Director: Nia Vardalos
Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Gia Carides, Elias Kacavas, Maria Vacratsis
Distributor: Universal
Runtime: 92 mins. Reviewed in Sep 2023
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc

| |

Rating notes: Mild sexual references

After travelling to Greece for a family reunion, a woman attempts to locate her deceased father’s childhood friends.

Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Gia Carides, Elias Kacavas, Maria Vacratsis. Directed by Nia Vardalos. 92 minutes. Rated PG (Mild sexual references).

This is a rather moderately fat Greek-Syrian wedding on the island of Corfu. It’s a happy celebration, but not the central event. Rather, this is a family expedition back to Greece. Toula (Vardalos), Ian (Corbett), Nick (Mandylor), the aunts (Martin and Vacratsis), and the next generation going back to the village where Toula’s father came from. He has now died – and the film opens with a great deal of nostalgia, some scenes from the first two Big Fat Greek Wedding movies (2003/2016) and a great number of photos reminding us of the presence of Michael Constantine, the restaurant, and his initial laments about Toula and her marrying Ian. Kazan has a cameo role as the mother Maria, who is in and out of memory loss, but gives the expedition her blessing.

As before, this is a raucous Greek comedy, in which any introvert could not survive. It is all loud, everyone in on the action, singing and dancing, arguments and reconciliations, and the importance of family, near cousins, distant cousins, and everybody included.

This film has been written and directed by Vardalos resuming her role as Toula, the anchor in the family, happily married to Ian for 20 years, having to pick up after her brother, Nick, who gets into all kinds of oddball situations but has the great desire to bring his father’s ashes to Greece and fertilise a plant near the oldest tree on the island with the ashes.

There are loud farewells at the airport in Chicago. There is initial chaos on the plane with Aunt Voula (Martin) wanting to take over as usual. It is quieter at Athens airport where they are overcome with the views of the city. Toula and Ian’s daughter, Paris (Kampouris) appeared in the second film but now, at college, has problems, breaking off with Aristotle (Kacavas) who turns up at the airport to support Aunt Voula.

More wonderful Greek island scenery. More family tangles. Toula has her father’s precious notebook which she intends to give to his three old friends from a photograph in their happy days. Can they be found? Cousins to the rescue, and ultimate success despite apprehensions the whole thing will be a failure – except that they will have the consolation of the Greek-Syrian wedding.

All’s well that ends well even if it emerges from raucous chaos. Some naysayers declared that this film was unnecessary. Well, maybe, but the fans of big fat Greek weddings will be eager to see it nonetheless. (And the romance of the next generation is an obvious foundation for Wedding 4.)