I find it unfathomable that this film was the breakout hit of last year. My only guess is that it drove people to the theatre who were excited that it was low on curse words and sex. Which is fine, but I wish that they could have added a bit of humor or drama.
There has been a lot of crowing about the crass stereotypes in this film, to which I can only respond "what stereotypes?" These characters are drawn so flimsily that they don't even reach the level of stereotypes. Michael Constantine, playing the supposedly charming and wacky father, is colorless except for an obsession with Greek root words and the healing powers of Windex. Are you laughing yet? I hope so, because that's all you get.
But at least Constantine has a couple of defining character traits. We learn nothing about the other characters except that they are Greek. Well, Greek and obnoxious. This movie would have us believe that Greek Americans' life revolves entirely around their ethinicity, and yet the only defining thing about being Greek is that you sit around and constantly discuss the fact that you are Greek.
For contrast, we have Corbett's parents, who embody some nightmare thumbnail sketch of Waspish stereotype. Surreally quiet and psychotically uncomfortable, they act as if they've never met a mediterranean before. The exchange of idiocies when the WASP mother tries to explain to the apparently retarded Greek mother that the cake she brought to dinner is a bundt cake is one of the more cringe inducing comedy moments here.
Another reviewer here remarked, as if it were a good thing, that the observations in this movie could be easily applied to any number of ethnic groups. I wholeheartedly agree, and add that all it would take to turn it into My Big Fat Italian (Jewish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Armenian, Spanish, etc.) Wedding would be a quick find/replace command on the screenwriter's laptop.
When a movie's highest moment of tension comes from a wedding morning zit (a problem solved minutes later by a stick of cover up) you know you're dealing with a limp excuse for a film.
I'm not asking for The Graduate here, but frankly I can't find a thing about this movie that is worth your time or money. But, apparently, America disagrees, so this movie made over 200 million bucks and is not being turned into the sitcom it always more or less resembled. Go figure.
There has been a lot of crowing about the crass stereotypes in this film, to which I can only respond "what stereotypes?" These characters are drawn so flimsily that they don't even reach the level of stereotypes. Michael Constantine, playing the supposedly charming and wacky father, is colorless except for an obsession with Greek root words and the healing powers of Windex. Are you laughing yet? I hope so, because that's all you get.
But at least Constantine has a couple of defining character traits. We learn nothing about the other characters except that they are Greek. Well, Greek and obnoxious. This movie would have us believe that Greek Americans' life revolves entirely around their ethinicity, and yet the only defining thing about being Greek is that you sit around and constantly discuss the fact that you are Greek.
For contrast, we have Corbett's parents, who embody some nightmare thumbnail sketch of Waspish stereotype. Surreally quiet and psychotically uncomfortable, they act as if they've never met a mediterranean before. The exchange of idiocies when the WASP mother tries to explain to the apparently retarded Greek mother that the cake she brought to dinner is a bundt cake is one of the more cringe inducing comedy moments here.
Another reviewer here remarked, as if it were a good thing, that the observations in this movie could be easily applied to any number of ethnic groups. I wholeheartedly agree, and add that all it would take to turn it into My Big Fat Italian (Jewish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Armenian, Spanish, etc.) Wedding would be a quick find/replace command on the screenwriter's laptop.
When a movie's highest moment of tension comes from a wedding morning zit (a problem solved minutes later by a stick of cover up) you know you're dealing with a limp excuse for a film.
I'm not asking for The Graduate here, but frankly I can't find a thing about this movie that is worth your time or money. But, apparently, America disagrees, so this movie made over 200 million bucks and is not being turned into the sitcom it always more or less resembled. Go figure.