jbrumundsmith
In general, if you are going to do a sequel to a comedy, do it in the first few years after the original. The recent trend of releasing a sequel decades after the original has produced nothing but awful results. While Anchorman 2 and Dumb and Dumber To are obvious examples. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is not only less funny than those two, it has less of a point too. Even people who were big fans of the original are probably wondering why this movie even exists.The plot is pretty straightforward, which is fine for a comedy. Just make us laugh a lot, feel a little, and get attached to the characters, and plot does not matter all that much. We feel for the characters a little bit, especially Gus and Paris. As a matter of fact, Gus's character is a little too tragic for a comedy. There is nothing funny about the way he is treated or redeemed.As far as funny moments go, there are very few in this movie. The writers go to the well four times for a joke that only worked once: the fact that there are no secrets in Greek families. The first time that there was a minor problem and the entire family showed up en mass, it was funny. The second, third and fourth times, it became obvious there just were no real other sources of comedy in this movie.Like most comedy sequels, the movie uses much the same formula as the original. And like most comedy sequels, the same schlock is not nearly as funny the second time around. Jokes are not set up properly, characters are not put in the appropriate situations, and overall the film just falls flat.See this is you wish, but lower your expectations. This is not a fun, family romp. It is almost embarrassingly bad at times, and only occasionally will make you chuckle.
leonblackwood
Review: After the popular original movie, the Portokalos family are back, with there crazy Greek morals and unique family values. I personally thought that the original was much better than this sequel, mainly because it was fresh, well written and funny throughout. Anyway, this story see's Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) years in the future, happily married with there teenage girl Paris (Elena Kampouris), who feels like an outsider from the rest of the Portokalos family, because of there strict traditions and the fact that they are always in each others business. With her grandfather Gus (Michael Constantine) trying to find her a perfect husband and her mum and dad wanting her to go to a college nearby, she finds it hard to find a boyfriend because she feels like an outsider in school. Meanwhile Gus and his wife, Maria (Lainie Kazan) realise that they haven't been married after being together for years, because there wasn't a signature from the priest, on there martial papers, so they plan to get married with the whole family helping them with the preparations. During all of this commotion, Toula and Ian try to rekindle the spark, which they feel has been missing for some time but they are constantly interrupted by Toula's family, who always need her help. There is enough material in the storyline to keep the audience interested throughout but I just didn't find it that funny. Gus did make me laugh in a few of the scenes, and Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) had some crazy morals but apart from that, it wasn't as funny as the first movie. Anyway, it's light humour for the whole family, which I'm sure some people can relate to but I personally found it a bit annoying after a while. Average!Round-Up: This movie was written by Nia Vardalos, 54, who also wrote the first movie, and directed by UK born, Kirk Jones, 52, who also brought you Waking Ned Devine, Nanny McPhee, Everybody's Fine and What to Expect When You're Expecting, which wasn't that great. He's obviously a director whose into family values, mixed with comedy but I'm surprised that they didn't go with the original director, Joel Zwick, who done a great job bringing this unusual family to the big screen. Although I didn't find this movie that great, it did make a hell of a profit at the box office, mainly because of the popularity of the first movie, so there was obviously a huge audience that wanted to see the Portokalos family, once again. If they come out with a third movie, I would like to see something a bit more original, which pushes the boundaries, because the comedy seemed a bit safe in this film. Budget: $18million Worldwide Gross: $89millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their family/romance/comedies, starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone and Rob Riggle. 4/10
