Review: Nia Vardalos' 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2'

Fourteen years ago Nia Vardalos emerged out of nowhere with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a little, deeply personal comedy based on her oversized, overprotective, and over sharing Greek family. The film was a smash, earning more than $200M and was beloved by millions. No matter what your ethnic background it's impossible not to see a little of your own crazy family in Vardalos'. However, subsequent attempts to cash in on the film's success have been a disaster, and sadly My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is about as enjoyable as burnt pastitsio.

Resembling a bunch of strung-together episodes of Vardalos' failed sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Life, the film mostly recycles the same gags as before, perhaps assuming they'll work for a brand new audience. But is there anyone who didn't see the first film who is interested in this one? Probably not; and they wouldn't understand why family patriarch Gus (Michael Constantine) is using Windex to de-ice his car. Honestly, the Windex gags begin within the first 10 seconds but thankfully they are less prevalent this time around. Toula (Vardalos) is still the gal who snagged her prince, John (John Corbett), but their marriage is in a rut. They're too busy with their jobs, Toula's ever-present family, and concern over their daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris), who is dealing with some of the same insecurities about her heritage that Toula faced. Plus she's about to pick a college and the always-nurturing Toula wants her to stay home in Chicago.

So while this film is about Toula coping with motherhood, the title demands there be a wedding, right? Well, there is, and through a contrived series of events it's discovered that Gus and his wife Maria (Lainie Kazan) aren't actually married. They've been "living in sin" for the last half-century, and now must tie the knot to make it official. An unfunny, pointless battle of sexes briefly erupts as Maria considers her options, with the women supporting her and the guys wondering what the heck the big deal is. There's the suggestion Maria wants more out of life than just being a wife, but it's not a subject the film is really equipped to explore in any way beyond on a sitcom level.

Mostly it's everything you heard before, including the grating Andrea Martin as the brassy, filter-less Aunt Voula. There are impromptu makeovers, including one for the saintly Mana-yiayia (Bess Meisler), and deeply disturbing jokes about wedding night sex in which the women say they were told to just "pretend to faint and let your husband take it from there". If any other film with any other culture told a joke like that there'd be an uproar, but somehow it's accepted here.

Vardalos means well, and ultimately the film is completely harmless and will probably work for those who loved the original. But if you weren't, this is one Greek wedding you can politely decline to RSVP for.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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Nia Vardalos Returns in First Trailer for 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2'

There was probably a time when all anybody in your family could talk about was My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The unassuming little $5M comedy from Nia Vardalos became a worldwide phenomenon, earning $400M and sending sales of Windex through the roof. But that was 13 years ago, and after a failed TV series and Vardalos practically falling off the celebrity map, is there any desire for the sequel?

We're about to find out because the trailer for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is here, and while some things have changed, some things definitely haven't. Vardalos wrote and directed the film and once again takes the role of Toula, who is still happily married to Ian (John Corbett) while trying not to crowd their daughter the way she's crowded by her over-large Greek family. And as the title suggests, there's another wedding that needs to be arranged.

Expect lots of life lessons, jokes about being Greek, and plenty of awkward dancing.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 walks down the aisle on March 25th, when it will be obliterated by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Did Vardalos insult a Universal exec's mom or something?

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'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' Sequel Engages a New Director and Studio

Grab your Windex and an extra helping of baklava, because My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is definitely happening. Reported earlier this year that Nia Vardalos was returning for a sequel to her surprising 2002 hit, Variety is now reporting that Universal has picked up distribution, just as a new director has come aboard to walk the film down the aisle.

Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee) will direct My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which will reunite the quirky Portokalos family for an even bigger wedding and the revelation of a family secret. Vardalos will be back to write and star, tweeting back in May that her own experiences with motherhood made her ready to tackle the sequel. That may also be why she decided on Jones as he recently directed the pregnancy comedy What to Expect when you're Expecting. She'll be co-starring alongside John Corbett, returning to play her husband.

Somebody out there is excited about this, but it ain't me. Is there still an audience out there for this? The first film caught lightning in a bottle and subsequent attempts to cash in on it have fallen flat. Remember the awful TV show? No word on when filming begins but it's probably going to be soon.

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Nia Vardalos to Write and Star in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' Sequel

Want to know what was REALLY, like inexplicably popular back in 2002? Your grandma would tell you it was My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and she would be completely right. So was the comedy's star and writer, Nia Vardalos, for that brief moment when the $5M comedy earned nearly $370M and propped up Greek stereotypes for the world to see. Gas ran out on the gag pretty quick, leading to the short-lived TV series My Big Fat Greek Life, and while Vardalos has often entertained the idea of a true sequel only now is it starting to come into shape.

Vardalos is set to write and star in the follow-up, with HBO and Tom Hanks' Playtone on board to produce. John Corbett will be back as the guy Vardalos' character fought hard to win the heart of in the first film, and it sounds like their relationship will be entering a new phase...

Vardalos: “Now that I’m experiencing motherhood, I’m ready to write the next chapter of my family story. Of course, a few jaded folks in the press corps will claim I ran out of money or just want to kiss John Corbett again. One of these things is true.”

All jokes aside, Vardalos' career has been defined by My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and she's found little success on the silver screen outside of it. She followed it up with the high-profile flop Connie & Carla, then tried to rekindle the Corbett magic with I Hate Valentine's Day, a film few saw and even less remember. That's not to say Vardalos has been unsuccessful as a whole. She's currently on tour for her bestselling book, Instant Mom, and has written screenplays for other films.

No word on when filming would begin or who will direct,  but I'm guessing Windex sales will be booming.  [Variety]

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Larry Crowne, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts

Tom Hanks was really smart to cast Tom Hanks in his own movie. Julia Roberts doesn't hurt, either. The two are consummate professionals, superstars in the classic sense. They're always a joy to watch, and their mere presence is capable of elevating even the most insubstantial of films. And that's basically what Larry Crowne is. It's an enjoyable trifle of a film, with a light and fluffy conclusion all mapped out from the beginning. One thing you won't be able to say when it's over is that it was a drag.

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Trailer Time: Larry Crowne, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts

Tom Hanks is making his return to directing after a 14 year hiatus(his last was 1996's That Thing You Do!) with Larry Crowne, which also sees him teaming up with his Charlie Wilson's War co-star, Julia Roberts. Hanks is starring as a middle aged man who gets canned from his job, and in an attempt to reinvent himself, decides to head back to college. Roberts is one of his professors that takes a liking to him. The script was written by Hanks and Nia Vardalos(My Life in Ruins), who also has an unspecified role.  Cedric the Entertainer, Rita Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bryan Cranston, and Wilmer Valderrama co-star.

The first official trailer for the film has been released, and I'm really diggin' it. Hanks is as likable as ever, and I was surprised to see that Roberts' character has a touch of "Bad Teacher" in her. Larry Crowne is due out in theaters on July 1st! 

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1st clip from Larry Crowne, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts

A return to form for Tom Hanks? I was just saying last night that it's been forever since I thought of Hanks as an A-list, consistent Academy Award threat. Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Hanks premiered a clip from his new comedy, Larry Crowne, which sees him reteaming with his Charlie Wilson's War(it's been four years already!!?) co-star, Julia Roberts. Crowne also marks the 2nd directorial effort by Hanks and his first since 1996's That Thing You Do!  Check out the clip below...

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Punch Drunk DVDS: 2/9/10

Emma
Jane Austen's story about an ill-advised matchmaking attempt has been remade so many times it should be put on some sort of restricted list. Two versions came out in 1996 alone, one starring Gwyneth Paltrow, the other with Kate Beckinsale. My favorite remains 1995's Clueless. That's right. Clueless is based on Emma, and it's one of my favorites.








The Time Traveler's Wife
So the sci-fi elements don't exactly jibe with all the touchy feely romantic stuff, but there's a real sizzle between Bana and McAdams that drew me into the story, based on a novel by Audrey Niffenegger.










Couples Retreat
Look at that cast. Favreau, Vaughn, Bateman...Couples Retreat should've been a raunchy, adult comedic gem. Instead it's a toothless, meandering bore with jokes that seem ripped straight from 1993. Only for the most diehard of Vaughn/Favreau fans.










A Serious Man
Perhaps the Coen Brothers most perplexing film, A Serious Man is arguably their most stylistically unique. A film heavily steeped in Jewish culture and tradition, Michael Stulbarg stars as a well-meaning father and husband experiencing the worst week ever. Everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. A true departure for the Coens.










The Stepfather
Do yourself a favor and avoid this slice of 80's cheese remade into an unrecognizable, bland PG-13 horror. Just go see the 1987 original. Save yourself the trouble.











Dangerous Man
It's Steven Seagal. It's straight to DVD. I'm assuming he's out to get revenge or protect somebody or something. The most interesting thing about Seagal movies at this point is the natural disaster that is his hairline, and the fluctuations in his gut size.










I Hate Valentine's Day
Nia Vardalos and John Corbett haven't been seen together since her 2002 hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Lightning apparently does not strike twice, as this awful comedy flew out of theaters so fast it left a vapor trail.











Serious Moonlight
Cheryl Hines'(Curb Your Enthusiasm) directorial debut is  based off a script by her Waittress co-star, Adrienne Shelley, who was murdered back in 2006 before filming could begin. The film itself has received mixed reviews, but I loved Shelley's writing in Waittress, so this one deserves a shot as well.

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Top Shelf at the Box: 6/8/09

It's been a summer jam packed with action flicks so far, even moreso than normal. It seems like every week there's another one ready to snap up our hard earned loot. So it's a welcome surprise that essentially the top 3 films are a cartoon, a comedy, and a family adventure.

1. Up- $44.2M/$137M

Pixar's latest classic about an grouchy old curmudgeon who decides to airlift his house with balloons stayed afloat at #1, only losing about 35% from last week. The critically acclaimed film withstood the challenge of fellow family film Land of the Lost by more than double. Even with Imagine That, Eddie Murphy's next family comedy on the horizon, I still expect Up to remain firmly in the Top 3 if not at #1 for yet another week. No, I don't think The Taking of Pelham 123 will do anything. It looks terrible.

2. The Hangover- $43.3M

Just narrowly missing the top slot was The Hangover, my pick for funniest movie of the year by far. Surprisingly, analyst expectations were fairly low for this, but the amazing word of mouth helped push this ahead of some of the bigger name films around. I'm pretty sure the brilliant ad campaign, which highlighted just a few of the most eye opening moments(Mike Tyson singing Phil Collins, for example) while leaving you enough to wonder how in the heck they all happened. By comparison, The Hangover actually had a better opening than the last true monster comedy, Wedding Crashers, which is appropriate because Crashers sucked and The Hangover rocks.

3. Land of the Lost- $19.5M

Granted, Lost has a lot of competition this week, but that's no excuse. It actually has the distinction of having a lower opening weekend gross than last year's Journey to the Center of the Earth, which brought in $21M. F'real? This is all a Will Ferrell movie is worth nowadays? Homeboy needs to rethink this whole TV movie adaptation thing. Guess he forgot Bewitched blew somethin' fierce. They really screwed the pooch on this one by not being honest about the true nature of the film. The ads promoted this thing as a family friendly adventure, but it's actually pretty vulgar. Not to mention, there never really seemed to be a reason for this film to exist other than to have Ferrell do the same damn thing he does in every movie. It's gotten old.

4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian- $14.7M/$127M

Ben Stiller's sequel continues to hold up pretty well, even though it's not probably not going to break the previous film's total. The film's total is still helped greatly by IMAX, which I can speak from experience makes the film marginally more enjoyable. Amy Adams on IMAX....yum.

5. Star Trek- $8.4M/$223M

I think Star Trek will still be in the top 10 when the summer finally winds down. It continues to have smallest audience drop of all the returning films, this time only losing 33%. Crazy.

6. Terminator Salvation- $8.18M/$105M

Floperoonie! Fumblerooskie! It's losing out to Terminator 3, yo. Claire Danes Terminator 3.

7. Drag Me to Hell- $7.34M/$28.5M

Feels like this film's been forgotten already, doesn't it?

8. Angels & Demons- $6.5M/$116M

It's the highest grossing film in the entire world at just over $400M according to estimates. But it's domestic gross has to be something of a disappointment, considering the phenomenal success of the original.

9. My Life in Ruins- $3.23M

It's no Greek Wedding, but that's not too shabby for only opening at around 1,100 sites. Then again, that's actually less loot than the dreadful Connie & Carla took in. Hmph.

10. Dance Flick- $2M/$22.7M

Seriously? Who are the people who chose to spend their money on this rather than The Hangover to quench their comedy thirst? They ought to be ashamed and open to public ridicule.

Also: Sam Mendes's Away We Go, featuring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski, brought in a phenomenal $143,000 in only 4 sites. Wow. Focus Features(my favorite studio) is set to expand the film to more markets this week.

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