Actress, screenwriter-cum-director Nia Vardalos, (famous for one of the highest-grossing romantic comedy films, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)) is back in Tinsel-town after almost 14 years with a sequel; My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
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Nia Vardalos.
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Director Krik Jones, along with Vardalos, tried a similar recipe consisting of an ethnic extended family household in order to tickle the taste buds and catch the attention of spectators. However, this time, the storyline is nothing great. It’s the same eccentric Greek family with lots of dog-tired jokes and all this is downright unappealing. The plot ends up draining the audience with the inclusion of obnoxious folks and unbearably boring characters. It disrupts the flow of the anecdote, drowning the expected laughter-promising film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ-1Ts3BChM
The story takes us back to the Chicago based happy-go-lucky Portokalos family from Greece. Toula, played by none other than Vardalos herself, is apparently living a normal married life with her non-Greek husband Ian (John Corbett).
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John Corbett and Nia Vardalos.
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Their teenage daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris), reveals her wish to attend a faraway university out of nowhere, just to evade the drolly overbearing fat Greek family including her aged grandparents, Gus and Maria, played by Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan.
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Elena Kampouris.
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Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan.
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Andrea Martin and Nia Vardalos.
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In the meantime, her grandparents begin quarrelling about their 50-year-old marriage certificate. Apparently it was not signed by the priest, thus leaving them with an unmarried status. This pushes the Greek household members to meddle in each other’s daily affairs in order to plan a wedding for the old couple and legitimise their relationship. The rest of the plot revolves around stick-your-nose in others’ business like situation. However, they stand calm and unified for a big Greek wedding.
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Joey Fatone, Gia Carides, Michael Constantine, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Stavroula Logothettis, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, Bess Meisler, and Nia Vardalos.
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Lainie Kazan and Louis Mandylor.
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The film is purposefully stocked with lots of female characters searching for their significance in the midst of clumsy and unintelligent menfolk. The pressure on 17-year-old Paris to select a Greek man to settle down and have Greek babies, highlights gender stereotypes, attributes and differences in the Greek culture.
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Joey Fatone, Gia Carides, Ian Gomez, Bruce Gray, Stavroula Logothettis, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, Bess Meisler, Gerry Mendicino, Fiona Reid, Peter Tharos, and Elena Kampouris.
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The story tries to hook the viewers, but the overwhelming phoney wit and unnatural slapstick comedy makes the dramatic aspect of the plot indistinguishable. The screenplay focuses way too much on a big and bossy household set in line with old-fashioned customs and beliefs.
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Bess Meisler and Elena Kampouris.
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The director of My Big Fat Greek Wedding added an insubstantial side story about Toula and Ian’s marital issues, which really was not needed.
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John Corbett and Nia Vardalos.
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All the hyperactive characters of this big family were supposed to be a source for humour and entertainment. On the contrary, the mighty funny men served as an element of dullness and tiresomeness. Situations that were supposed to be hilarious were merely odd and mind-numbing. From the warm romance to the idiosyncratic characters, the essence of the original My Big Fat Greek Wedding is missing in the sequel.
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Joey Fatone, Gia Carides, Stavroula Logothettis, and Louis Mandylor.
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All in all, this sequel is not everyone’s cup of tea. It will only attract loyal fans who do not want to forget Toula and Ian’s compelling chemistry. The same old characters, monotonous gibes and plenty of irrelevant laughs will only be enjoyable for the movie’s old enthusiasts.
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Alex Wolff and Elena Kampouris.
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The rest of the moviegoers will be left disappointed because of its loosely tied plot, repetitive wit, countless hollow characters and no surprising ingredient. It may give them a few laughs but the end product will remain an unpleasant one hour thirty minute journey.
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