A Reel 20: MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING

“My family is big and loud, but they’re my family.”

This month marks the 20^th anniversary of MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. 

 

An Academy Award nominee and sleeper hit that would become the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, GREEK WEDDING tells the story of Fotoula “Toula” Portokalos; a middle-class Greek American woman who balances her love life with the demands of her very traditional Greek family. The film’s origins go back to 1997, when it was a one-woman play written by and starring Nia Vardalos. The play gained the attention of Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, who decided to produce a film version. 

 

With the play and screenplay based on Vardalos’ life and marriage, she was a natural fit as the lead actress and author of the script. On screen she was joined by John Corbett as her love interest and fiancée, Lainie Kazan as her mother, and the late great Michael Constantine as her father. The rest of the cast would include Andrea Martin, Louis Mandylor, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, and Ian Gomez. Director Joel Zwick, who had a TV career in directing episodes of LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, BOSOM BUDDIES, PERFECT STRANGERS, and FULL HOUSE, would be brought on to direct. Filming would take place in Toronto and Chicago. 

 

GREEK WEDDING was initially released in the United States in April of 2002 before moving to a wide release worldwide in the summer. It was a sleeper hit and grew steadily during its theatrical run. Despite never hitting the number one spot, it would become one of the top romantic films of the 21^st century. It would finish as the fifth highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S. and Canada, and 9^th worldwide. At the 75^th Academy Awards, it would be nominated for Best Original Screenplay, and would earn top nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild, and Writers Guild. The film would span a sequel and short-lived TV series. 

 

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In the Spring and Summer of 2002, this Blogger was busy seeing blockbusters in the theatre such as STAR WARS, SPIDER-MAN, and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS…and simply did not have the time to see a romantic comedy. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when my wife-to-be had me watch it…and it was love at first sight. It didn’t take long to see why the film earned accolades for its screenplay, as the witty, funny, and to-the-point writing fully captured not just Greek culture, but the family dynamics that we all go through during a new romance and a wedding. From wedding decisions to the eccentricities of family, GREEK WEDDING captures it all, and has a little bit of everyone in its story. 

 

“In the end, we’re all fruit!”