My Big Fat Greek Wedding

No, I’m not getting married and no, I am not Greek.

This week we were asked to watch a movie and review it. Although the point of this is meant to be ‘Global Films’, as far as ‘global’ goes this is pretty much as far as we are gonna get here for me.

The movie I have chosen to ‘review’ is My Big Fat Greek Wedding because if I’m being honest here I really don’t have many options to go off.

This movie was filmed in Toronto, Canada and I just had a confirmation from a friend that this movie, is in fact, cultural. Feeling proud of myself there. This movie is set in Chicago and is about a 30 year old Greek lady (Toula) who meets and falls in love with a very American man (Ian). This doesn’t really settle well with her very old fashioned Greek family but as the movie goes on they end up accepting him (with a few changes along the way).

Watching back this movie in a critical mindset, many things popped into my mind. The first being the producers really are trying to set a Greek scene through the use of music. Not only this, but by Toula introducing her huge family it makes the movie have a very ‘traditional’ and ‘realistic’ tone to it.

The intended audience, having it be G rated, would be families with young children.

In terms of what cultural knowledge you need to ‘make sense’ of this film could be quite broad. Coming from an Italian background with families on both sides being quite traditional, there are a few similarities with the way Toula’s family acts and what they ‘expect’ from her. Although this movie is quite exaggerated as my family, personally, doesn’t expect a lot from me in terms of who I marry and what I do with my life as my parents accept everyone for who they are. Thus meaning, whether I marry an Italian or not does not affect them in the slightest.

Knowing the traditional European way, and seeing first hand expectations that the elderly expect would probably be the extent of cultural knowledge that one might need to fully understand this film. The reason for this being, otherwise you will be watching it and just thinking ‘this family is absolutely crazy’.

When it comes to the cultural homogenisation of this film it is pretty small yet portrayed. Having Toula explain that everyone in her family marries a Greek and has Greek babies then feeds everyone shows this homogenisation of the film.

However, the cultural hybridisation is more relevant and a bigger aspect of this film. By Toula falling in love and marrying an American man this is portrayed. In saying this, instead of her family accepting Ian for who he is and making him part of the family, the Greeks instead, baptise him and make him learn the Greek culture. This is something that always seems to frustrate me coming from a European background. Although my parents are very ‘chill’ with who my brother and I date my Nonno and Nonna, however, have their set ways in which they want us to follow. They will never make someone change but they will definitely have their say. This has never affected me as I am not very close to my extended family due to many reasons. In summary, this film portrays the side of traditional European families that has always frustrated me. The fact that they needed to change Ian to ‘fit into’ her family so that they could get married.

That turned into a little rant which is now over.

Stay True, R.