Film Review: MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 (2023): Slight Comedy Sequel is One of the Most Surprising Disappointments of the Year

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 Review

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (2023) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Nia Vardalos and starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Lanie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Maria Vacratsis, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Elias Kacavas, Melina Kotselou, Alexis Georgoulis, Stephanie Nur and Ektoras Kaloudis.

When film-makers wait too long for a sequel to a film as mediocre as 2016’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, there are only two ways to go. The film-makers and stars could have gone all out and made a film of considerable substance or, alternatively, they could have just winged it and telephoned their work in. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is, unfortunately, an example of the latter although the cast of the film, written and directed by its star Nia Vardalos, does have a lot of personality. It’s sad that the combination of so many distinct personalities couldn’t make the film more enjoyable. It’s a classic case of why good plots are so pivotal to a film’s success.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is an underdeveloped idea that never should have been green-lighted even if making money was no object. This new picture makes the first film feel like a fluke even though it was one of the most successful movies of its time. The third film in the series is a day late and a dollar short in terms of sheer entertainment value. Are there smart observations here? You bet but they are undone by the lackluster quality of the pacing and the acting in the movie.

This story line in the third installment of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding series once again focuses on the goofball, lovable Portokalos family. Toula (Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett), the stars of the picture, create little chemistry together this time out, instead looking like a couple who are trying to find things to do to take the focus off their lack of chemistry together. They have a daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris) who has blonde hair and is of college age. Paris’s character arcs are completely predictable if you have ever seen a movie before. Louis Mandylor serves as Toula’s brother who has tagged along with the family on a vacation that will change the characters’ lives in the film forever.

Andrea Martin co-stars as Aunt Voula in the movie and Martin gives some pizzazz to her character throughout her scenes in the picture. The only problem is that she seems so authentic that it doesn’t look like she’s playing a role. It seems this is filmed footage of a quirky character named Voula and some of her scenes can come off as more awkward than not. She’s funny but also too believable for the movie’s own good.

The plot (or what there is of one) is about a trip to Greece where things don’t go as anticipated in regards to a family reunion which should act as an important part of the Portokalos family history. There are a lot of characters here, including Paris’s love interest, the handsome Aristotle (Elias Kacavas). The fact that Kacavas, even during his best lines, seems like he’s reading them off a cue card doesn’t help matters much, though.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 knows vacations well. When a plane ride shows the family members all sleeping on the plane, it’s a rather clever moment to be certain. The movie’s characters, though, all trade too tidy zingy barbs and sometimes the zaniness will feel like “enough is enough” to the audience. Corbett is sometimes a wise-ass as Ian and it grows tiresome. By the end, when he’s telling a key character to jump up and down at the airport, you want to scream out, “enough already.”

There is some mean-spirited humor too such as when a key female character tells another she could have been her mother. Consequently, there is also a lot of heart in terms of the basic story developments which involve Toula’s attempts to honor her dead dad’s memory. This sort of warmth is a welcome addition to the movie but without a truly serviceable plot, it ultimately falls by the wayside.

When a character warns Paris and Aristotle not to have kids anytime soon, it also feels rather awkward but the majority of these characters in this film are the very definition of that “a” word. There’s some truth in that awkwardness but ultimately a lot of this movie is more cringe-inducing than not, making it a less than pleasurable experience. Melina Kotselou gets some screen time as a character known as Victory who is one of the more tolerable characters in the picture.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 plays like an overlong hour sitcom that goes on way past its welcome. Vardalos is careful to give herself some good scenes that flesh out her character but she also isn’t afraid to share the spotlight with her co-stars as well. If Vardalos had polished this script a bit, it may have played better. What Vardalos needed was another writer to work with her and flesh out the core of the film. As it plays now, though, this film simply wasn’t worth the seven year wait.

Rating: 5/10

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