Some 14 years ago, My Big Fat Greek Wedding surprised just about everyone. The low-budget comedy found an enormous audience, becoming a box office behemoth and raking in over $368 million dollars worldwide. A long time has passed since that first movie… and probably for good reason. It didn’t exactly leave any lingering questions about the fates of its characters.
Regardless, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 reunites just about everyone from the first film and attempts to make a go of it once again. In the years since the original, Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) have settled into their suburban lives in Chicago. Unfortunately, parenthood, careers and family drama have exhausted the pair and they find themselves struggling to spend time together.
The most immediate concern is for their daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris), who is preparing for university and struggling with the overbearing, suffocating nature of her parents and relatives. All issues come to a head when it is revealed that the marriage vow of two family members wasn’t made official and a new ceremony is required – that is, if they choose to be remarried.
Perhaps the big problem here is a strong lack of drama. Indeed, the movie really has to strain to create any kind of tension. The problems of Toula and Ian are pretty minor at their worst, forcing the gags to make up for the lack of conflict. Just like the original, the humor is very big and very broad. Unfortunately, it also involves rehashing a lot of old gags and odd mannerisms from the first film – be it Windex jokes or the family patriarch continuing to ramble about everything on the planet having a Greek origin.
But while much of it is familiar, at least the cast are engaged and do their best to make something out of nothing. Once the main story conflict is introduced, there are a couple of funny moments and even an off-handed joke in which Toula startles husband Ian that earns a laugh. The aggressive Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) ekes out a laugh here and there and sight gags of elderly Mana-Yiayia (Bess Meisler) doing odd things like running a large metal floor cleaner earn a smile (although by the sixth or seventh cutaway, it loses its humor).
By the end, what little trouble there is resolves itself in a predictable manner, further emphasizing the importance of family. Truthfully, it could have been much worse, but it’s all pretty bland. There are a few gags that work in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, but there’s nothing particularly memorable about it.
This is one of those kinds of films that you might watch on TV Sunday afternoon while doing something else. It’s genial enough, but there’s little about it that is unique or as compelling as the original.