As somebody who married into another nation and culture (admittedly not Greek), I got quite a lot out of the pleasant and occasionally hilarious film "MBFGW1". Now here we are 14 years later, and many seem surprisingly ill-disposed to a follow-up that did pretty well from the outset in actually reassembling the original cast in full.
Clearly those who appear feel at least some commitment to the concept, but a bigger question is - should we? In this film, Toula - as played by Nia Vardalos (the brains of the whole MBFGW enterprise) and Ian (a somewhat "idle" though as ever sympathetic John Corbett) largely take a back seat to their daughter played by Elena Kampouris, and most especially to Toula's parents Gus and Maria (as well-rendered by Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan). The story regarding the teenager is as much about the pressures - for parents and offspring alike - of starting university (if with a Greek twist) as it is about all the Greek stuff - and no worse for that, given the universality of the emotions and issues familiar to many middle-aged adults.
The parental story - of a certain amount of trouble in marital paradise (a Greek word, of course) is more intriguing, given that 89- and 76-year-olds Constantine and Kazan steal this show. Perhaps that is not hard given the somewhat lightweight content here, but it nevertheless looks like a fresh approach - and one made all the stronger by the return of the marvellous (69-year-old) Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula.
Now let's face it, in that fraction of all films in which old(er) people get to do something significant at all, a large fraction of that fraction sees them mainly present in the context of frailty, isolation and separation. The latter is key, given that, where oldies do indeed prevail in a film, it is usually because we've got a group of old coots together (as in the excellent "Cocoon"). Perhaps there are moments of all three failings of old age here too, but much more on show in MBFGW2 is the ability of senior citizens to continue to hold sway in a family in a way that goes beyond lip-service. Their influence is real.
Perhaps that is cliché Greek, as are so many aspects of this film (to perhaps an even greater extent than its predecessor), but it still looks like a new, fresh message - of course a warm one, as there is absolutely no harm in this film, but also one that reminds the watcher how, economic crises notwithstanding, the Greeks do have this impressively strong, specific and unique culture and identity. They do it their way - and that way is the one that really does ensure that an at-times moody prom-going teen daughter of the family with newfound boyfriend nevertheless eschews a hotel room, alcohol, drugs or whatever, in favour of a return with beau to attend a grandparents' wedding at which family young and old dance in large circles holding hands together without embarrassment and experiencing seemingly genuine happiness as a result.
Maybe nothing very dramatic happens in this pleasantly fun film, but it is going way too far to say it is without content or message at all.
Clearly those who appear feel at least some commitment to the concept, but a bigger question is - should we? In this film, Toula - as played by Nia Vardalos (the brains of the whole MBFGW enterprise) and Ian (a somewhat "idle" though as ever sympathetic John Corbett) largely take a back seat to their daughter played by Elena Kampouris, and most especially to Toula's parents Gus and Maria (as well-rendered by Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan). The story regarding the teenager is as much about the pressures - for parents and offspring alike - of starting university (if with a Greek twist) as it is about all the Greek stuff - and no worse for that, given the universality of the emotions and issues familiar to many middle-aged adults.
The parental story - of a certain amount of trouble in marital paradise (a Greek word, of course) is more intriguing, given that 89- and 76-year-olds Constantine and Kazan steal this show. Perhaps that is not hard given the somewhat lightweight content here, but it nevertheless looks like a fresh approach - and one made all the stronger by the return of the marvellous (69-year-old) Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula.
Now let's face it, in that fraction of all films in which old(er) people get to do something significant at all, a large fraction of that fraction sees them mainly present in the context of frailty, isolation and separation. The latter is key, given that, where oldies do indeed prevail in a film, it is usually because we've got a group of old coots together (as in the excellent "Cocoon"). Perhaps there are moments of all three failings of old age here too, but much more on show in MBFGW2 is the ability of senior citizens to continue to hold sway in a family in a way that goes beyond lip-service. Their influence is real.
Perhaps that is cliché Greek, as are so many aspects of this film (to perhaps an even greater extent than its predecessor), but it still looks like a new, fresh message - of course a warm one, as there is absolutely no harm in this film, but also one that reminds the watcher how, economic crises notwithstanding, the Greeks do have this impressively strong, specific and unique culture and identity. They do it their way - and that way is the one that really does ensure that an at-times moody prom-going teen daughter of the family with newfound boyfriend nevertheless eschews a hotel room, alcohol, drugs or whatever, in favour of a return with beau to attend a grandparents' wedding at which family young and old dance in large circles holding hands together without embarrassment and experiencing seemingly genuine happiness as a result.
Maybe nothing very dramatic happens in this pleasantly fun film, but it is going way too far to say it is without content or message at all.