★★
A critique typically levelled at Nia Vardalos’ Massive Fats Greek Wedding ceremony movies is that every, to date, has performed largely as may a protracted sitcom episode. There’s irony there. In any case, the precise sitcom spun from 2002’s unique sleeper hit proved a stonking miss. Followers slept on that one. Kirk Jones’ ‘lengthy awaited’ 2016 sequel proved extra profitable and now right here comes a 3rd. It’s a extra of the identical providing from Vardalos, who directs along with writing and producing for the primary time, and is greatest associated to the films typically born of sitcom origins. Sure, My Massive Fats Greek Wedding ceremony 3 is a vacation romp. Run out of concepts? Ship your common characters elsewhere on the planet. The method is tried, drained, and examined. It’s some not inconsiderable mercy that Vardalos’ returning forged stay so essentially likeable.
The plot is a story by necessity, owing to the passing of Michael Constantine two years since. His Gus, father of Vardalos’ Toula, maintains a robust presence right here. There’s the shonky picture body opener, the golden urn on the Portokalos mantelpiece and the legacy that’s his settled familia. It’s, in fact, Toula who should carry the weightiest inheritant burden. She is bequeathed the duty of delivering Gus’ immigration diary to his outdated, lengthy misplaced buddies. They who remained behind within the homeland as Gus set forth in the hunt for a brand new life. This mission fortuitously coincides with a letter from the mayor of Gus’ childhood city, inviting one and all to a slap up competition of reunion. There might hardly be a greater alternative for the journey of a lifetime.
Even by the featherlight customary set by its predecessors, My Massive Fats Greek Wedding ceremony 3 is critically poor in heft. It’s a movie wherein dramatic time and weight are assigned to the seek for an outdated tree and the transient doubt as as to whether or not the townsfolk can handle to shift a rock that’s been blocking the native mountain stream. There’s by no means any doubt that Toula will ultimately observe down her father’s outdated homeland homies however, even so, Vardalos struggles to current a case that anybody ought to care both means. The movie merely ambles alongside, solely escaping the texture of flatness towards the tip. What with the Grecian setting and plot comparisons to Ol Parker’s Right here We Go Once more, it’s laborious to flee the notion that that is simply Mamma Mia with out the ABBA. Think about for a second being confronted with Sophie’s deeply trivial plights however not having the promise that later Cher will pop up for a random rendition of Fernando. That’s it to a tee.
None of that is to say that there’s something particularly unlikeable right here. It’s true, the set items creak like an outdated Greek taverna however a gentle stream of 1 liners elicit a good roster of chuckles. Most of those are afforded Andrea Martin and Maria Vacratsis’ scene-stealing aunties, Voula and Frieda. ‘I don’t gossip. I tattle story,’ says the previous, whereas the superstitious latter launches handfuls of salt over her shoulder and into unsuspecting faces. Vardalos herself glistens with undiminished charisma, ably matched by a matured John Corbett. The youthful contingent, Elena Kampouris’ Paris and Elias Kacavas’ Aristotle, battle with much less developed roles however there’s a pleasant flip for newcomer Melina Kotselou, who does nicely to circumnavigate an irksome catch phrase and convey pathos – Greek phrase! – to dotty optimist Victory.
That, on the very least, the movie does nicely. We’d really feel like intruders on the occasion, slightly than a part of the household itself, however the emotional soul right here rings true. This may definitely be the ultimate providing for the franchise however there’s one thing reassuring in realizing that the Portokalos clan will dwell on in Vardalos’ coronary heart and thoughts. The love and regard with which her forged and crew maintain her is no doubt.
T.S.
