My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
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A young Greek-American woman navigates the complexities of her heritage while trying to win over her traditional family to accept her non-Greek boyfriend.
The story
In Chicago, 30-year-old Toula Portakalos is a member of a large, loud, overbearing Greek family. Her father, Costas "Gus" Portakalos, wants her to get married and have children as soon as possible. Toula lives with her parents and works at their restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, but longs to gain independence from her family. One day, Toula finds herself attracted to Ian Miller, a high school teacher who is meeting a friend at Dancing Zorba's. She begins a secret courtship with him, leading to a conflict with her traditional family who may not approve of her dating a non-Greek man.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Toula Portakalos, a woman from a large Greek-American family in Chicago, falls in love with Ian Miller, a non-Greek man. To keep her relationship secret from her overbearing family, she uses a fake pottery class as a cover. When she is caught, her father, Gus, forbids the relationship. However, she continues to see Ian, who eventually proposes. To win over her family, Ian agrees to be baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church. The film follows the chaotic planning of their wedding, involving her large family's interference and the contrast between the two families' cultures. At the reception, Gus gives a heartfelt speech about how their differences do not matter. The film ends with a time jump six years later, showing Toula and Ian living in a house next to the Portakalos' home, raising their daughter, Paris.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joel Zwick
- Writers
- Nia Vardalos · writer
- Cast and characters
- Nia Vardalos · Toula; John Corbett · Ian Miller; Lainie Kazan; Michael Constantine; Gia Carides; Louis Mandylor; Andrea Martin; Joey Fatone
- Genres
- romantic comedy
- Themes
- cultural identity; family dynamics; tradition vs. modernity
- Tone and mood
- romantic; comedic
- Premise and plot tags
- romance; comedy; cultural clash
- Source material / true-story basis
- one-woman 45-minute monologue workshop
- Franchise connections
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- Reception
- The film was a box office success and received positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 29
- Awards and nominations
- Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · Golden Globe Awards · Nomination; Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · Golden Globe Awards · Nomination; Best Original Screenplay · Academy Awards · Nomination; Best Debut Performance · Independent Spirit Awards · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a monologue workshop that was performed in several cities including Chicago, Toronto, and Europe.; The film was a box office success, grossing $368.7 million on a $5 million budget.; The film was the highest-grossing romantic comedy domestically in history.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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