Where I Watched It: Peacock
English Audio Description?: Yes
Somehow we got here. I blame Tom hanks. It’s hard to blame Tom Hanks for anything, but his Playtone label really helped the first Greek Wedding 20 years ago, and now we are finishing off a trilogy that never needed to be a trilogy. Why is there a Greek Wedding trilogy? The film was about a woman falling in love and getting married, if her Greek family and Windex didn’t get in the way first. The sequel allowed them to show these characters a little older, along with giving our main couple a child, and now the third film isn’t even about a wedding. It’s about taking their father’s ashes back to Greece. So, this should actually be called My Big Fat Greek Funeral.
Since the death in real life of Michael Constantine, who played the patriarch of this clan, I’m sure Nia Vardalos changed whatever plans she did have for a third film, and put it all on paying tribute to this wonderful character he created. Honestly, even though I question whether or not it exists, I won’t argue there isn’t an audience for this. There are people who love seeing this broad cast appear over and over, wedding or not, and this film isn’t any worse or less pointless than the sequel. In many ways, this mirrors the Hangover trilogy. The first one we can debate the merits of it being any kind of cinematic classic or what it contributed to film, but both sequels exist just for fans who want to see the same people doing the same silly shit together.
The difference for me would be that I enjoyed The Hangover more than My big Fat Greek Wedding, so the series started on a higher note. Also, the series dropped with each entry, whereas with the second and third Greek films, I think they are the same quality. I’d give them both the same grade. Both have only a fraction of the original wit, and rely on the ensemble and your love of that ensemble to get through the film.
The third film also decides to throw another curveball by benching Lanie Kazan by giving her character an advanced form of dementia. So, we have 100% lost the patriarch, and Kazan’s presence is really just a cameo. Those two actors are powerhouses, and you will notice their absence, even if this film tries to balance their loss with the fact that finally these guys are actually in Greece. They are seeing the sights, and doing their various subplots all over the Greek countryside as they look for a very special place where their father’s friends can commiserate and pay their respects.
I’ve read the criticisms from sighted critics about how Vardalos shot the film, and I can’t comment on those choices. but, the audio description probably could have immersed us even more in the Greek countryside, but there are also a ton of characters to keep track of. If Vardalos had been even bolder, and left the whole clan at home for most of the movie, this could have been a really personal journey for her character learning more about where she comes from, and more specifically where her father came from, but we gotta make sure Joey Fatone is getting work.
If you did not like the second, it’s very likely you will not like the third. however, if you are already a fan of the first two (and even the short-lived TV series), then this is just more of the same, even with two titans no longer along for the ride.
Final Grade: C+
