Posts Tagged ‘Lainie Kazan’

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Director: Nia Vardalos

Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone, Alexis Georgoulis, Elias Kacavas, Laine Kazan, Gia Carides

Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes

Film Rating: 6 out of 10

Canadian actress and screenwriter Nia Vardalos returns to the Portokalos family from the original 2002 hit film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, with the third instalment of the comedy franchise, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 written, directed by Vardalos and also starring as the main character Toula Portokalos who this time takes her entire Greek family to Greece to fulfil her late father’s wishes.

From the Greek immigrant community in Chicago to the Greek islands, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is a family romp about a rambunctious extended family who return to their homeland and discover some new family members, several goats and a grumpy Greek old lady who keeps everyone in line.

Whilst the storyline for this third instalment is very thin on the ground, Nia Vardalos unfortunately misses some great comedic moments throughout the film, which is a pity as this could have been exceptionally funny like the Oscar nominated original film back in 2002.

Instead, Nia Vardalos directs a slightly disjointed and incoherent film about a huge Greek family discovering their roots while making some casual references to the immigrant crisis that has besieged Greece in the last 20 years and the generational difference which always comes to light while on holiday as well as some skits on male grooming and Greek cuisine.

Toula’s daughter Paris played by Elena Kampouris is flirting with Aunt Voula’s dashing travel assistant, the young and buff Aristotle played by Elias Kacavas last scene in the TV series Euphoria. Paris and Aristotle meet another young and fun couple, Qamar and Christos while Toula and her gay brother Nick played hysterically by Louis Mandylor discover that they have some new Greek relatives to contend with specifically the gorgeous Peter played by Alexis Georgoulis (My Life in Ruins).

The scenery in this film is gorgeous as is the food. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is relaxing viewing consisting of a carefully selected set of scenes about a chaotic Greek family on holiday in the motherland without a hint of menace. This film isn’t The White Lotus.

Unfortunately, the characters of the Portokalos family have reached their expiry date after nearly 20 years and secondly Nia Vardalos should have left the direction of this film to someone more capable.

With idyllic scenery, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is as about as light as a pita bread with cucumber dip. Judging by how full the cinema was, when I saw this, this film will have mass appeal: it’s about young love, family relationships, death and new beginnings, cross cultural themes that everyone can relate to.

Despite not being brilliant, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is a lovely family comedy and gets a film rating of 6 out of 10. If you are depressed go and watch this film, it will make you want to fly to Greece!

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

Director: Kirk Jones

Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, John Stamos, Rita Wilson, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Joey Fatone, Alex Wolff, Elena Kampouris, Andrea Martin

Canadian Greek actress Nia Vardalos has made a small dent on contemporary cinema with her range of comedies including the hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Connie and Carla and My Life in Ruins.

Now after an extended break between the first film made in 2002, Vardalos follows up the smash hit with the belated sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 about an extended Greek family set in Chicago and produced by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 follows the raucous family of Toula a retrenched travel agent who has to work in her father’s restaurant Dancing Zorba’s and even gets her pouty teenage daughter Paris played by newcomer Elena Kampouris to assist her. Paris is on the brink of finishing high school and must soon choose a suitable college for her tertiary education.

Naturally Toula’s family all want Paris to remain in Chicago and study at North-Western University, while her hilarious grandfather Gus, wonderfully played by Michael Constantine only wants his granddaughter to marry a Greek boy.

The wedding plot which the title refers to does not involve Paris although initially audiences are led to believe that, but rather Toula’s parents Gus and her mother Maria exuberantly played by Lainie Kazan, who after attending the Greek orthodox church one Sunday discover that they were never officially married when Gus forgot to sign his name on the marriage certificate.

Directed by British director Kirk Jones responsible for such hit comedies as Waking Ned Devine and Everybody’s Fine, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is a hilarious and fun filled family film with running jokes about the perils of living with an extended family and also about the importance of rekindling love in one’s own marriage, especially between Toula and her Waspish American husband Ian played by John Corbett (Sex and the City 2, The Burning Plain).

Look out for a fabulous Andrea Martin (Wag the Dog) as the straight talking Aunt Voula who perceives that Toula’s brother Angelo played by former NSYNC singer Joey Fatone is of a different persuasion.

Nia Vardalos manages to fill the screen with her wide eyed gaze as she continually portrays the overbearing Greek mother Toula trying to help her daughter through the important transition from High School to College, while not making the same mistakes as her own mother Maria. As an inter-generational family comedy, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 hits the mark, especially with a lively collection of supporting actors including John Stamos, Rita Wilson, Joey Fatone and Alex Wolff, but certainly not as funny as the original film.

Audiences expecting a sequel get a funny and warm comedy without too many surprises or originality. Perhaps the gap between the two films is too long but then again, that Greek family needed some time to grow. Recommended viewing for extremely light entertainment.