For fans of the 2002 romantic comedy “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” the third installment of the series, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” just hit the big screen on September 8. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” was released in 2016 and there is generally no point in watching it before coming to see the last film in the saga at the cinema.
The only detail you need to know about the second film before seeing this one is that Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) and her husband Ian (John Corbett) have a teenage daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris), who recently finished her first year of university. at the start of the third film.
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” takes place a year after the death of Toula’s father, Gus (Michael Constantine). Toula’s mission throughout the film is to fulfill her late father’s last wish: to bring his notebook back to his hometown of Corfu, Greece., and offers it to his childhood friends. Upon arriving in Greece with her husband, daughter, brother Nick (Louis Mandylor), her two aunts and her aunt’s assistant, Toula and the Portokalos Reali familyze te that none of Gus’s friends live in the village anymore. The film then moves around this small Greek island as Toula searches for her father’s friends.
While Toula struggles to reunite with her father’s friends, Paris struggles with failing her first year of college and finding herself stuck on an island in Greece with a boy she ghosted, Aristotle (Elias Kacavas). . In Corfu, the Portokalos family meets the locals, including Mayor Victory (Melina Kotselou), an angry old woman named Alexandra (Anthi Andreopoulou), a young man Christos (Giannis Vasilottos), a Syrian refugee named Qamar (Stephanie Nur) and a “very handsome man with piercing eyes”, as Toula describes it. This handsome, mysterious man is introduced to the audience when Toula looks out the window of the house her family resides in and sees him watching her as he hides in a bush.
There are so many details in this film that it would take too long to explain. And yet, at the same time, much of the film was devoted to following the Portokalos family on vacation. That’s it. They are on vacation in Greece; they eat, they dance, they laugh.
What this film lacks in plot, it makes up for in heart. If you like movies like “Mamma Mia 2” (2018) or “Grown Ups” (2010) where nothing happens for a while and the audience gets to see actors go on vacation, then this is the movie for you. The audience doesn’t even know what’s in this sacred leather-bound notebook that’s the size of a medical textbook, although Toula and Nick often read it and hold up a photo of Gus and his friends.
One could infer that the film is trying to tackle more serious topics such as the refugee crisis through the character of Qamar and the few mentions of refugees coming to Greece. However, it is clear that “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” is not the place for overt political commentary, so Qamar’s character exists instead as a form of support and acceptance since his story is compared to moving from Gus in America.
The mayor of Corfu, Victory, is also shown not to conform to gender norms, like in their first scene, they talk about wearing boy’s clothes, girl’s clothes, and clothes that aren’t. There is also a scene near the end of the film where all the characters line up to dance with the men on one side of the room and the women on the other, and Victory jumps back and forth, participating in both parts of the dance. It could be interpreted that this was the film’s subtle nod to the acceptance and normalization of gender expression, even if it does not correspond to someone’s biological sex or gender. binary.
It’s a common theme in the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” films, especially in the sequels, to address acceptance from those around you despite your differences. The theme of acceptance draws from the main personal journey Toula goes on in the first film, where she accepts her Greek heritage and is no longer ashamed to be herself with pride.
Despite all the criticisms mentioned above, this film is enjoyable to watch. It’s not complex, it’s not Oscar-worthy, some of the jokes aren’t even that funny. If there is one thing present, it is love. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” is a story about family, facing challenges together, connecting with your roots and sharing your culture with the people you love.
And believe it or not, there’s a wedding at the end. If there’s one constant in the Big Fat Greek Wedding saga, it’s that there will be a Greek wedding. Although it has its flaws, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” is a simple and entertaining film with all of your favorite characters from the first two films, even Joey Fatone!
