By Mark Fields
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Actress-screenwriter Nia Vardalos struck comic gold with her debut feature, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The original film was unexpectedly funny, off-beat, endearing, and a surprise success. It’s more than a little sad that she keeps returning to the same mine for unnecessary and uninspired sequels. Although they feature the same colorful cast of family characters, the laughs are more strained, the cultural stereotypes more grating (though seemingly still loving).
This time, the boisterous, boundary-oblivious Portokalos family heads to their patriarch’s home village in Greece to attend a community reunion and share a family journal with childhood friends. But of course, the situation differs from what was advertised and complications arise. As we watch the story move toward its expected happy conclusion (and of course, another wedding as promised by the title), viewers are treated to a lovely travelogue of Greek scenery and new eccentric characters. If you love Greece and long for some very pretty pictures, then you are in luck. If you are looking for fresh ideas and genuine emotions, you are in for a big fat Greek disappointment.
