Me and the Media

     I can’t recall how many times I have seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The times are too numerous to count, yet every time I watch it again, it never seems to get old, and I never get tired of it. It’s such a hilarious movie that you can’t help laughing. One of the main reasons why I like this movie so much is because I can relate to it.
     My Big Fat Greek Wedding was released on August 2, 2002, and the director is Joel Zwick. The writer is Nia Vardalos who is also the main character in the film. It is a romantic comedy about Toula Portokalos, a single 30 year old Greek woman who works at her family’s restaurant, Dancing Zorba’s, and lives with her parents. The only thing her father Gus wants from her is to get married to a nice Greek boy before she is too old. On the other hand, Toula isn’t thinking about finding a relationship, but instead she is interested in taking computer classes in college, and eventually she takes over her aunt Voula’s travel agency. While at work one day, she meets Ian Miller, a high school teacher. They date secretly for a while until her family finds out. No one in Toula’s huge, loud family had ever dated a non-Greek before, and her father is heartbroken when he finds out. Ian proposes to Toula and they try to do the best they can to make their relationship work despite the disappointment of Toula’s family. Her father Gus struggles to accept Ian; Ian struggles to accept Toula’s enormous family, and Toula struggles to accept herself.
     The film consists of a wonderful cast. The actress who plays Toula Portokalos in this hilarious romantic comedy is Nia Vardalos. She was born on September 24, 1962 in Canada. The actor who plays Gus Portokalos, Toula’s father (one of my favorite characters in the film) is Michael Constantine. Lainie Kazan plays the mother, Maria Portokalos. Bess Meisler plays the crazy grandmother yiayia (another one of my favorite characters) who still believes that the war between Turkey and Greece is still occurring. Andrea Martin plays the strange aunt Voula (a hilarious character), and Ian Miller, Toula’s love interest, is played by John Corbett.
     The main reason why I love this movie is because Toula’s Greek family reminds me so much of my Middle-Eastern one. Some people aren’t close to their relatives, and when they are on vacation they would rather have a relaxing summer on the beach than spend time with their family. I would rather spend a whole summer surrounded by my loving relatives than be all alone tanning at the beach. They are so funny and loud and I never get bored when I’m with them. Every outing seems like a family reunion. For example, just going to the movies requires us to take three cars and fill up 14 seats at the movie theaters. Going out to dinner is the same thing, but while we are quiet at the movie theaters, we aren’t as quiet at restaurants. When we visit Lebanon, my family (my mother, father, brother, and I) stay at my grandparents’ small apartment along with my aunt, uncle, and two cousins. Since we visit at the same time, and don’t have houses of our own in Lebanon, we all stay at my grandparents’ apartment. Just like Toula’s family, our lives seem to revolve around food. My grandma, who lives in Lebanon, like most of my family, can’t spend a day without cooking. It’s impossible for her. You would think that a grandmother would rather spend her day sleeping, and would be too tired to cook, but not mine. She spends hours cooking for us, and even when we have plenty of leftovers, it is impossible to tell her to stop cooking. When we tell her to just make a small meal, she makes a feast.
     Although it is completely crowded and hectic at family gatherings just like with Toula’s relatives, it seems cozy and it feels like home. In the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Toula realizes how much she loves her family even though they are loud and different. I too, love my family for their differences, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Resources used:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259446/fullcredits#cast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mS4VPs5OCI