My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 review: Predictable Portokalos adventure missing key ingredient

My Big Fat Greek Wedding has become a world-renowned cinematic touchstone still quoted by countless aunties and theias across the world decades after its release, but the same cannot be said for its sequel and it seems the third installment will seal its fate. 

While fan-favorite quips and jokes are repeated to death and what little new material it has often falls awkwardly flat, there is something to be said for the sincere tenderness around a range of rather sad topics the movie tackles. 

This is no surprise though as Nia Vardalos, who penned the screenplay, directed and starred in the comedy, tragically lost her father during the Covid-19 pandemic around the same time as the actor behind her beloved on-screen dad, Michael Constantine, died.

Viewers are reintroduced to the family through this lens of grief while they mourn their “head of the household” Kostas Portokalos, and fans are dealt another heavy blow just minutes in, with no space to digest it before they’re swept away on Toula’s mission to Greece.

As expected, the usual family chaos ensues and rest assured there is in fact a wedding but the overhanging sense of melancholy persists throughout it all, giving a darker twist on what should have been comedic moments. 

Devastatingly, the raucous, out-of-the-box family comedy that brought the 2002 hit into the ranks of cinema glory is almost entirely absent, leaving this movie feeling much like a vegetarian at family dinner. 

As Nia makes her directorial debut in the franchise it seems the Hollywood star was a little too enamored with the beautiful scenery of Corfu, where the movie was shot, with stunning landscapes lingering across the screen a little too long and continuity errors becoming prominent as the movie continues. 

Additionally, in just an hour and 33 minutes, the actress packs an almost unreasonable amount of plot twists into the story alongside a handful of new cousins and introduces an entirely new culture. 

Yes, it sounds a bit all over the place but Nia has spun her web so tightly there are only a few gaps in the plot, and the genuine portrayal of the hurricane emotions around her pilgrimage to a motherland she’s never seen packages it all up in a heartwarming display. 

Ultimately, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 won’t meet the expectations of fans hoping for a return to the homegrown feel-good flick they first encountered in 2002. 

However, the new installment adds an entirely new layer of emotional depth to the franchise and while this isn’t what fans will be expecting, or wanting, it does make for good casual viewing and it’s still far from the worst thing to see in theaters. 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is out from Friday, September 8.