Cutting up the neighborhood

Let me begin by saying that, yes, I had a big, fat Greek wedding. It was performed in the shadow of the dome of the church where my grandfather had once been priest. Our reception took place in the church basement, where I was surrounded by my extremely large and loving Greek family. So I bring a certain amount of expertise when I echo the words of my (non-Greek) wife, who said upon viewing My Big Fat Greek Wedding: "I don't know any Greeks like this."

Caricature can be an effective comic tool, but it can cross easily over into ridicule or ridiculousness. I don't object in principle to the rampant use of caricature and stereotyping, except when their overuse makes a film inherently unfunny, which is certainly the case here.

Based on an autobiographical one-woman stage play by ex-Second City performer Nia Vardalos (who also wrote the script and plays the lead), Greek Wedding concerns a 30-year-old Greek girl named Toula, who still lives with her parents in Chicago (the film was actually shot in Toronto) and whose self-esteem is lower than the hem on her drab brown skirts. All that changes when this ugly Hellenic duckling meets Prince Charming, a handsome English teacher named Ian. They fall in love and decide to marry over the protestations of her family, who don't like the fact that Ian is a non-Greek vegetarian. This leads to a series of predictable scenes involving Ian's straitlaced, white bread, Protestant parents (you don't think they'll get drunk at a party, do you?) and a few lame gags such as a zit appearing on Toula's face on her wedding day.