My Big Fat Greek Wedding

You know, it seems like it was just earlier this week that I was mentioning how I generally dislike romances, and yet here I am giving another one a positive review, and one that also performs the added sin of focusing heavily on ethnic humor. I’m terrified at the thought that I may be turning into a softie in my advanced age. Clearly the only solution is for me to start plowing through some old Julia Roberts movies so I can get my hate on in full.

There’s two main reasons I like this movie. One is that, while it is a funny movie, its humor flows naturally out of the characters, and outside of a few moments here and there (mainly frontloaded into the first few minutes of the film), it doesn’t feel at all forced or awkward. Even all the attention paid to ethnic jokes, which I normally can’t stand, works out fairly well here, though the film still works best when the characters are just allowed to bounce off of each other rather than going out of its way to call attention to how wacky and different Greek people are.

The other reason is how, unlike in most romances, there’s no real major conflict to be had. It’s basically a story of two people meeting, falling in love, and aside from some minor clashes with parents, get married with no troubles. It’s a very refreshing change from most romances, where the characters have to awkwardly turn themselves into crazy people in the third act just to artificially create conflict where none goes naturally. For those of you who only watch horror movies, this is the equivalent of that guy that still refuses to believe anything supernatural is going on even after his girlfriend has started floating and zombies have eaten all the throwaway character. It’s just irritating, and I’m rather grateful this film doesn’t include that nonsense.

If you’re looking for a great film filled with dramatic tension and power, this film is absolutely going to let you down. If, however, you’re just looking for something that’s pleasant and sweet, that’s moderately funny and finishes things off with a happy ending, then by all means, check this out.

Rating: ***