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.

Mark Fields
Mark Fields has reviewed movies for Out & About since October 2008. In addition, he has written O&A profiles of documentarian Harry Shearer and actress Aubrey Plaza. Over the years, Mark also has written on film for several publications in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and his home state of Indiana, where he also served as on-air movie critic for Indianapolis’s public radio station. Mark was an adjunct instructor of film history at Rowan University from 1998 to 2018. A career arts administrator, he retired in fall 2021 after 16 years as an executive at Wilmington’s Grand Opera House. Mark now leads bike tours part-time and is working on a screenplay. He recently moved to Colorado with his partner Wendy. Mark spent the fastest 22 minutes of his life as an unsuccessful contestant on Jeopardy…sadly, there were no movie questions.