Written and Directed by Nia Vardalos
Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Elias Kacavas, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Maria Vacratsis, Melina Kotselou, Anthi Andreopoulou, and Stephanie Nur

They say laughter is the best form of medicine. I don’t disagree one bit. Especially when that laughter can be derived from something saddening, such as the passing of Toula’s father. As it turns out though in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, this comedy needs a heavy dose of the medicine prescribed by Moviedoc in this review in order to have produced more laughter and joy than it ultimately does. 

This third (and hopefully final) instalment in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise does mark a couple of firsts. First, lead actress and writer Nia Vardalos takes a seat in the director’s chair. The other is the fact that My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is the first of the three movies to go back to its roots and be set and shot in Greece. What is the catalyst for this Portokalos overseas family vacation you might wonder? It is none other than a journal left by the late Gus prompting an extended family reunion in a tiny Corfu village with a population of 6. Yes, 6! No time is wasted getting to Greece, but as soon as the Portokalos’ arrive, buried family secrets and surprise developments await!

Let me start on a positive note. The initial ideas ostensibly driving this film; utilising the passing of real-life actor Michael Constantine to bring the characters of the franchise together again, setting the scene for a reunion and transporting them and us to Greece, are all great ones for multiple reasons. The forthcoming wedding, when it arrives, feels incidental in nature but is nonetheless special and gorgeously presented. I wish I could be more complimentary than that and genuinely wanted this third Greek Fat Wedding to be better than its awkward predecessor and a really good rom-com, just like the original. Unfortunately, this is where anything complimentary comes to an end and where the rest of the film works as well as dancing the Zorba to a death metal tune.

There is a distinct lack of creativity and imagination beyond the opening act that severely restricts this film in so many ways. It opts to confine itself to the same few locations and several main characters rather than utilising these facets to inject a fun sense of adventure into the comedy. This decision is especially inexplicable given the opportunity to showcase the stunning settings the filmmakers are surrounded by, yet we seldom and fleetingly see. Or how about digging a little deeper into the passing of Gus to generate genuine emotion and humour from this source as opposed to being mawkish and avoiding of his death? I concur turning My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 into a dramedy may not have been everyone’s preference if taken, but it would surely make for a more satisfying experience otherwise. Perhaps even exploring and showing us in a clever and endearing manner how being Greek in Greece differs from being Greek in America. No’p, none of these initiatives are thought of let alone seized upon.

Instead, we’re gifted a Greek platter consisting of exaggerated acting and mundane developments that result in the film being as stagnant as it is stale.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is showing in cinemas across Australia from September 7th.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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