Toula Portakalos (Nia Vardalos) feels trapped in her large Greek family, where women are expected to do only three things: "marry Greek men, have Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day they die." Rebelling against this fate, Toula quits the family restaurant, goes to college, fixes her hair, and falls in love with Ian (John Corbett), a guy who is way-too-good-to-be-true, and not Greek. This horrifies Toula's Greek culture-crazed father (Michael Constantine) and sets off a major culture clash between her loud, eccentric family (whose activities include roasting whole lambs on the front-yard barbecue spit) and Ian's subdued, overcivilized Anglo-Saxon parents.
Based on Vardalos' own autobiographical one-woman play, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING is that rare romantic comedy that has the courage to trust its simple, human story and not resort to overwrought Hollywood sentimentality and phony glamour (all the characters in the film look and act like real people). It's also filled with big, fat, crowd-pleasing laughs, making it a wedding most worth attending. Co-produced by Tom Hanks, the movie is set in Chicago, but was filmed in Toronto. The spirited cast includes Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin (of SCTV fame) as Toula's mom and aunt.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Snap Case
Single Side - Dual Layer
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Full Frame - 1.33
Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Stereo 2.0 - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary: Nia Vardalos - Star/Screenwriter, John Corbett - Star, Joel Zwick - Director
Text/Photo Galleries:
Biographies:
1. Nia Vardalos - Star/Screenwriter
2. John Corbett - Star
3. Joel Zwick - Star
4. Andrea Martin - Star
Executive Producer
Norm Waitt: Executive Producer, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002)
Executive Producer
Paul Brooks: Producer, WHITE NOISE (2004)
Executive Producer
Steve Sharsian: Executive Producer, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002)
Director of Photography
Jeffre Juhr: Director of Photography, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002)
Review 1:
"...Heartfelt and hilarious in ways you can't fake. It's a keeper..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.80 05/09/2002
Review 2:
"...Agreeable....It has a good-natured personality..."
Source: Hollywood Reporter
p.38-43 04/17/2002
Review 3:
"...[A] warm-hearted slice of life..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.5 07/28/2002
Review 4:
"...The film offers some sweet and silly moments....Heartwarming..."
Source: Box Office
p.57 05/01/2002
Review 5:
"...Engaging and perky....An enjoyable prattle of the sexes..."
Source: Total Film
p.131 10/01/2002
Review 6:
"...[Vardalos] is worth all the fuss..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
02/14/2003