My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Greek culture is depicted in this film. It seems that this group of people is very ethnocentric and proud of their culture. One critic, Athan Bezaitis (2002) who is himself Greek, comments on the stereotype associated with the Greeks by saying the following: “Most of their men will probably brag within the first five minutes of being introduced that they are Greek -- as if you couldn't already tell from the greased hair, thick sideburns, leather jacket, cross around the neck, shirt wide open flaunting chest hair, and oversized gold ring with the Greek key. Greek women can also be easily recognized because they usually travel in packs, so if you meet Voula, Margarita, Thalia, and Zoe in the grocery store buying lamb shanks and phyllo dough, you can pretty much bet they're Greek.” Toula’s father claims that everything is of Greek origin.

They also seem to be lighthearted, and they enjoy each other’s companies (although many of them fought). Family bonding is valued greatly, as this is seen when the Portokalos family tries to make the Millers their “family.” Toula’s father reaffirms this, when at the wedding reception, he makes a link to oranges (Portokalos means “orange” in Greek) and apples (Miller comes from a Greek word that means “apple”, according to the father) being from the same family since they are fruits.

All the characters of the movie, in one way or the other, made me laugh. Toula, I thought, was very awkward. But I admired her for her strength and courage to break free from her family traditions, while at the same time respecting her parents. Toula’s father, who was one of my favorite characters, was very strict and held on to the authenticity of his culture. He loved his family and wanted the best for them. He talks about how he and his wife left Greek so that they could give their children a good life.

From the little I read about Greek culture, it seemed that the movie illustrated experiences that rung true about this culture. LaSalle et al....