Reel Critics

Diane and Igal Silber

All families are the same in different ways.

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is a warm and funny window into one

family’s relationships and their view of the world. Although told before

in other films with other nationalities it is still a delight. A large

and emotional immigrant family with their first-generation American-born

children, this could be any family of Mediterranean heritage. What

happens when one of them, a 30-year-old woman still living at home and

working in the family restaurant, falls in love with a full-blooded WASP?

Watching this charming couple deal with their families’ reaction to

the engagement and the eventual wedding make for many laughs and some

tugging of heart strings. Marrying outside one’s culture is the basis of

the conflict at the heart of this movie.

The story line is predictable but the writing feels real and the

acting is superb. Nia Vardalos, who wrote the play upon which this

screenplay is based, stars as the bride, Tula, and John Corbett plays the

groom, Ian. Together they are delightful, with great chemistry and

idiosyncratic personalities. You feel you know them and like them. We

need to see more of these actors in the future. The rest of the family,

with excellent supporting roles by Laine Kazan and Michael Constantine,

is over the top and right on the mark simultaneously.

While you have seen this story in various forms before, this

particular look at culture clash in America is not hackneyed and is worth

the time and money. You’ll sit with a smile on your face throughout the

whole movie. This is a lovely way to spend the evening.

* Diane and Igal Silber are Laguna Beach residents and film buffs.