Editor’s note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
The Portokalos family is back in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, and they’re still as chaotic and fun-loving as ever. When it comes to comedy sequels, it’s hard to recreate the magic of the original. Nia Vardalos, who wrote My Big Fat Greek Wedding and wrote/directed its third installment, has always tried her best to do so with the material, but it never landed in quite the same way. I saw my own family in the Portokalos clan and seeing them once again in this sequel sparks joy — it’s like reuniting with family after years of distance. But while the sentiment behind the third film is genuine, and the story is filled with a few fun, sweet, and heartfelt moments, there are too many subplots that don’t converge cohesively by the end.
Toula (Vardalos), Ian (John Corbett), their daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris), and other members of the Portokalos family — including the beloved Theia Voula (Andrea Martin) and Toula’s brother Nick (Louis Mandylor) — travel to Greece for a reunion. Toula plans the trip to honor her late father Gus (Michael Constantine, who passed away in 2021), who made her promise to give his journal to the three best friends he grew up with in Greece. Their plans are complicated by the fact that Gus’ town has dwindled in population, and its self-appointed mayor, Toula’s distant cousin Victory (Melina Kotselou), has goals of her own. Meanwhile, the angry Alexandra (Anthi Andreopoulou), who knew Gus, is hiding a huge secret.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 isn’t a return to form, but it does feel like getting a big hug from a fiercely loving family. The sequel was actually filmed in Greece, and each location is visually breathtaking. Theia Voula is still the funniest character. Her dialogue — “We find a solution using threats and guilt,” and “Taki and I used to make out so much my lips are still chapped” — is filled with verve, and Martin’s line delivery never fails to elicit laughter. In her script, Vardalos also acknowledges Syrian refugees in Greece and the xenophobia they face, which stems largely from Alexandra’s views of Qamar (Stephanie Nur) marrying her grandson Christos (Giannis Vasilottos).
It’s not perfect, but the effort is nice, as is the wedding — a must in a film that has “wedding” in its title — that brings everyone together. Where the film falters is in its multiple subplots. It’s like Vardalos wanted to ensure that every character had something to do, but the disparate storylines felt haphazard in execution. There were so many of them that the lack of focus was obvious from one scene to the next, and it greatly affected the film’s pacing. Certain scenes, especially the heartfelt ones, could have been longer, if only to allow us to sit in the emotion and humor that is doled out in equal measure.
The film’s heart is in the right place, but there is too much going on to fully absorb everything in any meaningful way. Had the story maintained its focus on Toula’s plan to find Gus’ friends, or set up a proper conflict between her and Nick’s separate, but equally touching, endeavor, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 would have greatly benefited. The humor is present, but the laughs are few and far between. For such a chaotic family, the Portokalos’ seem muted in a film filled with celebration and warmth. Don’t get me wrong, the film is still very watchable, and it has a lot of heart that makes up for its overall lack of focus and certain emotional throughlines. But where cohesiveness and pacing are concerned, this sequel leaves a lot to be desired.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is now playing in theaters. The film is 91 minutes long and rated PG-13 for suggestive material and some nudity.
Key Release Date
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Release Date:2023-09-08
