My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

A young Greek woman falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.

Director:

Joel Zwick

Writer:

Nia Vardalos

Stars:

Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, Christina Eleusiniotis

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 16 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nia Vardalos	...	Toula Portokalos
Michael Constantine	...	Gus Portokalos
Christina Eleusiniotis	...	Toula Portokalos - Age 6
Kaylee Vieira	...	Schoolgirl
John Kalangis	...	Greek Teacher
Lainie Kazan	...	Maria Portokalos
Marita Zouravlioff	...	Toula Portokalos - Age 12
Sarah Osman	...	Athena Portokalos - Age 15
Petra Wildgoose	...	Car Pool Friend
Melissa Todd	...	Car Pool Friend
Bess Meisler	...	Yiayia
Andrea Martin	...	Aunt Voula
Louis Mandylor	...	Nick Portokalos
Gerry Mendicino	...	Uncle Taki
Stavroula Logothettis	...	Athena

Storyline

Toula Portokalos is 30, Greek, and works in her family's restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, in Chicago. All her father Gus wants is for her to get married to a nice Greek boy. But Toula is looking for more in life. Her mother convinces Gus to let her take some computer classes at college (making him think it's his idea). With those classes under her belt, she then takes over her aunt's travel agency (again making her father think it's his idea). She meets Ian Miller, a high school English teacher, WASP, and dreamboat she had made a fool of herself over at the restaurant; they date secretly for a while before her family finds out. Her father is livid over her dating a non-Greek. He has to learn to accept Ian; Ian has to learn to accept Toula's huge family, and Toula has to learn to accept herself.

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Plot Keywords:

greek | restaurant | dancing | school | love | 

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Taglines:

Love is here to stay... so is her family.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sensuality and language

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Greek

Release Date:

2 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mariage à la grecque

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$273,623 (Japan) (18 July 2003)

Gross:

$1,680,732 (Japan) (8 August 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gold Circle Films, Home Box Office (HBO), MPH Entertainment Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite its status as a small independent film, and despite never holding the number one spot at the American box office, the movie went on to earn almost US$369 million, a return of over sixty-one times (6150%) its US$6 million (inflation-adjusted) budget. For that reason, it is the second most profitable film of all time after Paranormal Activity. That film returned 12890 times the money invested (1289038.67%) with a budget of $15000. The Worlwide Box Office stopped ringing in $193m.

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Goofs

In the travel agency, Toula is on the phone telling a customer that their reservation is PNR. That is incorrect travel agent lingo - a PNR *is* the reservation itself (it stands for Passenger Name record) - she should have said your seats are confirmed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gus Portokalos: [to Toula] You better get married soon. You're starting to look... old!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits: All E's are replaced by the Greek letter Sigma.

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Connections

References The Lost Boys (1987)

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Soundtracks

"Secret Garden"
Performed by Nick Kutsukos
Written by Ev
Published by Zaga Music

User Reviews

Torturous

I find it unfathomable that this film was the breakout hit of last year. My only guess is that it drove people to the theatre who were excited that it was low on curse words and sex. Which is fine, but I wish that they could have added a bit of humor or drama.

There has been a lot of crowing about the crass stereotypes in this film, to which I can only respond "what stereotypes?" These characters are drawn so flimsily that they don't even reach the level of stereotypes. Michael Constantine, playing the supposedly charming and wacky father, is colorless except for an obsession with Greek root words and the healing powers of Windex. Are you laughing yet? I hope so, because that's all you get.

But at least Constantine has a couple of defining character traits. We learn nothing about the other characters except that they are Greek. Well, Greek and obnoxious. This movie would have us believe that Greek Americans' life revolves entirely around their ethinicity, and yet the only defining thing about being Greek is that you sit around and constantly discuss the fact that you are Greek.

For contrast, we have Corbett's parents, who embody some nightmare thumbnail sketch of Waspish stereotype. Surreally quiet and psychotically uncomfortable, they act as if they've never met a mediterranean before. The exchange of idiocies when the WASP mother tries to explain to the apparently retarded Greek mother that the cake she brought to dinner is a bundt cake is one of the more cringe inducing comedy moments here.

Another reviewer here remarked, as if it were a good thing, that the observations in this movie could be easily applied to any number of ethnic groups. I wholeheartedly agree, and add that all it would take to turn it into My Big Fat Italian (Jewish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Armenian, Spanish, etc.) Wedding would be a quick find/replace command on the screenwriter's laptop.

When a movie's highest moment of tension comes from a wedding morning zit (a problem solved minutes later by a stick of cover up) you know you're dealing with a limp excuse for a film.

I'm not asking for The Graduate here, but frankly I can't find a thing about this movie that is worth your time or money. But, apparently, America disagrees, so this movie made over 200 million bucks and is not being turned into the sitcom it always more or less resembled. Go figure.