A Heartwarming Reunion With Too Many Subplots

The Portokalos household is again in My Huge Fats Greek Wedding ceremony 3, they usually’re nonetheless as chaotic and fun-loving as ever. In the case of comedy sequels, it’s exhausting to recreate the magic of the unique. Nia Vardalos, who wrote My Huge Fats Greek Wedding ceremony and wrote/directed its third installment, has at all times tried her finest to take action with the fabric, however it by no means landed in fairly the identical method. I noticed my family within the Portokalos clan and seeing them as soon as once more on this sequel sparks pleasure — it’s like reuniting with household after years of distance. However whereas the sentiment behind the third movie is real, and the story is crammed with just a few enjoyable, candy, and heartfelt moments, there are too many subplots that don’t converge cohesively by the top.

Toula (Vardalos), Ian (John Corbett), their daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris), and different members of the Portokalos household — together with the beloved Theia Voula (Andrea Martin) and Toula’s brother Nick (Louis Mandylor) — journey to Greece for a reunion. Toula plans the journey to honor her late father Gus (Michael Constantine, who handed away in 2021), who made her promise to present his journal to the three finest buddies he grew up with in Greece. Their plans are difficult by the truth that Gus’ city has dwindled in inhabitants, and its self-appointed mayor, Toula’s distant cousin Victory (Melina Kotselou), has targets of her personal. In the meantime, the offended Alexandra (Anthi Andreopoulou), who knew Gus, is hiding an enormous secret.

My Huge Fats Greek Wedding ceremony 3 isn’t a return to type, however it does really feel like getting a giant hug from a fiercely loving household. The sequel was truly filmed in Greece, and every location is visually breathtaking. Theia Voula remains to be the funniest character. Her dialogue — “We discover a answer utilizing threats and guilt,” and “Taki and I used to make out a lot my lips are nonetheless chapped” — is crammed with verve, and Martin’s line supply by no means fails to elicit laughter. In her script, Vardalos additionally 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 good, however the effort is sweet, as is the marriage — a should in a movie that has “marriage ceremony” in its title — that brings everybody collectively. The place the movie falters is in its a number of subplots. It’s like Vardalos needed to make sure that each character had one thing to do, however the disparate storylines felt haphazard in execution. There have been so a lot of them that the dearth of focus was apparent from one scene to the following, and it tremendously affected the movie’s pacing. Sure scenes, particularly the heartfelt ones, may have been longer, if solely to permit us to take a seat within the emotion and humor that’s doled out in equal measure.

The movie’s coronary heart is in the precise place, however there’s an excessive amount of occurring to completely take in all the pieces in any significant method. Had the story maintained its deal with Toula’s plan to seek out Gus’ buddies, or arrange a correct battle between her and Nick’s separate, however equally touching, endeavor, My Huge Fats Greek Wedding ceremony 3 would have tremendously benefited. The humor is current, however the laughs are few and much between. For such a chaotic household, the Portokalos’ appear muted in a movie crammed with celebration and heat. Don’t get me unsuitable, the movie remains to be very watchable, and it has a whole lot of coronary heart that makes up for its general lack of focus and sure emotional throughlines. However the place cohesiveness and pacing are involved, this sequel leaves so much to be desired.

My Huge Fats Greek Wedding ceremony is now taking part in in theaters. The movie is 91 minutes lengthy and rated PG-13 for suggestive materials and a few nudity.