for the lack of better words, completely engage you: It's fun, light, and a wonderfully heartfelt romantic tale. In a nutshell, it's about family, and afterward, you won't help but feel that you're a part of it.
Based on her one-woman stage show, Second City alum Nia Vardalos stars as Toula, a 30-year-old woman held under the thumbs of her father's (Michael Constantine) and mother's (Lanie Kazan) strict cultural traditions: "Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day we die."
Feeling dull and trapped, Toula is shaken out of her doldrums one day when a tall, handsome and non-Greek man, Ian Miller (John Corbett), happens upon her parent's restaurant: Just one look and she's in love.
Transformed by the experience, Toula changes her looks, life and attitude, and leaves her parent's restaurant business for a job at a travel agency. But while working there, she meets up with Ian and begins the most romantic journey of her life.
The only problem is that she needs to convince her very large and boisterous Greek family that this non-Greek man is worth breaking a tradition for.
While the cultural-clash dilemma that Toula and Ian face doesn't sound completely original, Vardalos injects new life into the flagging romantic comedy genre with some fresh dialogue and a heartfelt look into the seldom-seen Greek culture.
While the narratives are dramatically different, it recalls the magic of Bonnie Hunt's magical romantic comedy "Return to Me." Like that film, there's a cultural celebration in the way of the Irish, which added so much more depth to the characters. For obvious reasons, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" does the same.
Most importantly, the movie succeeds because it captures what so many screenplays these days seem to have lost -- a heartbeat. Thanks to bubbly and engaging performances by Vardalos, Corbett ("Northern Exposure," "Sex and the City"), Constantine, Kazan, and so many others, this film feels alive. Despite their faults, you come to care for the characters like members of your own family.
The story itself isn't about lines, it's about feelings that Toula's family creates. The bottom line: it feels real, a point punctuated by Joel Zwick's perceptive direction. Besides, you know that there had to have been something special when Tom Hanks (along with wife Rita Wilson and veteran filmmaker Gary Goetzman) stepped up to produce the piece.
Zwick captures the emotions of the players perfectly, and his timing in fleshing out Vardalos' characters is spot-on. So get on your tuxedos and party dresses, and invite yourself to this "Wedding" -- it deserves a big fat toast. Copyright 2003 by Lifewhile.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
