LET'S ALL PARTY AT A GREEK WEDDING. Review on My Big Fat Greek Wedding Movie

My Big Fat Greek Wedding was Directed by Joel Zwick and produced by Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks. This is a Canadian film and was released this in April 2002. Nia Vardos is a Comedian and this film is based on her monologue about her own wedding. It cost about $3,000,000.00 CAD to make and is now number one in Theaters across Canada and the United States.

The film is about a caring Father and his relationship between his daughter and the man she loves. I believe you will love every second of the 95 minutes it takes to watch this film. ~O THE STARS, (from the newspaper clipping) o~ ''Nia Vardalos - Toula Portokalo Michael Constantine - Gus Portokalos Louis Mandylor - Nick Portokalos John Corbett - Ian Miller Andrea Martin - Aunt Voula ~o THE BAND MEMBERS O~ Nick Kutsukos is the Bouzouki Player, John Tsifliklis is the Wedding Singer, Chris Savides & Constantine Vardalos are the Greek Chanters and Arielle Sugarman is Paris. The Band Members are Peter Chalkiopoulos, Peter Gogos, Spiro Milankou, Victor Politis and Jim Rouvas.'' ~O THE SONGS O~ All the song in this film are from the Movie ''Greece'', (1950). John Travolta and Olivia Newton sing the songs and we were asked to sing along with them. We had such fun singing like we did when we watch ''The Sound Of Music'' earlier this year. ~O THE STORY 0~ The film begins when we meet the Portokalos Family who live in the ''Greektown'' area of Chicago. The Father wants her to work in the Families Greek Restaurant until she meets a ''nice Greek Man'' and gets married so he can become a Grandfather to her many ''nice Greek'' Children. We learn that Toula is very sweet but shy and thinks she is ugly. On her she has 30th Birthday she is not married, (a Greek Tragedy). This is when she decides to take charge of her life. Mr. Portokalos is the type of Man that believes he can solve any problem. He is an overbearing person but I found I liked him.

A string of prospective Greek suitors begin to arrive, (I think I counted at least 10), but she doesn't care for any of them. Toula decides to become more attractive. She decides to take Computer Classes at a College. Her desired to go to College causes Gus and Toula’s Aunt Voula to come to an agreement. She can go to School and work at her Aunt Voula's Travel Agency so she can take care of her. Her Father in return keeps both his staff and Daughter happy. Was this plot cooked up by her Father? Of course not we all know a Mother is always the one who decides what will happen in an ethnic Family. Touta has a fated encounter with a non-Greek Man Ian Miller. She knows what will happen if her Family finds out so she keeps her romance a secret. Things progress and eventually the couple has to tell both Families they want to get married. Well you know they are supposed to get married because of the title of this Film. At this point I will stop telling you about the plot because I don't want to ruin the Movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. ~O MY FAVORITE PART O~ This Film is filled with priceless vignettes. My favorite is when the ''Waspy'', (White Anglo Saxon People), Miller Family go to Toula's House for the first time. When they arrive there are one hundred people standing in the front yard watching an entire sheep being roasted over an open bar-b-cue pit. ~O MY CONCLUSION O~ The best part of this Film is that the cast and the production team have produce a Movie where every character is believable. Through Vardo's I thought that Michael Constantine, (the Father), was the best Character with Nia Vardalos playing Toula Portokalo a close second. The weakest Character was John Corbetts, (Ian Miller).

I give full credit to the fact that Nia Vardalos' observations about her Family were funny without being cruel or whiny. I also like the fact that they did not cast a ''marketable'' Actress in the Lead Role. Most people who come from an ethnic background can see this happening in their own Families. I love this Film and I highly recommend it to you. ©LL2002