Plot: What’s it all about?
I’ll confess that I never saw the original My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I also confess that I had little desire to, despite the good buzz and continued Box Office success it received back in 2002. It’s hard to believe it’s taken 14 years to get a sequel to a film as successful as the first one. You’d figure producers would have been in a huge hurry to cash in while the iron is still hot. That didn’t happen, and here we are with the sequel now in 2016. While this film had a similar small budget like the original, and still turned a profit, it didn’t do nearly as well as the first one. And really, who was expecting it to? I can say after viewing this film that I definitely don’t see myself watching the original any time in the foreseeable future. If it’s anything like the sequel, that’s time of my life that I don’t want to give up. What we get here is a lazy, slow and overly annoying film filled with equally annoying and stereotypical characters. I couldn’t wait for the end credits to roll. Indeed, this was a long 90 some minutes.
This time the focus is on the character of Paris (Elena Kampouris) and where she will be going off to college. She’s a senior in High School, but we learn (through far too many scenes) that all her family members want her to stay close, and not move off. Well some do while the others have suggestions on where she should go. There’s also a lot of time getting us up to speed with all the characters. There are far too many to list here, but a lot of time is spent with Paris’s mother, Toula (Nia Vardalos) and her husband Ian (John Corbett). Toula cares for her parents and runs errands for them while Ian is now the school principal. We see the family go through a bit of financial hard times and so it goes. We get a lot of everything in this sequel. A bit too much despite the short running time. I suppose I say too much, because I cared so little about anyone or anything in this film. I’ve no idea how the original film is, but if it’s anything like this, then I fail to see how it was such a hit. So that all leaves us with a boring and dull film filled with characters and situations I cared nothing about. If you were a fan of the original and absolutely must see what this family has been up to, then by all means have at it. All others should steer clear from this atrocity.
Video: How’s it look?
We get a good, if unspectacular transfer here. Still, it gets the job done, I suppose. Everything seems as it should be, but nothing really pops, so to speak. The transfer is AVC encoded with a 2.40:1 ratio. Colors and all seem fine, but again, there’s nothing outstanding about it either. I suppose fans won’t complain too much, however.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Also serviceable, if unremarkable is the DTS HD track. One shouldn’t expect too much from a track to a film of this sort, and that’s about what you’ll get. Vocals and all are fine, but there’s nothing overly engaging here. Fans will likely take to it, but don’t expect to be blown away.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Gag Reel – Laugh along with the family as they make the film!
- My Big Fat Greek Dinner – Grab a seat, fill a plate and share a family meal with the cast of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2! Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Joey Fatone, Ian Gomez, Lainie Kazan and Michael Constantine take part in a round-table retrospective shot inside the now famous Portokalos family restaurant, Dancing Zorbas. This featurette includes an in-depth look at the making of the film, the gargantuan success of its predecessor and how one doesn’t have to be Greek to feel like a member of the Portokalos family!
- Making the Greekquel – An inside look at the making of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 featuring on-set footage plus cast and crew interviews to show what it takes to bring a fan favorite back to life. Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, and cast members share some behind the scenes secrets, and Elena Kampouris and director Kirk Jones talk about working alongside the original cast as they shoot the follow up to the 2002 blockbuster.
The Bottom Line
A case of too little, too late, Greek 2 is simply a dud. Nothing about it is amusing, memorable or even necessary. Any time you wait this long between films, you better deliver something close to special. This is far from it. I couldn’t wait for it to end. Skip it.
