neumu [ cinematronic ]




	My Big Fat Greek Wedding
	Joel Zwick Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone 2001		Actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson co-produced this romantic comedy, so they must've taken quite a shine to its source — a one-woman play by Nia Vardalos. On celluloid, it's an unpretentious 95 minutes of cheerfully inoffensive ethnic humor, based on Vardalos' own life as the Canadian-born daughter of a large, noisy Greek family led by a tradition-bound father. A former member of the famed Second City comedy troupe, Vardalos isn't afraid to look dumpy for the good of the show. Her captivating performance as plain, timid, unmarried Toula anchors the movie, which is set in Chicago. When Toula hits 30, papa (a moving, amusing Michael Constantine) and mama (a sensible, bodacious Lainie Kazan) lament that she'll never wed a nice Greek boy. Instead, Toula falls for liberal WASP teacher (new-age hunk John Corbett) — to papa's distress. The impending wedding ignites culture clash between the clans of the bride and the groom. With scene-stealing Andrea Martin as Toula's brassy aunt.