MY BIG GREEK WEDDING 2 review by Mark Walters – Nia Vardalos brings the family back to form

MY BIG GREEK WEDDING 2 review by Mark Walters – Nia Vardalos brings the family back to form

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MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING was a huge hit in 2002, grossing over $241 million in U.S. box office. Since then, star and creator Nia Vardalos has made a few others movies, but none with the staggering success as her debut. She even attempted a television sequel of sorts in the short-lived MY BIG FAT GREEK LIFE sitcom. These days, with Hollywood revisiting beloved films and franchises, it seems only natural we’d get MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 now. Everyone is back, Nia Vardalos and John Corbett in the lead, and Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Louis Mandylor, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone and even Michael Constantine return. Elena Kampouris plays the daughter to Vardalos and Corbett’s characters, with the story actually taking place 18 years after the first movie… so, yes, it’s technically in the future. And yes, there’s another wedding, though maybe not the kind you might be expecting.

In many ways the sequel gives us the feeling we never truly “left” the family, just caught up with them when the time was right. Toula (Vardalos) and Ian (Corbett) are happily married, but have lost some of the spark that brought them together. Raising their teenage daughter Paris (Kampouris) has strained their time and attention, and Aunt Voula reminds Toula that she was a “girlfriend” before she was a wife. Toula’s father Gus (Constantine) wants to find Paris a potential husband, but Paris is more concerned about finding a college to attend… perhaps one far away from the family. Things are shaken up when Gus discovers his wedding license to Maria (Kazan) was never actually signed, meaning all these years he was never truly married. This initially creates some strain on Gus and Maria’s relationship, but eventually Gus decides to make it right. And, you guessed it, we’ve got another “big fat Greek wedding” to prepare for.

Lately Hollywood has been going to the well with sequels, sometimes revisiting stories that really don’t need a follow-up, and in most cases these continued stories never seem to hold a candle to the original. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 may just be the exception, in that it’s quite fun and engaging, and I dare say just as funny and enjoyable as the original. While most of the proceedings are fairly predictable and simple in their set up, Vardalos has successfully recaptured the magic she found back in 2002. There’s the concept of the more things change the more they stay the same, but there’s also the added layer of acceptance and adapting to new scenarios. In this case the daughter storyline is the driving force of the conflict, but thankfully doesn’t overpower the family dynamics and humor. Andrea Martin steps up with a variety of hilarious scenes of Voula offering advice and solutions to problems. I’m guessing Nia recognized Martin’s great talent for exaggerated humor and decided to make the most of it this time. There’s also a fine line here with the family members being over the top, yet somehow still believable. Louis Mandylor and Gia Carides get some of the best supporting moments, but there’s also a nice (and timely) subplot with Joey Fatone’s character that works naturally and feels right. Vardalos must have known that to revisit these characters, there has to be some signs of growth and evolution, and she handles it well in the tight and fast-paced 94-minute running time.

While everyone in the film gives 110% and it shows, the real strength behind this sequel is again Nia Vardalos, who doesn’t just do a great job of writing but also reminds us why we fell in love with her all those years ago. She’s just a fun and easy to relate to leading woman, and she still has that ridiculously charming twinkle in her eye that sells the role she wrote from personal experience. The scenes with her and Corbett together still have the right amount of cuteness and warmth, it’s almost like we’ve known them all their lives. There’s also some fun cameos from Rob Riggle, Rita Wilson (who produced this one and the original), and John Stamos, who all looks like they’re having a blast. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 isn’t going to blow you away or show you anything terribly new, but if you liked the first one you’re going to love jumping back into this world again. I took my mother to see it with me, and if I’m being honest I was dreading what this could have been. I’m happy to say it’s surprisingly cute and fun, and one of the best comedy sequels I can recall from recent years. Get out the Windex and prepare to have another great time with the Greeks.

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING opens March 25, 2016

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About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff.