He Said, She Said: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Working for Peerflix has many benefits, but one of the greatest aspects of this job is that we all get to watch a lot of movies. And unlike most offices, our “water cooler” discussions usually take on the form of a Siskel and Roper style debate. With that said, this weeks Staff Recommendation is actually from two of our staff members, Kristine Avila and Tom Sirijaroonchai. Each of them watched and wrote about the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Check out their He Said, She Said reviews below:
Kristine says: If you’re a lover of romantic comedies, you can’t miss this one. Although the plot-line is somewhat formulaic, the movie has more cultural intelligence and depth than your average “chick flick.”
Nia Vardalos is both the scriptwriter and female heroine, and is refreshingly “normal” looking. Ms. Vardalos based the story on events from her own Greek-American upbringing. In the film, she plays Toula, a 30-year old devoted daughter of a large Greek family. Her family considers her a spinster and desperately wants her to find a nice Greek man to settle down with. Toula helps run her family’s restaurant, and one day she finds herself pouring coffee for a man, Ian (played by John Corbett, widely known for her role as Aidan, in “Sex and the City”), she is very attracted to. Meeting someone like Ian intensifies her inner yearning to find her own place in the world. To accomplish this, she decides to go back to school, update her appearance (loses the glasses, changes her wardrobe and hair) and eventually lands a job at her aunt’s travel agency, where she meets Ian again. The pair begin secretly dating and she finds him perfect for her in every way, – except he isn’t Greek!
The rest of the story line may be fairly transparent, especially given the title, but the viewer gets a glimpse into traditional Greek culture (which those of us raised under different ethnic cultures can also identify with, i.e., customs or habits your family deemed as normal which outsiders judge as absurd). Overall, it’s a light, fun story that lifts your spirits and leaves you smiling.
Tom says: “Say any word, and I’ll tell you how the root of that word is Greek,” said Gus Portokalos, the idiosyncratic father in the runaway hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The funny story is about an American born Greek girl, Maria Portokalos (Nia Vardolos), who quests for her one true love. However, it’s not that simple. The barrier between her and her prince charming, Ian (John Corbett from Sex and the City), is her family heritage, as she must marry a Greek guy to please her parents.
Created from the leading actress Nia Vardolos real-life experience, My Big Fat Greek Wedding portrays the life and tradition of a Greek-American family, especially their family values; this includes the role of extended family in the young heroine’s life, which is rare in the current fast pace society. The lesson learned in this endearing film is that love is not about race or origin of the person. As Gus Portokalos says in the film, “In the end, we’re all fruit.”