A Return Engagement... "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2"

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan,

Directed by Kirk Jones

The Story:

The Portokalos Family is back! Toula and Ian (Vardalos & Corbett) are dealing with their daughter (Kampouris) getting ready to graduate and head to college while feeling like their own marriage is losing its spark. Compound that with the news that her parents (Constantine & Kazan) were never officially married, and you know the family is not going to stand for that.

Shocked and a little surprised that a sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out, and that shock is mostly due to the fact that it took almost 15 years after the original for it to be made.

It was the little movie that could back in 2002, and it charmed audiences and wowed at the box office.

There were always rumors of a sequel, but apparently it took Vardalos some time to come up with just the right script, but the family returns.

And since it's been awhile since the orignal, I'm pretty sure most of the entire cast has returned, so it's a lot like slipping into some old clothes, a very familiar, comfortable affair.

They bring out the standard sitcom device of the wedding that never was, and it forces the couple to reevaluate their love and devotion to one another.

But this is a movie, not a sitcom, so we need to fill 90 minutes.

So you take 2 other well worn sitcom scenarios: the child leaving the nest and a sparkless marriage, and now you have 3 separate, but equal plot devices to hang the film on.

And they all work, because again, we already know and love the characters.

The biggest, and best addition is their daughter, Paris. She both rebels against and embraces the Greek heritage that is her birthright, while providing the only real drama of the film with the "where will she go to college" cliffhanger.

Because you know all the marriages are going to be just fine by the end of the film.

Will this turn into a trilogy? Hard to say, but don't wait another 14 years if it's going to happen, the audience, like much of the cast, isn't getting any younger!

:)

Final Grade: C+ / B- Range

The Title is the Best Part of the Movie..."Dealin' With Idiots"

Quite possibly my least favorite baseball movie of all time...

The Story:

Max (Jeff Garlin) is a comedian and a father who watches in horror as his son's youth baseball team flounders on the field, and the parents drive him batty in the stands.  Then he realizes that he could do a documentary on youth baseball for his next movie, and it's sure to be a comic hit!

If only...

This is a comedy with a shotgun approach.

For every joke that hits, 7 sail by and are either mildly amusing or miss completely.

Which is sad, because there's a pretty talented cast hiding amongst the players including Jami Gertz, Gina Gershon, Nia Vardalos, Timothy Olyphant and Fred Willard.

Garlin pulls triple duty as star, writer and director.

I give him credit for putting together a movie that isn't a complete waste of time, and I wanted to like it.

However, it just sort of stutters and jerks along from quirky scene to quirky scene as Max attempts to find the source for his next big hit by interviewing each of these parents.

The finale to the baseball game itself is both amusing and heartbreaking at the same time.  Pee Wee baseball has some strange rules, and I wouldn't doubt that the one that is invoked is indeed a real rule.  However after the realization,  then the movie didn't seem to know how to end.  It just sort of rambles on and on,  so anything touching that that could be gathered from that moment is lost

Ultimately, disappointed in the movie.

Now available to stream instantly on Netflix if you'd like to try it.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No thanks. ;)
in the foolishness of what happens next.