On Sept. 8, a 2000s favorite franchise released their third and final movie. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” premiered earning $23.9 million worldwide in its second weekend. The movie follows the Portokalos family on their journey to Greece after the passing of their father, uncle, grandfather and head of the house, Gus Portokalos.
The movie takes place roughly a year after the end of the second movie. It starts with the audience knowing that Gus Portakalos (Micheal Constantine) passed away and asked his middle child, Toula (Nia Vardalos) to go to Greece and give his diary to his three best friends. While her mother Maria (Lainie Kazan), who is ailing from Alzheimers, stays back with her oldest daughter, Toula, her husband Ian (John Corbett) and only a handful of the big Portakolas family head to Greece.
I had high expectations for this movie because I absolutely loved the first two. I relate to the family so well, and I always laugh to the point of tears while watching them. This movie did not disappoint. My expectations were met throughout the entire film and I walked out laughing with tears in my eyes.
First off, this movie did fantastic with maintaining the values and themes that viewers loved from the previous movies. I think that it did very well with covering the topics of loss, grief and having to band together as a family. As someone who has gone through these things, it was very touching and uplifting to watch in the theater.
Secondly, the jokes and comedy were perfectly fitted for this movie, my favorite lines being delivered by my favorite character Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin). She is so funny and really embodies her character, allowing so many people to relate. She also reminds me so much of my own grandma that I cannot help but love her.
This movie had a new director (Nia Vardalos) for the production, and, honestly, the value did not dip at all. The average viewer would not be able to tell the difference between the directors throughout the movies, and the writing of this movie was very well done. Although many people in the theater were of an older age group, I thoroughly believe that a younger audience can watch this movie with the same response as anyone else.
All in all, this movie touched me both emotionally and comically. It made me laugh and tear up. I would highly recommend this movie for anyone who wants a good laugh, no matter the group. The cinematography, acting, writing and setting all came together to complete a beautiful story.
