My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
21 years ago a little indie film about a Greek girl marrying a non Greek man hit theaters and took the early 2000s rom-com world by storm. There was barely any hullabaloo before the film came out (I was 20 at the time and just looking for a film to show my girlfriend...soon to be fiance), but word of mouth got around, and soon the little indie flick raked in over $200 million at the box office. Which was quite the feat considering it was made on only $5 million. Fast forward 14 years and we got a slightly lesser sequel that really wasn’t necessary, but still cute. So why not. It’s only been 7 years since the 2nd film, why not make a THIRD film featuring nearly the entire original cast to show up and actually visit Greece for the first time?

Toula (Nia Vardalos) and her family is having to finally say goodbye. Their father Gus is dead, and her mother Maria (Lainie Kazan) is starting the decline into dementia. But to bring some spice to their life, they get an invitation for a family reunion in Gus’s little village in Greece. Figuring that it was her way of honoring her father, Toula and all of the clan that could actually go, decide to head down to Greece and meet her father’s childhood friends that meant so much to the man.

Upon arrival the family is greeted by distant cousin Victory (Melina Kotselou) who acts as their guide and is the self proclaimed Mayor of their father’s village. Only thing is, there seems to have been some subterfuge to get them there. Victory is only one of six people left in their tiny village, and she had concocted the scheme of pulling a big reunion in order to spark interest in their old home land, and hopefully have people move back and recreate the thriving community of her youth. Buuuuuuuuuuut, the only people who seemed to have shown up is Toula and her clan.

The film plays with the typical light heartedness and simple feel good nature of many rom-coms. The film is a series of character arcs, ranging from Toula’s daughter Paris and her growing pains, to the meeting of an unknown brother, as well as various other familial bonding activities. The film is goofy and cute, with that sort of overly polished and simplistic contrivances that can only be described as “a slightly more well written Hallmark movie”. Things get worked out in a matter of days, with familial grudges being fixed in a matter of 24 hours, or the realization that Victory’s plan is never going to work (even though it does part way).

The film succeeds more than it fails though, and as long as you’re willing to reconcile the fact that this is a feel good rom-com and not a dramatic work of art that needs to be taken completely seriously, then it’s perfectly fine. It sadly doesn’t live up to the first film (which is one of my wife’s favorite rom-coms to this day), nor the decent sequel, but it does garner a few laughs and acts as family friendly comfort food. Simply put, the flick is easily digestible comfort food that isn’t meant to be taken uber seriously, and just enjoyed like a puff pastry. Any more pulling back layers than that and the film starts to fall apart.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for suggestive material and some nudity




Video:

Universal’s 2.39:1 AVC encoded Blu-ray looks pretty decent, but it’s surprisingly soft all things considering. This is an all digital production with a bright and sunny looking location, and there is a ton to really enjoy about the amber soaked color palate, but there is a LOT of softness to the film. I’m not sure whether it was because they applied a thick filter to make Nia look younger (she IS 61), but faces tend to look a bit too smooth and waxy, while background suffer some of the same fate. The positives do counterbalance it though, with amazing colors that really pop with massive warmth to the tones, and the bright blue of the Greek beaches is utterly dazzling. Black levels remain deep and moderately inky, but I did notice some smeared shadows and some crush going on.









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is about what one would expect with a dialog heavy rom-com drama film. That means it’s got some exuberance with the score that fills in the surround activity (and some bass), otherwise the majority of the time is spent in the 2 mains and the center channel for dialog. Vocals are crystal clear, with sharp, strong, dialog and the mains get some fun with the buzzing of boats on the nude beach, or the panning sounds as a goat bleats from one end of the room to the other (don’t ask). It’s not going to be a blasting action track like Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, but it is a solid representation of a traditional romantic comedy and gives you what you’d expect without any issues.












Extras:

• Theatrical Trailer
• FEATURE COMMENTARY - with Writer/Director Nia Vardalos
• GAG REEL
• DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES
• ON SET WITH NIA VARDALOS – The MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING franchise comes full circle as writer and star Nia Vardalos adds a new role, and takes Toula's ongoing adventure to another level, by taking a seat in the director's chair.
• OPA! THE MAKING OF MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 – Enjoy even more fabulous fun with the Portokalos family as the cast and crew takes you to Greece for revealing behind-the-scenes interviews, sneak peeks of beautiful locations and inside stories on the film's creation.
• WEDDING DRUM SONG – EXTENDED TAKE

Final Score:
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My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is not exactly the perfect sequel, but it’s satisfying in a comfort food sort of way. The whole family plays well off of each other despite some of the narrative pitfalls (Nia Vardalos took over all directing and writing roles for this one), but is overall a mildly charming and sweet film that will please fans of the 2nd movie and if you enjoyed the TV show (short lived as that was). All in all, I’d recommend it as a decent watch if you’re into this genre of film.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Lanie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Maria Vacratsis, Melina Kotselou
Directed by: Nia Vardalos
Written by: Nia Vardalos
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 91 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: October 31st, 2023

Recommendation: Decent Watch for Fans