Everyone loved the first My Big Fat Greek Wedding, right? The story of an unhappy woman going after what she wanted in life instead of what her family demanded resonated with many, especially when told through humor as the family accepted the situation and Ian. The second film didn’t resonate as much, so would a third come close to matching that magic? I wanted to hope so.
We find Toula still married to Ian, but her father has passed away (the actor who played him, Michael Constantine died in real life in August 2021). He made her promise to return his old journal to his childhood friends in Greece (off screen since the actor is not alive to film a scene in which he makes her promise.) Her mother is suffering from some form of undisclosed dementia so Toula feels bad for leaving to go to Greece, but does so to fulfill the quest put on her by her father.
Her brother goes with her and the family, her sister does not for reasons unspoken. Her cousins stay behind as well in an effort to keep the restaurant running. Upon their arrival in Greece, they realize that the town their father grew up in has been largely abandoned and they were lured in to a reunion by the few residents left there.
There is a side story about a Syrian refugee falling in love with one of the residents along with the realization that Toula has a long lost brother she was unaware of. Plus her daughter is failing out of college, a secret barely kept as her aunt tries to set her up with a guy she ghosted previously. And, of course cousins Angelo and Nikki find a way to crash the party instead of staying home. Lest we forget that Toula needed a vacation, is struggling as the head of the family, and has the promise to keep to her father that she has no idea how to follow through on.
A lot going on to say the least. Nia Vardalos, who wrote and directed the third installment, does not give any of the storylines room to breathe. She is more concerned with cracking jokes that are abrupt and unfunny than she is about allowing the characters to grow. That is what made the first film so charming. The family crowded in, but the story allowed Ian and Toula to fall in love in their own time.
This third installment of the Greek immigrant family we all know and love is no longer charming and endearing. They are caricatures of who we originally knew. An unfortunate close to a trilogy that had the potential to leave us with something truly emotional and memorable. Instead, they left us with jokes brother Nick being one of those men who shave and cut toenails at the dinner table. Wasn’t he wanting to be an artist? What happened with that?
2.5 out of 5 stars for me. I try not to be unkind in my reviews, but this felt like I was watching a new season of Greek Sex and the City where everyone is trying so hard to be funny that it just seems forced and out of touch with who they used to be.
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Becky Tyler Art and Photography 
Everyone loved the first My Big Fat Greek Wedding, right? The story of an unhappy woman going after what she wanted in life instead of what her family demanded resonated with many, especially when told through humor as the family accepted the situation and Ian. The second film didn’t resonate as much, so would a third come close to matching that magic? I wanted to hope so.
We find Toula still married to Ian, but her father has passed away (the actor who played him, Michael Constantine died in real life in August 2021). He made her promise to return his old journal to his childhood friends in Greece (off screen since the actor is not alive to film a scene in which he makes her promise.) Her mother is suffering from some form of undisclosed dementia so Toula feels bad for leaving to go to Greece, but does so to fulfill the quest put on her by her father.
Her brother goes with her and the family, her sister does not for reasons unspoken. Her cousins stay behind as well in an effort to keep the restaurant running. Upon their arrival in Greece, they realize that the town their father grew up in has been largely abandoned and they were lured in to a reunion by the few residents left there.
There is a side story about a Syrian refugee falling in love with one of the residents along with the realization that Toula has a long lost brother she was unaware of. Plus her daughter is failing out of college, a secret barely kept as her aunt tries to set her up with a guy she ghosted previously. And, of course cousins Angelo and Nikki find a way to crash the party instead of staying home. Lest we forget that Toula needed a vacation, is struggling as the head of the family, and has the promise to keep to her father that she has no idea how to follow through on.
A lot going on to say the least. Nia Vardalos, who wrote and directed the third installment, does not give any of the storylines room to breathe. She is more concerned with cracking jokes that are abrupt and unfunny than she is about allowing the characters to grow. That is what made the first film so charming. The family crowded in, but the story allowed Ian and Toula to fall in love in their own time.
This third installment of the Greek immigrant family we all know and love is no longer charming and endearing. They are caricatures of who we originally knew. An unfortunate close to a trilogy that had the potential to leave us with something truly emotional and memorable. Instead, they left us with jokes brother Nick being one of those men who shave and cut toenails at the dinner table. Wasn’t he wanting to be an artist? What happened with that?
2.5 out of 5 stars for me. I try not to be unkind in my reviews, but this felt like I was watching a new season of Greek Sex and the City where everyone is trying so hard to be funny that it just seems forced and out of touch with who they used to be.
Discover more from Becky Tyler Art and Photography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
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