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Orthodox Greeks Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) have their daughter's life all planned out. As the girl in question, Toula Portokalos (Nia Vordalos), puts it: "They want me to marry a nice Greek man, pop out some kids and cook for everybody for the rest of my life." But Toula is desperate to make her own way...
Breaking Joel Zwick's engaging and perky rom-com down to the traditional wedding principles, this is something old (ethnic family friction), something new (a Greek spin), something borrowed (Vardolos' script distills years' worth of her stand-up routine) and something blue (news that a member of pop-droid combo N'Sync acts in the film).
The result is a movie that treads a pretty straight route towards its altared state but, unlike some real-life nuptials, it at least keeps the entertainment value at a premium. Sure, the central pair (Vardalos and white-bread beau John Corbett) are strictly couple-by-numbers, but the extended family - led by the Greek-language-obsessed Gus - add enough comedy confetti to ensure My Big... was a Stateside hit. Hell, even Joey Fatone (the N'Sync plunger) does himself proud as Toula's macho bro.
Not a film given to straying too far from the pre-ordained rom-com path then, but an enjoyable prattle of the sexes nonetheless.
NO VERDICT
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