Review: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3"

On April 19th, 2002, IFC Films released My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). The film was a sleeper hit, having been produced on a budget of only $5 million but grossing a total of $368.7 million worldwide. The film spawned a television series, My Big Fat Greek Life (2003), which lasted seven episodes, as well as a sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, released on March 25, 2016. The series latest installment, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, premiered in theaters on September 8, 2023. Here’s my review:

Toula Portokalos’s father, Kostas “Gus” Porokalos, has passed away and the tragedy of his passing hasn’t allowed much "together time” for the family since. That being the case, Toula decides to reunite the family together in Greece and hilarity ensues as they all travel together. In doing so, they also wound up discovering some shocking family secrets.

This film is an emotional tribute to Michael Constantine, who portrayed Gus Portokalos in the first two “Greek Wedding,” films. Constantine passed away on August 31, 2021 due to natural causes. It was originally planned for him to star in the third movie, and when he became ill and unable to do it, Vardalos offered to scrap the whole idea of a third film, but Constantine encouraged her to make it anyway. Vardalos’s real father, Constantine Vardalos and Bruce Gray, who portrayed father-in-law, Rodney Miller in the first two “Greek Wedding,” movies sadly also passed away before the release of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” and there are dedications to all three men at the end credits.

Beyond its emotional story, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” will appeal to all MBFGW fans because unlike the first two films, the third film actually takes place in Greece. The script is choppy in spots, and perhaps a little predictable, but it does a really nice job of portraying family complications, and the various ways individuals deal with the difficulties and tragedies of life. It’s all wrapped in a series of fun adventures that highlight the natural beauty of Greece—all in a fun romp.

This film reunites the all-star cast of Nia Vardalos as Toula Portokalos, John Corbett as her husband Ian Miller, Louis Mandylor as brother Nico Portokalos, Tony-Award-Winner Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula, Joey Fatone and Gia Carides respectively as Cousins Angelo and Nikki, and Lainie Kazan as Toula’s mother Maria Portokalos. The film also brings back Elena Kampouris as Toula and Ian’s daughter, Paris Miller, and Alexis Georgoulis, who co-starred with Vardalos in My Life in Ruins (2009) also appears. The film is once again produced by Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Gary Goetzman, and is written and directed by Vardalos, who also wrote the first two films.

All in all, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, is an entertaining movie! It’s probably not quite as exceptional as its predecessors, but it’s a touching way to close the trilogy.