My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) User Reviews

big fat stupid reviewers

[emily37 · 7/10 · 16 April 2003]

i usually hate dissing the other reviewers on these things because everyone is entitled to their opinions, but, even though they usually frustrate me, i always read the reviews to gauge how a movie affects the mainstream public, as i think that's usually the most important thing to be considered.

i just finished commenting on 'the rules of attraction', and it surprised me to see how there were more positive comments about that film than this one. it also surprised me to see that most of the negative reviews of this film talked about how they were 'bored' by this movie, or how nia vardalos is 'ugly', or how this film is only for 'women' or 'old people'.

granted, this movie has very little sex, violence, or MTV editing, but it does what most movies try to do and fail at doing; creates an engaging story with interesting characters. however, it's sad to see that this quality apparently doesn't carry much currency anymore, and that people can't deal with humor that's not shoved in their face or isn't right there on the surface.

the ironic thing about this is that MBFGW isn't even that innovative or unique. it takes the normal three act romantic comedy structure and, well, dehollywoodizes it a little bit. yeah, the main characters aren't typical hollywood hot. (well, john corbett is...) but you probably aren't either. and all these people commenting on how it's 'racist' or 'stereotyped'... nia vardalos, the writer, IS GREEK! this film is adapted from her one woman show! it's interesting that 'ethnic' films have to take on, what, a documentary form or something to seem authentic? if anything is racist, that is.

it's super that 11,000 people have voted on this film and that it grossed so much $$. even though, when it comes down to it, this is just a "better" romantic comedy which stays in the box for much of the time, it IS, indeed, better than most movie fare out there and its popularity gives me hope that the "boring" movies with "ugly" people may have a chance with the jaded tards of middle america.

A simple story about a girl in love.

[vertigo_14 · 8/10 · 11 April 2004]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a very simple, funny romance story that would probably be most appreciated by female audiences.

Nia Vardalos (the film's writer and star) is Toula Portokalos, a quiet young woman from a zany Greek family. As she explains in the great flashback introduction, all her life she has been brought up to be strictly Greek. But, the same upbringing also contains some traditional absuridites that she can't understand, although her parent's wish that she would adhere to. Toula's upbringing has only allowed her to look forward to one thing at this point in her life: get married to a nice Greek boy and have lots of babies.

This is not something Toula wants to here, and eventually, she gains the courage to break out of her introverted shield and gradually change herself into a bold, lovely woman. She stops working at her family's resturaunts and starts taking computer classes at the local college, which lead her not only to a better appreciation for herself, but leads to a job at her aunt's travel agency where she meets Ian Miller (Jon Corbet), and that is where our story begins.

Toula and Ian are in love, really very much so. But, this troubles Toula's mother and father, with her father (Michael Constantine) being more strict in traditional Greek upbringing than her mother (Lanie Kazan), when Ian proposes to Toula. For Toula's father, it is bad enough that she quit the family business to go to school and everything. But it is simply out of the question for him that she marry a non-Greek. So, Toula is torn between the two. This is a movie very much in the spirit of films like Bend it Like Beckham and somewhat like the Joy Luck Club in addressing roles of tradition in future generations of immigrants and the possibility and reason for preservation of such traditions.

Of course the film is a very simple movie, a simple love story, but a funny one nonetheless. We see the contrast between Toula's Greek upbringing, and Ian's very quiet, conservative family. Everyone was fantastic in this film, especially Lainie Kazan as Toula's mom, Michael Constantine as her father, and the wonderfully hilarious Andrea Martin as Toula's Aunt Voula.

I don't know the reason for so many negative reviews for this movie. I would say it was probably the best movie I saw in 2002, and one that I have seen many times since just because it a lovely little (and funny) story about a girl in love.

I need Windex in my Moussaka!!!!

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 11 July 2002]

This was a very pleasant surprise. Frankly, I was avoiding it because I thought it was going to be too tacky for my taste. It turned out that I needed some of the Windex, the father of the bride uses for everything, to clear my eyes and enjoy the film.

Nia Vardalos has written from the heart this story of a crazy Greek family with all the stereotypes in it for us to savor and enjoy what has come out under the firm direction of Joel Zwick.

Not only is Ms. Vardalos talented as an actress, but she can write quite a story, star in her own tale, and bring together this cast of loonies and make us believe we are inside these folks' home.

Michael Constantine and Lanie Kazan are the parents of the bride and they preside this crazy household in Chicago. Nia Vardalos is the "ugly duckling" we see at the beginning of the film and she wins John Corbett's heart and disarms him completely. He got her family in the bargain and he's stuck in it for better of for worse. Andrea Martin is very effective as the pushy aunt.

All in all, it should be seen for the fun of it. This is a funny film, very well paced and acted.

Please pass the Windex!!

It's my life!!!! Hilarious, but so true!!!!!

[ajh13130 · 23 July 2004]

My Fiancé is Greek and I am not. This move hit the nail on the head! The whole time I was watching this movie I was thinking this is my life Oh my God this is my life. I think people who gave this move bad reviews just didn't get it, because, they are not around or live inside the world of a Greek family. There are so many similarities to my Fiancés family it's almost creepy. For a crasher course to our wedding I told my whole family to watch this movie before they came. After the wedding was all said and done I had so many people from my side of the family came up to me and tell me your RIGHT! It was just like my Big Fat Greek Wedding!!! Especially since we had almost 700 people at our wedding and all we did all night long is dance in circles!!! It was a lot of fun!

This was the best movie in a long time and no one knows how true this movie really is until they live through it.

Sincerely, AJH

A charming although formulaic romantic comedy

[gringostarz · 7/10 · 8 March 2004]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding makes up for what it lacks in plot with a cast of amusing, lovable characters. Like any large extended family the Portokolos family is a collection of oddball, zany characters. Toula's father Gus can find the Greek root of any word, and believes windex to be a wondrous cure to any ailment. Toula's mother says "the man may be the head of the household, but the woman is the neck, she can turn the head whichever way she wants". And throughout the movie we see matriarchal power in action as she and Aunt Voula subtly manipulate Gus, the father. Toula's Cousin Nikki with her provocative fashion sense and brother Nick with his quiet passion for art, fill out the Portokolos personality tree.

In contrast the Millers are a subdued, small family. Ian has only two cousins. When Toula invites the Millers over for a quiet dinner to meet her parents they are in for quite a shock. The dynamics between the overwhelmingly extroverted Portokolos family and the reserved parents of the groom provide some amusing moments.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding had potential to be an exceptional film. It was hindered by a far too contrived romance and a particularly unconvincing performance by John Corbett as Ian Miller. His character was so lacking in personality, so bland, especially in contrast to the Portokolos family members. Plus the robotic delivery of his declarations of love were unbelievable. His character seemed an afterthought. Had Ian Miller been better acted, and developed as well as all of the supporting characters, the film would have been great. However, it is still an above average romantic comedy, providing many laughs and feel good moments.

love the family

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 2 September 2016]

In Chicago, Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is a 30 year old Greek spinster. She has always been the frumpy outsider from a large family. Her proud Greek father wants her to marry a nice Greek boy and have a bunch of Greek kids. She works at the family restaurant where Ian Miller (John Corbett) comes in one day. She falls for the tall teacher immediately. She decides to go back to school to study computers and her mother convinces her father. She starts working at Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin)'s travel agency. She meets Ian again and they start dating before getting her father's approval.

I like the family more than the couple. Vardalos and Corbett are not necessarily top rank actors. They don't make for a great rom-com pairing. What excels is the extended Greek family. They are all great and each one brings fun joy. The movie drags when it focuses on the couple. It's not like their relationship is that compelling or dramatic. They are functional but the family is excellent.

You're Invited to Join in the Celebration!

[jhclues · 10/10 · 4 September 2002]

This film is a celebration of life steeped in tradition, family, love and just the joy of living; and it invites you to come in and participate in that celebration, rather than leaving you on the outside looking in, as it were, merely as an observer. A film that seemingly welcomes and passionately embraces all that is good and worthwhile in the world, `My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' directed by Joel Zwick, will make you laugh and make you cry, but most importantly, it will make you `feel.' It's one of those rare cinematic experiences that afterwards makes the sky seem bluer, your step a bit lighter and a smile easier to come by; and when a film can do all of that, you know you've come across a bona fide treasure that you're going to hang onto for a long, long time in your memory.

Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is thirty years old, lives with her parents in Chicago and works in the family restaurant, `Dancing Zorbas.' Every facet of her life is imbued with all things `Greek,' and by proclamation long since issued by her father, Gus (Michael Constantine), Toula is bound by all that is `holy' (read: `Greek') to marry a Greek, live a Greek life and bear many Greek children. For her to even think of doing otherwise would be unfathomable, unthinkable, unimaginable and, well...'UN-Greek.'

So it becomes something of a conundrum for Toula when she meets and becomes interested in a man named Ian Miller (John Corbett), a guy who is decidedly NOT Greek in any way, shape or form. But he asks her out, and one thing leads to another and then another, but before Toula will allow things to get seriously out of hand, meaning `serious,' she knows she must run up the flag, take a deep breath and tell her father. And for Toula, it just may be the hardest thing she's ever had to do in her life. Ian, meanwhile, is about to experience culture shock, as he is about to be confronted by a family that includes, for example, twenty-seven first cousins, something Ian isn't quite used to; after all, he has `two' of his own, and they live in another state.

The screenplay was written by star Nia Vardalos, adapted from her own one-woman show, and it fell into capable hands when she turned it over to director Joel Zwick, who picks up the rhythms and the `sense' of the story without missing a beat. Falling into step with his star, Zwick crafts and delivers a film that is totally immersed in the zest and zeal of living. Under his astute tutelage, the viewer becomes a part of Toula's life, sharing that grand heritage of which Gus is so proud. He brings the story and the characters to life with detail and nuance, and in such a way that your senses will kick into full throttle. The images he creates are so vivid, and it's such an engaging presentation, that the vitality he generates is almost tangible, and you can smell the lamb and all of those Greek delicacies cooking in the kitchen. And Zwick sets it all in motion by establishing a pace that will sweep you along with the story; a carousel ride that will keep you involved and smiling all the way to the end.

Nia Vardalos certainly captures the essence of all that is `Greek' with her story, and with her affecting performance as Toula. This is a young woman you get attached to very quickly; there's something of Benny, from `Circle of Friends' about her, as well as Muriel, from `Muriel's Wedding.' It's a character your heart goes out to immediately, one to whom you wish all good things will come. There is an introspection to her portrayal that contrasts effectively with her vigorously outgoing environment, and it makes her presence all the more dominating and singular. And it's actually in the reserve Vardalos exhibits in her character that the viewer finds the way inside to Toula's deepest longings and emotions. Without question, this is a complex individual, in whom we find not only the strength necessary to maintain autonomy (which she manages to do within the greater structure of her family), but vulnerability born of the respect she demonstrates toward her father, her family and the traditions they so lovingly serve. It is this very complexity, in fact, that elicits the necessary empathy of the audience, enabling that vital connection between the viewer and Toula. And Nia Vardalos IS Toula, from the ground up and from the inside out. Moreover, one would be hard put to discern any distinction whatsoever between the actor and her character, as her performance is entirely natural and genuine.

As Toula's mother, Maria, Lainie Kazan is a delight. The character she creates is totally credible, and she's just a joy to watch. And the same can be said of Andrea Martin's performance as Aunt Voula. This is a VERY Greek woman who is boisterous, overtly self-assured, opinionated and dominant; and she will win you over in an instant. It is Maria and Voula that add some real spice to the film, and when you add in Gia Carides (who plays Nikki) to the mix, you've got a Greek feast fit for the gods.

Of all the actors in this wonderful cast, however, the one who absolutely steals `My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' is Michael Constantine, who has the role of his career in Gus, and without question, makes the most of it. From his overabundance of Greek pride to his many and varied personal peccadilloes (like his ever-present bottle of Windex, which he is convinced can cure everything from a minor scrape to the common cold), he simply gives the performance of a lifetime; and if there is any justice in the whole `Greek' world, Constantine-- and this film-- will be duly remembered at Oscar time. It's the magic of the movies. 10/10.

Nice comedy

[rainking_es · 6/10 · 28 March 2005]

*Nice romantic-comedy about a Greek-American girl which has to fight against her family's strict traditions in order to marry a non-Greek boy. I think that, for the Greek people, this movie must be full of topics and stereotypes, but for the ones who don't know about Greek ways of life is pretty funny. There are all kind of weird characters (the grandma!!!), and the starring actress makes an outstanding job showing us the metamorphosis of that timid girl to a liberated one. Nice dialogs, nice rhythm... Just a nice entertainment for a Saturday afternoon.

*My Rate 6/10

This is the ultimate date film--so why is it's overall rating 6.7?

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 31 August 2009]

I've seen MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING twice, so I am pretty sure about what I saw...yet for the life of me, it's overall rating is a relatively paltry 6.7 (as of 8/09). Considering how much money this film made and how well-crafted it was, this score just seems way too low---especially since this is the ultimate date film--there simply is no better.

What I liked about the film in particular is that it has appeal to both men and women and this cannot be said of some "chick flicks". Sure, it has romance and kissing and the like, but it also is funny, warm and enjoyable on many levels. Heck, I could even see older kids enjoying the film--whether or not they are Greek.

The film consists of a wonderful ensemble cast. While there are some famous actors in the film (such as John Constantine, Lanie Kazan and Andrea Martin), these are not necessarily household names and the rest of the cast are pretty much unknowns. This is NOT a problem, as it increases the believability of the film and these unknowns all proved they could really act--and have no reason to stay unknown for long.

Considering that my review is coming years after the film was released and there are already a ton of other reviews, I won't bother to beat a dead horse and discuss the plot. The bottom line is that this is a brilliant film. On one hand, it all seems so simple and slight, but on the other the film really delivers in every possible way. So many funny and wonderful moments--be sure to have a few Kleenex when you watch this sweet film.

On the same grade level as Monsoon Wedding, fun if absolutely formulaic

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 7 June 2002]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is cluttered with so much eccentricism and ikeability that those who identify with it more will enjoy it more. I wouldn't see it again, at least for some long period of months, mainly because after a while it became somewhat heavy-handed and had absolutely no where else to turn after its main points were made. Now I know this is a romantic comedy and all, but how amny times do you see the guy use Windex and NOT think that it's hilariously original and magnificent.

But, anyway, it is a good date movie, especially for older couples, and those who might know greeks more will be in on the in-jokes it makes from time to time (although it leaves out that old stereotype of, um, well, it is PG-13 so I shouldn't mention it here). Plus, Nia Vardalos is one of the most charming women I've seen on screen this year which helps. Despite its shortcomings (which it has up until the end), it has its originality, like the house. B

A film of two halves

[Rachmaninoff28 · 5/10 · 25 October 2013]

Up until around the 50 minute mark, this is a fun and engaging film. I cared about the characters until then and cared about how the conflict surrounding their relationship and wedding was going to be resolved. But once it was resolved, there was nothing left to engage the viewer. Not only that, somehow the main characters then drifted off into the background and were lost behind the fairly boring, clichéd and uninspired depiction of the "Greek wedding" itself.

In the end, this is a flawed film. Every story needs a conflict. Resolving the conflict too early eliminates the need to continue the story. The Greeks knew this.

A Greek "All in the Family" Great fun!

[STRANDMAN · 10/10 · 10 June 2002]

If you're of Greek descent like me, then you'll appreciate and relate to the very funny (but exaggerated) tendencies and idiosyncrasies of the Greek Portokalos family. Nia Vardalos plays the bride-to-be. John Corbett the groom-to-be. She's Greek, he's not. That's where the fun begins as Michael Constantine her father is not happy her daughter is marrying a "stranger"(a non-Greek). Constantine shines as he portrays a very protective, caring, loving father. The movie was superbly cast. The movie is of light fare, great for the entire family. Can't help to think that this would have made a great TV series. Sort of a Greek "All in the family". I understand a sequel is already planned titled "My Big Fat Greek Baby". If you're Greek, go and laugh at my family, your family, our family. If you're not, go and just laugh at us. Great fun!

A Greek Wedding

[guipb · 6/10 · 24 March 2020]

Good romantic-comedy about a Greek-American girl which has to fight against her family's strict traditions in order to marry a non-Greek boy. I think that, for the Greek people, this movie must be full of topics and stereotypes, and have other meanings, but for the ones who don't know about Greek ways of life is pretty funny. There are all kind of weird characters (the grandma!!!), and the starring actress makes an outstanding job showing us the metamorphosis of that timid girl to a liberated one. Nice dialogs, nice rhythm... overall is a good movie.

Nothing Special, but Relaxing Watch

[wavebounce · 5/10 · 21 February 2021]

Nothing crazy to wrap your head around, a simple plot with simple and effective humor. Enjoyable enough when you take it for what it is!

Big Fat Success.

[tfrizzell · 25 March 2003]

An extremely good little film that shows that smart ideas, good writing, solid direction, likeable characters and an engrossing story will always win out in the end. Nia Vardalos stars as a Greek woman who just seems a bit out-of-place in her not always normal life. She is shy, reserved and ashamed of her heritage. Some makeup, a few college classes, stylish clothes and a travel agency job away from her father's restaurant are just the tickets to help her come out of her shell. Soon high school teacher John Corbett is entranced by her and they start a sweet love affair. Naturally she keeps the secret from her parents (Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan) and the sparks fly when they eventually find out. They want their daughter to marry a Greek man and have lots of children, but Vardalos has other plans for her life. Corbett's love knows no bounds though as he makes it clear that she is the one he really wants. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" happened due to good timing and lots of luck. Vardalos was struggling when Tom Hanks' wife (Rita Wilson) went to see the small play that the film is based upon. Wilson happened to see an advertisement for the show in the newspaper one day (the only day Vardalos could afford to run an ad) and the rest as they say is history. The film cost very little to make and usually second-rate director Joel Zwick ended up running the show. Vardalos' screenplay (Oscar-nominated) was the catalyst that put the film on the map and kept it there permanently. Most all the extras are real family members of Vardalos and Ian Gomez (who plays Corbett's best friend) is actually her husband in real life. Easily one of the most successful films of all time financially speaking (based upon the bargain basement cost and the astronomical showing at the box office), "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is a wholesome film that the whole family can enjoy. It is another one of those rare films that feel like it was made during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1940s. Not quite excellent, but dangerously close. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A real romantic comedy

[campblood13 · 6/10 · 29 September 2003]

It's good to see a romantic comedy involving someone other than those two dead sticks Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts. The whole slant on the greek family traditions and way of life are very funny. The father Gus and his mother were very funny. She keeps saying damn dirty turks. Gus always carries around the bottle of windex, which had me laughing. Nia Vardalos and John Corbett kind of play it low key which makes everything going around them seem realistic. 6/10 Good

My Big Fat It's Not All That Wedding

[Rockford_6 · 6/10 · 31 August 2008]

As the film starts, Toula (the heroine of the film) looks like Mrs Doubtfire's ugly sister but a brief night school computer course sees her transform from the proverbial ugly duckling into...ahem...well she never was going to be an oil painting. Still, a touch of lippy and mascara and a personality transplant to go with it and she gets the hunky but dull Ian to bend over backwards to accommodate her and her family. Yes, and pigs might fly! Why did I think I was watching the TV movie remake of "Moonstruck"? Exchange overbearing Italian family for overbearing Greek family and BOOM you got My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It's really not a bad film but gawd knows why it got so many plaudits.

My Big Fat Greek Experience With This Film!

[mycatslyone · 10/10 · 10 June 2005]

Ahhhh! The Greek life! They were the 1st peoples to do ANYthing & EVERYthing, as 'Toula's father would have you believe. Her big fat Greek family is a hoot! (And her gorgeous brother, Nick is a true Greek treat for the eyes!!!) This is the story of 2 very different cultures trying to accept & make their way together in life. It works for 'Toula & her non-Greek man. He's been looking for someone different to settle down with because all the other women he's dated seem like clones of themselves. They're just blonde & pretty. But 'Toula is NOT blonde & NOT pretty when we 1st see her. She has mousy brown hair, hides her voluptuous (read: NOT skinny) shape under mousy clothes, wears glasses too big for her face & has no motivation in life UNTIL she spies her future sitting in her family's restaurant where she works her life away and she pours him some coffee. Once she gets her parents to let her go to night school & run her aunt's travel agency, she becomes a swan seemingly overnight & Ian doesn't know what hit him when he meets up with her again at the agency! This film is funny! Even if you're Italian, you will see the similarities in the families! Big, loud, dark & ethnic! Lanie Kazan is a wonderful ethnic mother of WHATEVER kind! She's so believable! Michael Constantine (from Room 222 fame) is the old world dad who's stressing his daughters' life & wedding. See this with the family, WHATEVER kind of family you have! It's a good clean laugh!

"Put some windex on it!"

Cute, genuine film.

[Sergeant_Tibbs · 7/10 · 10 July 2013]

Only watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding as it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay most likely for being a box office smash. It takes the rom-com model and applies it to Greek culture in a charming and informative way. While it has clichés of quirky side characters and such, it's done with such charisma that it's endearing enough to work in a unique way. The humour works, you come to care for the characters and it's edited with a Scorsese-like pace. I wish there wasn't such a distinct lack of conflict in the last act as it's almost as if the filmmakers couldn't bear to take their characters to the true crisis point and it ends not as satisfying as it could've been. Cute watch though.

7/10

"I make you lamb"

[frosty-44431 · 8/10 · 12 February 2021]

A feel good film, giving you an insight into a crazy family. Brilliant.

Cheers to Nia

[HulkVader · 7/10 · 26 April 2003]

Cheers to Nia for doing this on her own and making millions. Vardalos is a very charming woman who did the absolute right thing by casting herself in the lead. Sometimes that's not the way to go and the person who writes the flick doesn't look or feel the part. But, just as Stallone did in Rocky, Vardalos fits the part perfectly in Wedding. Again, support Indie flicks. This is a very good film. 7/10. Cheers.

Utter poop

[Jerph · 4/10 · 19 August 2003]

This movie was bought for me, and I was actually excited to watch it because of it's high rating here on IMDb. It is thus one of the biggest disappointments of my entire life. The acting is actually good for what the actors had to work with, but that's not saying much. The script is *bad*. If you want some examples of what I'm talking about (SPOILERS!!):

In the school scene where Toula asks Ian if they can elope, you can almost feel the tension of `I have no idea how to say this line.' They can't put any real emotion behind these very tender and loving words because they're such empty, flat characters that emotion can't be imagined.

In the scene where Ian tells his friend he won't be Ian's best man, it's as though Vardalos couldn't think of anything for either of them to say, so she just left the bits and pieces of various conversations in the script and called it a scene.

After the dinner with Ian's parents, where they showed some kind of character (albeit atrociously stereotyped character) they say almost NOTHING AT ALL! Again, through the wedding planning, the party with Toula's family, all of it, it's as though Vardalos just couldn't find something for them to say, so she left it out! Now, one could see it as realistic; that often people are really like that when they're uncomfortable. But if it's not interesting or funny, what's the point of realism??

I could go on. I'll stop. I don't mean to bash Ms. Vardalos' skill. (If you're reading this, I'm sorry :) But the truth is that this movie just isn't good. It fails as a romance because of poor (i.e. missing) character development, and it fails as a comedy because of poor (i.e. missing) dialogue.

Rating: 4/10

Very enjoyable and unique at the same time.

[gatorgus48 · 10/10 · 10 June 2020]

I really enjoyed this movie. Very like able characters. Many sweet moments and good laughs.

One of those movies I have watched several times and still enjoy each time.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 7/10 · 5 October 2021]

7/10 - cute and unique rom-com has aged fairly well and tackles complicated cultural issues which is quite refreshing in mainstream studio-backed films.

~ tries too hard ~unintelligent~ forced humor ~ not at all funny

[happy_accidents · 1/10 · 26 November 2007]

I'm so glad to see that others disliked this movie as I did and for the same reasons. 'It's only funny (or sad) if it makes sense' as said by another reviewer. So true ! This is such unintelligent humor that so forced and overdone and unoriginal. And the characters are so cold-hearted and miserable but not in a funny way-in a creepy way. And since we're talking about a movie filled with stereotypes, I can say that I'd always thought the Mediterranean people for the most part were a warm and inviting people. Not here. The way they treated Ian was so uncomfortable and senseless and just weird. It was yet another film that made white men look weak and like big defenseless dorks. I'm married to a white dude who if my family would have treated him that way, he'd say a few choice words and never return and I wouldn't blame him; in fact I'd follow him out the door. And I realize that the whole point of the movie is that her family is so involved in her life because they care and blah blah but enough already! It got old and sickening after a while. OK we get it, you're close-knit and you fight and bicker because you love each other and that's your Greek culture etc. etc I wanted to puke already. Even Toula wasn't the friendly, sweet character I had in mind. Instead, she really lacked personality and warmth. You expect to fall in love with and root for the main character especially in a comedy like this, but I was halfway through the movie and didn't care whether she was happy in the end or what happened to her. And no one was sitting on the groom's side of the church: why? I guess it's comical that white people tend to have smaller and/or unsupportive families and less friends than Greeks ?? Not to me. And the way she looked before her makeover? C'mon! Who looks like that? It's not like she was supposed to have a mental disorder or something. Like I said, it's forced and unoriginal. It tries way too hard. I kept wondering when is it going to get good? When is it going to get funny? I can't believe that it's a hit.... Actually I can believe it. Movies that appeal to the masses usually suck. Good humor needs to be smart, clever and witty. This film and its storyline are none of the above.