My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

This review may contain spoilers!

This film isn't just better than the original, it is a refreshing return to powerhouse comedies that can be funny while delivering heartfelt messages. I would give My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 a 7.5/10.

I have to respect this film for not really settling upon one major plotline and instead of that branching out into about six or more constant subplots. What's good about that? What makes this film good as opposed to overcrowded? It is because the film knows how to present each individual storyline and where to present it, I walked away from this movie thinking that there weren't really any wasted scenes. I also have to applaud the comedy within this movie, it's a lot of fun and there are some great throwbacks to the original film. The cinematography in this film is a huge step up from the original, this film had a recognisable and appealling visual style which I like to see in comedies. The score for this film was a lot of fun but what I really liked music wise was the soundtrack, it made the film feel like it belonged alongside all the big blockbuster comedies that we are presented with in this day and age.

John Corbett, who played Ian, is as charismatic in this film as he was in the original; Corbett is quite likeable in this film because he no longer feels like an outsider in this movie and he really belongs in amongst the antics of the family. Lainie Kazan, who played Maria, is a powerhouse actress in this film; if there is anyone who can match Constantine line for line it is without a doubt Kazan. Andrea Martin, who played Aunt Voula, is a really great comedic presence in this film; Martin is easily one of the funniest performances and the scenes with her in them are usually some of the best. Gia Carides, who played Nikki, was quite a bit of fun in this film; I liked that her role was given more screen time in this film because Carides plays a really strong and entertaining woman. Joey Fatone, who played Angelo, presents a subplot that I didn't expect but was really pleased to see in this film; Fatone brings a homosexual character to this film in what is a really natural and extremely respectful subplot. Elena Kampouris, who played Paris, gives one of the most realistic performances within the film; Kampouris might not be a strong comedic character in this film but she makes up for that by performing a powerful emotional display over her character's conflicted mind. Louis Mandylor, who played Nick, has a great presence in this film; he and Corbett have some brilliant onscreen chemistry. Rob Riggle, who played Northwestern Rep, has a great comedic exchange with Constantine in this film; his ability to engage in funny back and forth dialogue makes that particular scene extremely memorable. Mark Margolis, who played Panos, is introduced rather late into the film but is the instigator of a really heartwarming scene; in a few minutes Margolis and Constantine are able to establish an incredible onscreen chemistry between their two characters. Michael Sofos and Leonidas Castrounis, who played Costa and Aristotle, were exceptionally good at mirroring Constantine in this film; they made the Greek word gag quite a lot of fun.

However the best performance comes from Michael Constantine, who played Gus. Constantine brings his character back to screen flawlessly, this is the same role from several years ago through and through. There are several scenes where Constantine's wit or his line delivery will have you splitting your sides and I have no problem saying that he is in my mind the funniest performer in the film. I also think that from this actor we saw the gentler side to the character of Gus, it was very emotional to see how lonely he was without his wife and it made this second Big Fat Greek Wedding all the more enjoyable to watch play out.

Despite the incredible way this story was set out and the fine attention to detail there were still some pacing problems with this film, it was a comedy with a lot of content so it did drag on a bit too long in places. Furthermore the editing for this film wasn't very good, the transitions felt a bit outdated and the cuts didn't help the film's slow pacing.

Nia Vardalos, who played Toula, wasn't a great protagonist for this film; Vardalos has a habit of playing her role far too over the top which just results in a very awkward performance. Alex Wolff, who played Bennett, has absolutely no chemistry with Kampouris in this film; I didn't really feel like the romance between these two characters was all that necessary. Bess Meisler, who played Mana-Yiayia, was just made out to be an odd whimsical character with no relevance in this film; it bothered me because she was just thrown aside into a slapstick role. Bruce Gray and Fiona Reid, who played Rodney Miller and Harriet Miller respectively, didn't really need to be in this film; it was awkward seeing them shoehorned into the last act of the film. Ian Gomez, who played Mike, is as forgettable in this film as he was in the first; Gomez doesn't do a whole lot for the plot and he lacks screen presence. Jayne Eastwood, Tannis Burnett and Kathryn Greenwood, who played Mrs White, Edie and Marge respectively, couldn't act to save themselves in this film; scenes between them and vardalos seemed like a competition to see who could give the most wooden performance. Rita Wilson, John Stamos and Ethan Pugiotto, who played Anna, George and Theodore respectively, were a family of characters that didn't really belong in this film; I'm still not sure what their relevance was to the plot as a whole. Hershel Blatt, who played Tommy, was this awkward forced comedic actor that appeared in a lot of Kampouris' scenes; the fact is he just wasn't funny and he made these scenes a little annoying through his presence alone. Gerry Mendicino, who played Uncle Taki, didn't have a lot of screen presence in this film; Mendicino had a habit of becoming quite forgettable even in the scenes that he himself was in. Jeff White, who played Patrick, might have been the subject of the homosexual subplot but he wasn't given any attention as a character; I felt this was one of the only failings of this particular subplot.