NationMaster - Encyclopedia: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 romantic comedy film written by and starring Nia Vardalos and directed by Joel Zwick. It was the fifth highest grossing movie of 2002 in the USA, with USD$241,438,208. It is the highest-grossing film to never have been number 1 on the weekly North American box-office charts. In 2003, it was nominated for an Academy Award, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. The DVD release in North America includes a Greek subtitle option. Image File history File links My_Big_Fat_Greek_Wedding_movie_poster. ... Joel Zwick, born January 11, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, USA is an American director of movies and television shows. ... Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, Emmy-winning director, voice-over artist, writer, and movie producer. ... Rita Wilson (born October 26, 1956)[1] is an American actress and producer. ... Antonia Eugenia Vardalos, better known as Nia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), is a Canadian actress, screenwriter and producer. ... Antonia Eugenia Vardalos, better known as Nia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), is a Canadian actress, screenwriter and producer. ... John Corbett as Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City John Corbett (May 9, 1961 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is an American actor who has co-starred in two successful television series to date: Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995 and Sex and the City (spanning 20 episodes from 2001... Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine on May 15, 1940 in New York City) is an American actress and singer. ... Michael Constantine (Born 22 May 1927) is a Greek American actor. ... Ian Gomez is an american actor with notable roles on The Drew Carey Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm. ... â€œWBâ€ redirects here. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. ... Romantic comedy films are movies with light-hearted, humorous dramatic stories centered around romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles [1] or the perfect couple. ... Antonia Eugenia Vardalos, better known as Nia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), is a Canadian actress, screenwriter and producer. ... Joel Zwick, born January 11, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, USA is an American director of movies and television shows. ... USD redirects here. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ...

Plot

The movie is centered on Toula, a Greek-American woman (Nia Vardalos, who also wrote the script), who falls in love with a non-Greek American, Ian (played by John Corbett). The movie also examines the protagonist's relationship with her family, with their cultural heritage and value system, which is sometimes rocky but ends with mutual appreciation. A Greek American is a citizen of the United States, who is of Greek heritage or descent. ... John Corbett as Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City John Corbett (May 9, 1961 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is an American actor who has co-starred in two successful television series to date: Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995 and Sex and the City (spanning 20 episodes from 2001... Greece is often referred to as the cradle of Western civilisation and ancient Athens was considered to be its center. ...

Aside from going through a midlife crisis, Toula has been unlucky in love and in life, and as she narrates in the opening sequence, it is shown that she is the only girl who failed in her family in Greek terms: she has not married a Greek boy, made Greek babies, and fed everyone. Girls who fail, like Toula, are stuck running the family restaurant, "Dancing Zorba's." In this way, Toula opens as a swarthy, cynical character who wishes she were just happier. Upon leaving her twenties and hitting 30, she believes she has not changed for much better and is headed for disaster. While hosting guests at the restaurant, she makes eye contact with Ian Miller, a school teacher, and Toula embarrasses herself. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Faith No More. ...

She makes a resolution to undergo some change, so after she unsuccessfully tries to talk her stubborn father, Gus, into letting her go to college for computer applications, her mother Maria intervenes and easily gets her into going to school. After a short montage, Toula has been taking computer classes, beautifying herself (swapping her Coke-bottle glasses for contacts, putting on blush) and attends a seminar for computers in tourism. Hyped from discovering the seminar, she realizes she could get a job at her Aunt Voula's travel agency. A plan formulates: Toula will work for the travel agency while Voula and her husband Taki take a vacation, and Nikki, their daughter and Toula's cousin, works for the restaurant.

While working for the travel agency, she has grown energized, happy and attractive. One day, she notices that a stranger, Ian, has been looking through the window while she has been working, and after making continuous eye contact, Ian and Toula finally introduce each other and go out for dinner. When Toula is urged to talk about her family life, Ian discovers that she was, in fact, the once-frumpy woman hosting the guests in the restaurant. In spite of this, he tells Toula that he just wants to spend some time with her, and they share their first kiss.

Trying to keep her deepening affair with Ian a secret from her nosy family, Toula pretends to be going to a night pottery class. The jig is up when Toula's cousin Nikki bursts through the travel agency door, and gives her a "heads up" that she was seen kissing Ian "in the parking lot" and the news has gotten to Toula's family. The next scene shows Toula sitting unhappily with her mother while dad Gus throws a fit, and Yiayia (the grandmother) takes the opportunity for a quick nip from a bottle. When Toula realizes she really loves Ian, Gus sets up a plan to bring in proper (i.e. Greek) suitors for dinner every night in an attempt to keep Toula in the house at night. Ian tries to make peace with her family by going to her house and asking permission to date her, to which Gus stubbornly refuses. Despite this, Toula and Ian still manage to visit his apartment and meet his parents, who are as straightlaced and conservative as her family is demonstrative.

While in bed at night, Ian proposes to Toula, who accepts, and Gus is ultimately forced to accept it also. Tentatively, he holds Ian's baptism at the Greek Orthodox Church right before Easter, and at the family's Easter festival, it is discovered that Ian is a vegetarian -- a brief crisis for the entire family -- and that he has a lot of trouble pronouncing Greek words. (If he tries to say Khristos Anesti (Christ is risen), he will sound like he is saying, Cheese straws are nasty.) This becomes a popular running gag. The younger males of the family play a series of practical jokes on Ian, such as telling him that the correct Greek phrase for summoning the guests is "έχω τρία αρχίδια" (which, in fact, means "I have three testicles").

As the year passes the wedding planning hits snag after snag as Toula's relatives "helpfully" interfere. Toula is horrified to learn that her parents invited the entire family to a "quiet" dinner, and the Millers, unused to such cultural fervor, are woefully uncomfortable. After the party, Gus, too, easily sees the rift between the families, and still has trouble accepting it.

On the day of the wedding, Toula has a large pimple on her face and morning madness breaks out. She manages to cover it up with foundation, and Maria unveils the hideous "snow-beast" wedding dress. Everyone attends the wedding with no interruption, and everyone goes to the reception, where a party has started and the Millers begin to enjoy the Greek partying lifestyle. The event was a success for everyone.

As the movie closes, it is revealed that Gus and Maria have bought their daughter a house (being over-zealous, right next door to them) and the Millers had a daughter named Paris. Toula tells Paris that even though she has to go to Greek school, she can marry anyone she wants to.

Cast

Antonia Eugenia Vardalos, better known as Nia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), is a Canadian actress, screenwriter and producer. ... John Corbett as Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City John Corbett (May 9, 1961 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is an American actor who has co-starred in two successful television series to date: Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995 and Sex and the City (spanning 20 episodes from 2001... Michael Constantine (Born 22 May 1927) is a Greek American actor. ... Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine on May 15, 1940 in New York City) is an American actress and singer. ... Andrea Martin (born January 15, 1947) is a Tony Award-winning American actor and comedienne. ... Louis Mandylor is a Greek Australian film and television actor. ... Gia Carides (born June 7, 1964 in Sydney, Australia) is a Greek-Australian actress. ... Jayne Eastwood is a Canadian comic actress. ... Joseph Anthony Fatone, Jr. ... Fiona Reid (born 1951 in England) is a Canadian television and film actor. ... AngÃ©lica AragÃ³n (born as AngÃ©lica Espinoza Stransky July 11, 1953 in Mexico City) is a Mexican actress of telenovelas and such films as Dune, A Walk in the Clouds, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and the blockbuster film Sexo, Pudor y LÃ¡grimas. ...

Location and release dates

The film was shot in Toronto and Chicago. Toronto's Ryerson University and Greektown neighborhood feature prominently in the film. Despite its writer being from Winnipeg, and the use of Toronto for location shots, the movie was set in Chicago. Walking tours of Greektown on Danforth Avenue point out scene locations. Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ... Ryerson University is a public university located in downtown Toronto, Canada. ... Greektown brightens Christmas and winter at Alexander the Great park. ... Danforth Avenue is a east-west route in east Toronto. ...

Reception and performance

Wedding became a surprise hit and grew steadily from its limited release. An independent film with a meager $5 million budget, it ultimately grossed over $368 million worldwide. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 77% of reviewing North American film critics liked the movie, with 92 positive reviews, and 27 negative. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Martin Grove of Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson [...] found 'Wedding' when it was a one-woman Nia Vardalos play in L.A. and believed in it so much that they got it made as a movie." [1] The Hollywood Reporter is one of two major trade papers of the film industry in the United States, the other being Variety. ... Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, Emmy-winning director, voice-over artist, writer, and movie producer. ... Rita Wilson (born October 26, 1956)[1] is an American actress and producer. ...

My Big Fat Greek Life

The movie inspired the brief 2003 TV series My Big Fat Greek Life, with most of the major characters played by the same actors, with the exception of Steven Eckholdt replacing John Corbett as the husband. Corbett had already signed on to the TV series Lucky. He was scheduled to appear as the best friend of his replacement's character, but the show was cancelled before he appeared. The show received poor reviews from critics noting the random character entrances and serious plot "adjustments" that didn't match the movie. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... My Big Fat Greek Life is a short-lived situation comedy series that ran on CBS in 2003. ... Steven Eckholdt (6 September 1961 Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. ...

The 7 episodes from the series are available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, whose TV studio division produced the show. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video, DVD, and UMD distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. ... SPT logo Sony Pictures Television, Inc. ...

Cultural references

The movie makes reference to Alexis Zorbas (1964), The Lost Boys (1987), That Thing You Do! (1996), and Meet the Parents (2000), while spoofing Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Another independent Canadian feature, Mambo italiano (2003), referenced Wedding. Because of the surprise success of Wedding and its unusual title, its name was lampooned by several television series and movies: Zorba the Greek is a 1964 movie by Michael Cacoyannis, originally titled Alexis Zorbas, based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. ... For other uses, see Lost Boys (disambiguation). ... For the song featured in this film, see That Thing You Do (song). ... Meet the Parents is a 2000 comedy film starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. ... This article is about the 1967 film. ... Mambo Italiano is a 2003 comedy-drama/indie film, set in MontrÃ©al, QuÃ©bec, and directed by Ã‰mile Gaudreault. ...

Simpsons redirects here. ... My Big Fat Geek Wedding is the 17th episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, first aired on April 18, 2004. ... // This article is about the genre of TV shows. ... My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss was a television show on the Fox Network in 2004-2005, similar to My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance. ... This article is about the spoof. ... My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005) is an independent movie spoofing well-known independent films, such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Memento, Swingers, Pulp Fiction, Magnolia, Amelie, Reservoir Dogs, Pi, The Good Girl, Run Lola Run, and El Mariachi. ... The Price Is Rights US 36th season logo. ...

Goofs

There is an actual misprint on the wedding invitation (other than the one intended by the filmmakers spelling the name of Ian's mother Harriet as Harry). In the Greek section, the surname of Toula's family Πορτοκάλος (Portokalos) is misspelled as Ρορτοκάλος (Rortokalos). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The title of the movie is spelled with the Greek letter Sigma (Σ) (since it resembles an E in the English alphabet) instead of Epsilon (GRΣΣK instead of GREEK). Taken literally, it's actually GRSSK, since Sigma (Σ) is the Greek letter equivalent for the English S. E is derived from the Greek letter epsilon which is much the same in appearance (Ε, ε) and function. For other uses, see Sigma (disambiguation). ... The modern English alphabet consists of the 26 letters[1] of the Latin alphabet: The exact shape of printed letters varies depending on the typeface. ... Look up Î•, Îµ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Greek alphabet (Greek: ) is an alphabet consisting of 24 letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 8th or early 8th century BC. It was the first alphabet in the narrow sense, that is, a writing system using a separate symbol for each vowel... Look up Î•, Îµ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

External links

Categories: 2002 films | Canadian films | American films | English-language films | Greek-language films | Canadian comedy films | 2000s romantic comedy films | Independent films | Films set in Chicago | Films shot in Toronto Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. ...

Contents

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