The famous and lively Portokalos family has one more colossal celebration to celebrate in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which hits theaters on March 25. The original romantic comedy, premiered in 2002, followed the unconventional love story of Toula Portokalos. (Nia Vardalos) and Ian Miller (John Corbett) and the clash of their Greek and American cultural traditions. Fast forward more than a decade and the couple is once again struggling with their relationship, but with a daughter graduating from high school and the upcoming, now official, marriage of Toula’s parents.
The film focuses on the looming question of love among three different generations: Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria Portokalos (Lainie Kazan); Toula and Ian; and their granddaughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) and her love Bennett (Alex Wolff). As the Greeks say, there are four different words for love: “agape,” meaning unconditional love; as with God for man, “philia”, meaning love between friends, “eros”, meaning love between intimate partners, and “storge”, meaning love between parents and their children. This complex notion of love is comically transformed in the first film by showing the Greeks in love with the lamb, the Orthodox Church and their heritage, but that’s not all the entire Portokalos family has to offer the second time.
The prequel garnered plenty of laughs as producers Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks prided themselves on adhering to the romantic comedy genre. In an interview with Variety, Hanks said, “I don’t think romantic comedies work unless they accurately reflect behavior that people recognize.” »
Despite the general jokes about Greek-American culture, Toula and Ian’s relationship presents a conflict with Eros that continues into the sequel. The characters worked hard to achieve their happy ending in the first film, which allowed their daughter Paris to grow up in her mother’s footsteps. Now, moviegoers will have the opportunity to experience a journey with Paris similar to the one they took with Toula, as she continues to grow up immersed in the Greek culture nurtured by her family amidst her American environment.
Families from different cultures will identify with this seemingly far-fetched story of a foreign clan rebuilding its heritage in America, making the best of both worlds. Executive producer Paul Brooks described public reactions positively to the Los Angeles Times, saying, “So many families across America were saying, ‘This is my family.’ The only thing that matters at the end of the day is family. »
In addition to Greek humor, another dominant theme is storage, family love. The bond between the Portokalos elders, their children and now grandchildren is the highlight of the film as it teaches viewers how to love one another and how to love outside of one’s community. The romantic aspect behind this romantic comedy transcends to a deeper level and includes themes that audiences will appreciate: the courage and pride of the Portokalos family, not to mention their incredible spirit, while the prequel’s jokes about Windex and the Urgent need for a big fat Greek wedding continues. .
