Episode 119: My Big Fat Greek Trilogy (with Paige Stratton)

[00:00:21] Speaker A: You thought I was gonna yawn this. [00:00:22] Speaker B: You subverted the yawn. You subverted the yawn. [00:00:25] Speaker C: Slurpees. [00:00:26] Speaker A: Oh, God. It was. It was. [00:00:30] Speaker B: You mentioned it. You shouldn't have mentioned it. [00:00:31] Speaker A: It was a slurp. Inhale, and then it just came out. [00:00:35] Speaker C: Sleepy boy. [00:00:36] Speaker B: No, he does this every time. He's not tired. It's just Pavlovian. [00:00:40] Speaker C: It's not trilogy's tradition. [00:00:42] Speaker A: It's one of those things where, like, if you're. If you keep moving so consistently and you're on your feet all day, like I am as soon as you sit down for the first time, or even, like, for this. Where it's like, I have to prepare myself or we're not going to be moving for like a solid 90 minutes maybe. Unless we want to be longer than any of these movies and go past that. But then my brain goes, it's been a long day. You should yawn or you shouldn't yawn. And then I just have this instinct reaction. [00:01:09] Speaker B: It's the 10 seconds, too. I think it resets your brain. And then you're like, okay, now we're going. [00:01:16] Speaker A: Yeah. Gosh, it just. [00:01:18] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:01:20] Speaker A: How you doing, Paige? [00:01:22] Speaker C: I'm so happy to be here. [00:01:23] Speaker B: Yeah. For everyone listening, Logan will, of course, formally introduce. Absolutely. But we do have a new guest with us today, which is a lovely, exciting thing. You've already heard her. Logan, why don't you get us started? [00:01:38] Speaker A: I can definitely do that. Hello, everyone. Welcome to Odd Trilogies with Logan and Andy. I'm Logan Sowash. [00:01:43] Speaker B: And I'm Andy Carr. [00:01:44] Speaker A: And not Odd Trilogies. We take a trio of films where they're tied by cast and crew thematic elements or just numerical order, and we discuss the good, the bad, and the weird surrounding them. And today, unfortunately, unfortunately for Paige, we are not talking about anything about Wuthering Heights related, because that's probably the biggest Valentine's Day release coming up. Your face does not exude any kind of excitement for that one. [00:02:05] Speaker B: I think we picked the right trilogy for Face. [00:02:08] Speaker A: I mean, I will be honest. Before we started today, I did start listening to it today because I want to actually read the book. [00:02:16] Speaker B: Oh, the book. Okay. No, I thought you meant the Charli XCX soundtrack. [00:02:21] Speaker C: That's what I was thinking, too. [00:02:22] Speaker A: Oh, gosh. I mean, I will see that. I think we talked about this or saw someone else. I'm gonna see the movie solely for that. Just because of that act. Because that soundtrack. And also, she's got. She's got two fucking movies coming out in February. [00:02:35] Speaker C: All Star. [00:02:36] Speaker A: She's got All Star. She's got. Cancan's Got the Moment, which I think is nearly sold out at this point. [00:02:41] Speaker C: Come on, Miss Charlie. [00:02:43] Speaker A: And then she's yet doing all of an emerald fennels. Totally not controversial by any means. Wuthering Heights, even before it came out. But we are not doing a Wuthering Heights on trilogy. Instead, we're doing an odd trilogy that it's a little bit more something else. [00:02:59] Speaker B: It's not. [00:03:00] Speaker A: It's not British. It's not really. It's got a little bit of American to it. It's probably more Canadian because the lead star is Canadian. It's a little bit more Greek, as you can say. Because today we are doing My Big Fat Greek Wedding trilogy. [00:03:14] Speaker B: My Big Fat Greek Trilogy. [00:03:15] Speaker A: My Big Fat Greek trilogy. We are doing 2003's My Big Fat Greek Wedding. [00:03:20] Speaker B: Yes. [00:03:21] Speaker A: 2016'S My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and then 2023's My Big Fat Greek Wedding. [00:03:27] Speaker C: Lot of gaps. [00:03:28] Speaker A: Lot of gaps. And it's funny because the gaps in between one and two, which we'll get to, is hilariously. There is some My Big Fat Greek Wedding adjacent stuff coming out at that time. [00:03:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:03:39] Speaker A: But, yeah, My Big Fat Greek Wedding was one that I think I didn't bring up to you until we started talking about this year, but I kind of had in the back pocket just because we've kind of hit all the big romance trilogies that people would probably think about, like Linklater's before trilogy, Wong Kar Wai's Love trilogy. And we were thinking, I mean, last year we did Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve. [00:04:05] Speaker B: Gary Marshall. [00:04:06] Speaker A: Yeah, Gary Marshall trilogy. [00:04:07] Speaker B: Yes. [00:04:09] Speaker A: I'm glad that Jake is deciding to pick something that isn't going to be absolutely dreadful for him. [00:04:16] Speaker B: He finally gets to do a fun episode. [00:04:18] Speaker A: Yeah. Not God's Not Dead or Gary Marshall. For him. [00:04:21] Speaker C: He had fun. [00:04:22] Speaker B: Oh, yes, we all did. [00:04:23] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Just not watching the movies. [00:04:26] Speaker A: The most fun was when we were together. And then we decided to do it all, the last two separately. That was the hardest. [00:04:31] Speaker B: Tough. [00:04:33] Speaker A: But, you know, there's very little rom com trilogies, or at least there's probably some trilogies out there that are mainly like maybe actresses doing the similar thing or we could definitely probably find a McConaughey Rom com. [00:04:44] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. [00:04:45] Speaker A: Trio to do. But just thought it'd be fun to talk about a trio that, you know, is the classic case of the original is iconic. It made hundreds of millions of dollars on a Ham sandwich budget. No one expected it to be a hit. And then no one ever talks about the fact that 20 years later there are. There are. It's a trilogy as well as a failed television show as well as other things attached to it. But what a doozy. Indeed. [00:05:12] Speaker B: Kind of. Yeah. A franchise despite itself. [00:05:16] Speaker A: Yes. And Nira Vardalos. Or Vardalos. Thank you. I'm gonna try my best to not butcher every Greek name I can remember off top of my head. I won't get Joey Fatone wrong because that's not Greek. But Nira Vardalos in the late 90s, early 2000s, she's a Canadian screenwriter, actress, had a 45 minute one woman show that was basically her life. Married at the time. Her then husband, I think Ian Gomez, who was in the first two films and then they divorced after the second film. So he is not in the third film, but did a 45 minute one woman show, basically doing what will ultimately become my big crack Greek Wedding as a premise. And then she did a workshop for, I believe a creativity workshop or a story workshop that was through hbo. Yeah, it was like a. Like a sponsor by hbo. And then it was like, hey, there's kind of something here. And then a little bit later you get this, you know, little film, little rom com that could. Is really the best way to describe My Big Fat Greek Wedding. There's no one really in it. The biggest name would probably have to be Joey at that time, right? [00:06:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:30] Speaker A: Well, John Corbett, I guess because of the Sex and the City connection and HBO and the fact that I think we were talking about when we watched the first film, at least like the monologue in the beginning has some very strong. I couldn't help but wonder, yeah, what's sex like in the City? That kind of energy. But instead of, it's like My family is Greek and wild instead. [00:06:53] Speaker B: And. [00:06:55] Speaker A: And I hadn't really seen this movie that many times over the years. And I think you had seen it. You saw it in theaters. [00:07:01] Speaker B: Well, yeah, I'll get to my odd relationship with this movie, which is hardly there in a second. But before we go any further, we should formally introduce our guests who we've already named, who you've already heard. [00:07:14] Speaker C: I've been yapping. [00:07:15] Speaker A: We've all been yapping. [00:07:17] Speaker B: Lovely close friend of both of us, a long time moviegoing buddy for me since the college days. Paige Stratton, would you please introduce yourself, Tell us a little bit about you. And you know, you signed up to do this trilogy of your own volition. So Maybe tell us a little bit about why you chose this one. [00:07:39] Speaker C: Well, thank you, Logan. Thank you, Andy. Longtime listener, first time caller. I have been a lover of rom coms for a very long time. I was raised by a fellow cinephile, Katie Stratton, as well as I am Greek. I also love Valentine's Day. And I thought all the combination of those elements was just screaming for me to do this episode. And I really appreciate you sending me the spreadsheet. There was so many fun options, but this is the first one. I was like, I have to do it because no one else will. [00:08:11] Speaker B: Sure, sure. Yeah. [00:08:14] Speaker A: I mean, go ahead. No, of course. I mean, we couldn't be more excited to have you on the show because it's one of the situations where it's like, we've always constantly talked around the show, the show around you, because we just hang out as much as we do and go to parties and go hang out. And we've been friends for so long. You know, when we were deciding, like, you know, Paige was interested, I was like, oh, that's perfect. Send her the spreadsheet. I didn't even think about the go to being my big fat Greek wedding. And I'm glad that it was because it was so much fun watching the first two with you. Honestly, the second one would have been a lot worse if we had done the one. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, when I think about, like, arcs, like my introduction, like, meeting you, it is with movies and the fact that it's like, I remember, like, there was a time where Andy and I only saw each other every so often. Cause we were both in college. And then I think when I started going to the AMC closest to both of us now for the last few years, my church. Yes. At this point, you said to me, you mind if I bring my friend from college? Her name is Paige. And then it felt like from that point forward, I'd never not seen you for the last, like, decade. It felt like never, ever getting rid of me. I would not want to get rid of you at all. [00:09:24] Speaker C: I love being entourage members together. [00:09:28] Speaker A: It is fun. I do also have a very vivid, classic Paige moment where I think we saw it Chapter two together, and you opened up all of your Reese's pieces and you put it in the cup holder raw. [00:09:42] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:09:43] Speaker A: And I remember our friend Sam was horrified, and I was like. And I was like, paige can take anything. Exactly. Don't worry about that cup holder. [00:09:52] Speaker C: Oh, never. That's why my immune system's so strong. [00:09:56] Speaker B: There you go. [00:09:58] Speaker A: But, yeah, so, like, how many times do you think you've seen my big fragrance wedding page? [00:10:04] Speaker C: I would say I. I feel like I have different, like, spouts of years where I watch it. It used to be like a fall asleep movie for me. There's just a lot of comfort to it. I owned it on vhs. It was always a staple in my house. It was always like, oh, we want something comfortable where we can have in the background. Let's just put this on. I've turned. I've introduced it to a lot of people, which I think is super special. Some of them say it's their favorite movie too. My best friend from childhood named Paige also, she loves it and always thinks of my family. And it's also so close to me in that because I am also Greek, there is a lot of accuracies in how the family dynamics shake out. And the mannerisms and the. The loudness and the personality. [00:10:52] Speaker B: You see some of it in your family? [00:10:54] Speaker C: Oh, of course, yes. I have a 100-year-old Greek aunt named Diamondo who lives in Chicago, which is where the movie is set. [00:11:05] Speaker B: Your own yaya. [00:11:06] Speaker C: Exactly. Yes. I don't know what the, like, aunt adjacent of that would be, but filling. [00:11:12] Speaker B: That space, though, at least in the context of the movies. [00:11:14] Speaker C: Exactly. And my mom was half Greek, so it was like she only saw this side of her family, like every other year. And my grandfather, he changed our name from Stratakos to Stratton. [00:11:30] Speaker A: Oh. [00:11:31] Speaker C: So because he was very like, emphasizing like, we are American, you know, and. [00:11:36] Speaker B: She was a good, strong English name. [00:11:38] Speaker C: Exactly. And he owned a pizza place. So there's so many things all over the map. But that's something of like, that is emphasized in the movies too, is how Greeks are business owners. [00:11:49] Speaker B: Right. [00:11:49] Speaker C: And with dancing Zorbas. [00:11:53] Speaker A: Your grandpa's pizza shop was called the Spinning Zorbas. [00:11:56] Speaker C: I wish it was. It was called Al Stratton's Pizza Incorporated. [00:11:59] Speaker A: Al Stratton's Pizza Pizza, Inc. Pizza Inc. Is actually kind of rad. And I would love. Yeah. [00:12:07] Speaker C: Any older people on the pod? You might have. You might have been to it. It was in Greenwood, Indiana. [00:12:12] Speaker B: Wow. [00:12:12] Speaker A: Wow. Okay. [00:12:13] Speaker C: My mom worked there from age 5 to, I think 17. They said senior year, you can have it off. [00:12:21] Speaker B: When did it close? [00:12:23] Speaker C: That I couldn't tell you. [00:12:24] Speaker B: Like, did you ever get to go there? Was it in operation? [00:12:27] Speaker C: Closed in like the late 80s, early 90s. [00:12:31] Speaker A: Oh, shit. [00:12:32] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:12:34] Speaker A: Long live Pizza Inc. In our hearts. [00:12:36] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:12:37] Speaker B: So you've seen the first film countless times. Yes. But had you ever Seen two or three? [00:12:43] Speaker C: No, My first introduction to two was with y'. All. [00:12:46] Speaker B: Love that. [00:12:46] Speaker C: And then I watched 33 begrudgingly last night. [00:12:53] Speaker B: Sometimes homework is just homework. [00:12:55] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:55] Speaker A: Sometimes you just got to go to Greece, get that homework done. [00:12:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:12:59] Speaker A: Go through every plot line they decide to throw at you and just, you know, go from there. But before we get to the sequels that do exist, this is not a fake trilogy out there. If you're a big. My Big Fat Greek Wedding fan. Yes. We are talking about two sequels that do exist with the original cast pretty much in both sequels. [00:13:20] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:13:20] Speaker B: Just about everybody each time. [00:13:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:13:22] Speaker C: Each movie poster, like, is missing, like, one to two people. Like, it just, like, trickles down a. [00:13:27] Speaker A: Little bit sad next to each other. It kind of looks like they. It's like the first one is how they took the picture. Second one's how they're tripping to, like, because they had to, like, be on such a wobbly field. And then the third one, they're all falling. [00:13:39] Speaker C: Oh, yes. And it's like a badly photoshopped Greek postcard. [00:13:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I mean, this. This was a breath of fresh. This was a delight. This is seeing the first one again because it's been so long and because this was a film I remember. This is. This is a cable movie, I think, for a lot of things. Like, yeah, I could see this on, like, I. For some reason, the Oxygen logo is in the corner of it. [00:14:04] Speaker C: I totally agree with you. [00:14:06] Speaker A: Or like, life. [00:14:06] Speaker C: It's on it like two in the. Two in the morning, sometimes randomly. [00:14:11] Speaker A: The poster is ingrained in my brain, even. I mean, it's just like. Even though I think with my. With my parents, like, my mom, I think really enjoyed this movie. And we had it, I think, not on vhs, but on dvd. But I don't think it was something that, like. I think it was like, it sat next to, like, how to Lose a guy in 10 days. And all the other, like, kind of rom coms are coming at the time. But it wasn't ever, like, in constant rotation. But it was like, as a ROM com in the 2000s, a breath of fresh air in so many ways. Especially the fact that it's like, it's not rated R. It's not as silly as you think you would be in terms of, like, a 2000s Rom com. [00:14:44] Speaker C: It's a tight 90. [00:14:45] Speaker A: It's a tight 90. [00:14:47] Speaker B: It's not screwball or over the top, really. It's kind of straightforward, like, realism. Ish. Yeah. [00:14:53] Speaker C: It's sweet. It's relatable. It's giving like wonderful intrustic self exploration without being too stuffy. [00:15:04] Speaker B: Right. [00:15:05] Speaker A: Yeah. And for those out there that are listening to the episode and actually have no idea what we're talking about. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is just a rom com about a Greek woman falling in love for a non Greek man. And the whole conflict is the fact that they are madly in love with one another, but her family just wants her to marry a Greek man and she won't. [00:15:25] Speaker B: That's it. [00:15:26] Speaker A: That's like it. [00:15:26] Speaker B: It's a movie about very low stakes film not doing what your parents want to do at 30 years old and breaking cultural barriers. [00:15:35] Speaker A: There's a film where are you okay with your old Greek father being sat in his favorite sofa every other scene? [00:15:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:41] Speaker A: Or he tries to put you with his old friends as a possible husband. [00:15:47] Speaker B: Right. [00:15:48] Speaker A: It's very low stakes film that I couldn't. I never. I didn't remember it being just like as chill as it was. And yet it's never boring. It's. I thought it was. It's very engaging and very fun still. And doesn't feel like it's over doing anything. Especially in retrospect now, seeing the sequels. It is very, you know, naturalistic, like you said. Very. Just kind of like confident in the fact that it's like, yes, her Greek family is very silly, but it's not, it's. She's not making. She's not jabbing at her family and like punching down at like Greek families. [00:16:21] Speaker C: Oh, no. It's lovingly embarrassed. [00:16:24] Speaker A: Yes. [00:16:25] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Which is like, you know, even if you're watching this movie, as somebody who knew next to nothing about Greek culture or Greek American or Greek Canadian culture, like, I think it also works on the Universal. I'm embarrassed by my parents. I'm embarrassed by my family level. And it's a really great encapsulation of that. And as an added bonus, you also get to, you know, get a glimpse into the world of Greek life, but not that kind of Greek life. [00:16:58] Speaker A: It does a great job of using Neo Mordalis as like a good kind of protagonist of being in her shoes, of like, God, my parents have done things that have made me embarrassed for doing this or that. And then you have the flip side of it being John Corbett as Ian, who's the love interest in the film, being the kind of partner who is genuinely invested and interested in getting to know her family, despite the fact they are so crazy and so unwilling initially to like, let him in. [00:17:27] Speaker B: Right. [00:17:27] Speaker A: But just to be fun. Like you can balance between the two characters constantly and be in their shoes and understand where each person's coming from. [00:17:34] Speaker C: Ian Miller is such a green flag. [00:17:36] Speaker A: He's such a sweet John Corbett with that haircut already. I mean, three already gets loses a half star without that haircut, his slick back hair. And the fact that like, you know, we get introduced to Ian very early on when Tula, who is our main character when she is in her frumpy I'm the most disgusting woman to ever exist mode. Which by the way the only film to really do a nice accurate version of the glow up. [00:18:05] Speaker B: Yeah. In the grand canon of nerds are ugly until they turn hot. Like cliche. This is one of the better renditions of that. [00:18:15] Speaker C: And it's all motivated by her drive for self improvement and that she is in her family's restaurant. Like, I am letting my life pass by and I don't want to. I want to do something different. [00:18:26] Speaker B: Right. And I'm constantly being told by my parents I'm not good enough, I'm not, you know, successful enough, pretty enough, but also they want me to stay at home and stay at their place of work. And like they, you know, it's this kind of push and pull that keeps you exactly in the same place. And so yeah, you're right, Paige. It's like it works because it's all about improving yourself in every way. Not just I want to be hot or I want to be fuckable for a guy. Like, yes, I want to go to school, I want to make something of myself. I want to have my own job that's not my parents restaurant. [00:19:03] Speaker C: I want to make my inner child happy. [00:19:05] Speaker B: Yeah, I want to meet people. I want to be out there. So she does that. And like over the course of that you see her kind of, you know, she puts more thought into how she presents herself to the world and all of that and comes out a stunning butterfly. [00:19:21] Speaker A: It's great how the film does the initial kind of meet cute moment with Tula and Ian and how Ian initially seems like he's aware of her, but also kind of seems like he's put off initially when in reality he never really was. He just was kind of like, oh, this. This waitress keeps looking at me and she is smitten. She keeps looking at me and I don't know how to respond to that. And then there's just a natural. They just, you know, Tula does her own thing. She gets more independent, she gets more confident in herself. She gets a job at her Aunt's. Her Aunt Voula's travel agency. [00:19:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:54] Speaker A: And then Ian gets reintroduced. Just walking by and then just being absolutely. Just gobsmacked. Smitten. Seeing her through the window. And then we have this fun moment where it's like, you know, they talk a little bit. It's not like immediately he remembers her, but when that comes up in conversation. It's one of my favorite moments in the movie where it's like, you didn't. You didn't remember who I was? And he's like, no, I did. Like, there was nothing wrong with you when I met you. Just. It just never at the moment. It just. I never thought I'd be seeing somebody who I would just be this smitten with. It just kind of came out of nowhere. The fact that last time I saw you, you were my waitress. And the next time I see you and you're just like, completely different. [00:20:32] Speaker C: And he's so, like, enthralled and, like, really intense. And her confidence is really shining through also. Just being like this nervous schoolgirl. It's so sweet. [00:20:41] Speaker A: This movie would have been. This would have ravaged at rated R. This would have been. If this R rated. There are moments with Ian where it's almost like he could absolutely just. It would be ravaged. I can just see people being hot and bothered. They're so horny. [00:20:56] Speaker C: I was hot. Both. [00:20:57] Speaker A: They're so. For a PG, PG13 film. I don't think I've seen it be this horny and not just like go all out for it in a rom com sense. And it's just like, they are so sweet together and it feels very genuine. [00:21:10] Speaker C: She's experiencing a lot of things for the first time. [00:21:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:21:13] Speaker A: And he doesn't. He. I mean, John Corbett does a great job that when, you know, Tula's just going all out about, like, how, you know, this whole time she hasn't talked about her family. And he's like, I just want to know about everything. And then she just goes into how Thanksgiving is, and he's just enthralled by her. Even though she's scared and stressed and talking about everything is like, oh, dude. You know that feeling when you're into somebody and you're just like. You could say whatever you want. I'm just gonna listen. I want your lore. I want everything you can give me. And it just. They are the crux of the film that I think really sell the film as like a timeless kind of classic from the 2000s. And then the family is just a nice additive for the comedy aspect, because a lot of it was like. I think there was a part of me that was worried the comedy would be too dated. [00:22:00] Speaker B: Sure. Yeah. And I definitely thought that. [00:22:02] Speaker A: And to be honest. Yeah. But hilariously, I think 2 and 3 have more dated content with, like, the whole. Once smartphones become a thing, the classic gag in 2 and 3 is, my Greek family member doesn't know where to put the phone when they talk to me. Oh, yeah, where it's like. Or like where Aunt Vula is, like, you know, at the. At the registration area and she's yelling at her sister and they're really literally right next to each other. And then in one, it's like, yeah, the whole gag is just being like. And I guess it just makes sense that it's just. It's just introducing to new audiences a Greek tradition in a way they probably are not aware of. [00:22:37] Speaker C: Oh, especially the wedding, too. [00:22:39] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. [00:22:40] Speaker C: The wedding is a gorgeous display of tradition. [00:22:44] Speaker A: It doesn't lie. It's big, it's fat, and it's Greek. It does not hold it. It doesn't pull any punches. It's very delightful. I mean, there's very little I can think of that because, like, I. This is a perfect film to me. I think it's perfect enough for what it's going for. I think I really enjoy it. It's not one of my favorite rom coms of all time, but it's like, this is like the endlessly rewatchable cable movie. Like, in a great example of that. [00:23:10] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, I think its greatest strength is just kind of like nailing the formula while also being able to, like, let you peer into, you know, maybe a culture or a family history that you wouldn't have otherwise seen. [00:23:26] Speaker C: Pretty progressive for what, 03.02. [00:23:29] Speaker B: Yeah. 03, did you say? [00:23:31] Speaker A: When we watched it initially, didn't you go, like, are they going to show the two towers? And then you pause and you went, oh, wait, this is Chicago. And I was like, well, Paige, it's also shot probably in 2002, so I do not think that might be the case. [00:23:44] Speaker C: I just miss the towers. Don't we all? [00:23:46] Speaker A: Who doesn't? Gosh. I mean, it's also another thing we should bring up now because we're going to definitely hark on two for this because three gets away with it because it's in Greece. But one looks very good still. [00:24:00] Speaker C: Oh, that For a home grain. [00:24:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:02] Speaker A: For a low budget film, it has that thing, that classic idea of, like, even there's a certain era of time where even with a film that has like a ham sandwich and a half a bag of chips for a budget, if you're shooting on film and you at least know how to shoot light a scene, it'll still look great. Just cuz that film grain of it all. [00:24:21] Speaker B: Well, yeah, and it's, it's not even necessarily that it's like masterfully shot or anything, but there, there are just scenes or certain specific shots that it's like, you know, not that a low budget movie can't have smart artistic choices, but it is kind of like, oh wow. They like, you know, they kind of popped with that shot. That shot of Tula on the bed. [00:24:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:24:45] Speaker B: In the window with the like kind of noir blinds lighting across her face and it's like lighting up her eyes and you're, you know, it feels like you're seeing her how Ian sees her. [00:24:56] Speaker C: And it's right before he asked her to get married. [00:24:59] Speaker A: Right. [00:24:59] Speaker B: It's like, God damn. But yeah, it is a very like, it's a very workmanlike film visually overall, you know, it's very straightforward. But especially as you get into the, the sequels, I think, you know, you'll get an appreciation for like, well, damn, even a cheap movie shot on film looks better than a digital movie that you put no effort into. [00:25:25] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, it is. Especially two is the one where it looks, it's about as flat and as overlit as you can expect it to be. [00:25:33] Speaker C: It was giving both of both two and three were giving like Hallmark channel. Yeah, very like brightly lit sitcom. [00:25:40] Speaker A: Especially any kind of green screen insert moments like any car scenes or the dance, the dancing Zorba sign in 2 and 3 because they reuse the shot in 3 where it's clearly a CGI and it's oh my Lord, no my. [00:25:58] Speaker C: I hated the beginning of three. It was giving like iMovie AI slop with the photos and stills from the first movie. [00:26:08] Speaker A: I, I gotta be honest, we have watched way worse films on this podcast than my big fan, Greek Winning three. But if there's a film recently where I'm constantly checking the time to see how far we're in, just out of curiosity, to see how much longer is this that opening for three. I cackled because there is a specific choice they make at the very end of that imovie kind of montage that is just like insane to think about. Especially when the film doesn't really address a certain aspect of what they do at the end of that. But before we get to that, is there Anything from one you would like to talk about? That's like, one of your favorite moments. Is there any moments that came out this time that were more funny than the last time you watched it or. [00:26:53] Speaker C: Oh, I love. I think Aunt Voula was a big standout as a comedic actress for me. As, like, as I've gotten older, I don't think I really noticed how witty and overbearing she was. And, like, she kind of reminds me of my. My Aunt Chris a little bit and how she could just say these little silly one liners. And also there's this, like, control aspect of her. She's like, well, I know what's best. [00:27:17] Speaker B: Right. [00:27:18] Speaker C: You know, and that carries on in two and three. And I think she's the standout in those two. She's like, the best part. [00:27:25] Speaker B: She continues strength even when the other two movies falter. Yeah. [00:27:29] Speaker A: Yes. She's. I mean, she is that energy of like, oh, thank God, Vula's here. Everything's gonna be okay. It'll be okay for now. Even if the joke doesn't fully land. She has that talent where it's like, even if the joke is not great, she will sell it very well. Where, like, I think three has that joke where it's like, Greek aunts, the best dating app. [00:27:50] Speaker C: Yes. [00:27:50] Speaker A: That's when they say something like that, and there's a bit of a confidence to it that is very silly. And the two aunts are very funny in that. And Vula's definitely every time she shows up. Nikki's also a great little addition that does pop in through two and three. [00:28:03] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. She is the best cousin that you'll ever have. And then her brother is good too. Angelo. Nikki and Angelo. [00:28:12] Speaker B: Noah kept thinking was Alicia Silverstone. [00:28:15] Speaker A: She does have a little bit of that Alicia Silverstone face. Yeah. And it's. It was funny how halfway through the movie, he kept being like, you guys are lying to me. [00:28:23] Speaker C: I know. [00:28:24] Speaker A: He always thinks. [00:28:25] Speaker C: He always thinks he's being gaslit. And I'm like, no, I'm not lying to you. That is, I. And then I showed my phone like, here's IMDb. [00:28:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:32] Speaker C: And then with my. [00:28:34] Speaker A: Didn't he say, well, she's got to be in the sequel. [00:28:36] Speaker C: Right? [00:28:38] Speaker A: Something like that. [00:28:39] Speaker C: They're all in the sequel. [00:28:40] Speaker A: They're all back. They're all back. [00:28:42] Speaker C: Another standout for me, for one, is the wedding aspect. I always grew up watching, like, wedding TV shows, like, reality wise and to see a Greek wedding carry out. And I. Half of them can't understand the language. And she's just kind of whispering like, we're almost done. Like, this is. We're about to be married. And they have the beautiful crowns, and they walk around the table. And then they have the really beautiful, fun party where they're dancing and around the circle. And then we have that end scene where we're seeing every character. And I also love the gift at the end where her dad is that generous home. And then where is the home? Right next door to him. [00:29:26] Speaker A: And the funniest thing, too, is the port oflos house is just like. It is like Greece. It is like the Greece adjacent. This is where every Greek national should come when they come to the States. Come to our house. Like, it has the Greek flag on the garage door, the Greek flag. [00:29:42] Speaker B: The entire house is basically painted in. [00:29:44] Speaker C: Grecian flag colors, which some of the decor in the home reminded me of my great aunt's house. Like, the floral catches with the protective covering, you'd think is like, with all older ladies, but there was just something Greek about it. I don't know. And, like, the random statues in the house, too, as well as outside the home, that was pretty prevalent. [00:30:06] Speaker A: And the house, actually, it's. It seems pretty consistently, all through three films, they kind of keep the aesthetic of that house. [00:30:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:12] Speaker A: But they never forget just how Greek that house is. [00:30:15] Speaker C: In that first film, it just gets whiter and brighter. [00:30:18] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:30:19] Speaker C: Again, blue is a big color in all three movies. And it just gets more and more annoying as the movies go on. [00:30:28] Speaker A: It is. It is funny how that is. It is a trilogy in a while. A film trilogy that tries to stay consistent with the film poster of the last film. It keeps the motif from that first trip, like, that first poster so much. [00:30:42] Speaker C: It's almost like a grid formula or something. Where we have. Okay, we have this third where all the family has to be. But it made sense in the first movie because they're, like, bursting through a door, like, Interrupt. And she's, like, trying to block them out. And then it doesn't seem as authentic. In the second or third poster, again, my. [00:31:00] Speaker A: Hear me out is the. My. My big factory quoting poster. I love that poster. [00:31:04] Speaker B: Oh, I think. Yeah, that first one's a great. [00:31:06] Speaker A: It's chaotic. It has. It has that classic, again, early 2000s. Like, there's way too much going on. But there's. There's a clear passion idea of, like, there's just. There's so many characters in this movie. And the family is the character. You can't just have it be Tula and Ian, on the poster, you gotta have the whole family. [00:31:26] Speaker C: Well, and Tula looks beautiful. [00:31:28] Speaker A: Oh, gorgeous. [00:31:28] Speaker C: Her face looks beautiful. And then he' looking so lovingly. [00:31:32] Speaker A: He just wants. He just wants a piece of tulip but can't because the family's coming through the door. [00:31:36] Speaker B: Right. [00:31:37] Speaker A: And then every film after this, it's just like you can almost feel again. You can see the medium where they're like, how. How are we gonna do the sequel? And someone smacks the table and goes, it doesn't matter as long as we do the poster again. [00:31:50] Speaker C: It's what the fans want. [00:31:51] Speaker B: It becomes a little more abstract each time as they try and just like shoehorn the template to fit their imagery. [00:31:58] Speaker A: Because I. Yeah, I do think one of the lower, like the kind of the. Going into the sequels, one of the deciding factors on whether or not you will like this as much as the first one is the fact that Tula and Ian kind of become less. Less protagonists. Leslie characters. More just a part of the family. [00:32:15] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:32:16] Speaker A: They are side characters for the most part, to the point where it's like even two when they give them, I guess, a plot about how their marriage is not on the rocks, but it is kind of losing a bit of the luster to it, which. [00:32:29] Speaker C: I don't know. I want to dissect the legality of it. Like, how did they go so long without getting married? And no one said anything until what. What year, what year did they. I think. I think their wedding was 1963 or something, technically. And the marriage certificate wasn't signed. [00:32:46] Speaker A: And I'm like, okay, you went through. [00:32:47] Speaker C: This long and you're just now noticing? [00:32:49] Speaker A: Yeah. Because another thing too, that makes it like My Big fat Greek Wedding 2 has this kind of funny thing of it being half like. Well, too clearly has to discuss the fact that there's a new port oflos. There's Ian and Tula's kid, Paris. Porter. Carlos. Porter. [00:33:05] Speaker C: Carlos Miller. I think there's a hyphen. [00:33:07] Speaker A: Oh, God. Harris. [00:33:09] Speaker B: Porter Collins. [00:33:10] Speaker A: And I bet. And I bet the Port of Family hates that. Yeah. But, you know, because one ends with, like you said, they get a house through Gus, the patriarch of the family. And then of course, it's like a very nice quaint house right next to the. The. The. The best Greek house you'll ever see in Chicago. [00:33:28] Speaker C: Everybody Loves Raymond. [00:33:29] Speaker A: Cody. Yes. And then you're just, you know, there's a. There's a solid 13 year gap between one and two. [00:33:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:33:37] Speaker A: And that's. That's crazy to think of, considering how this movie made 300 plus million dollars on like a 5 million. [00:33:44] Speaker B: The first film. Yeah, like close to 400 million. $5 million budget. [00:33:48] Speaker C: Crazy big Fat Greek will. [00:33:51] Speaker B: But I will say the second one for sure. [00:33:53] Speaker A: But. But I will say there are reasons as to that. Cuz apparently one of the initial ideas for a sequel was the television series that was cancelled after seven episodes called My Big Fat Greek Life. [00:34:07] Speaker C: Did you, any of you watch it? [00:34:08] Speaker A: No, no, no, no. [00:34:09] Speaker C: I tried to look for it. [00:34:11] Speaker A: Apparently, apparently they change, I think Tula and Ian's name. But it's supposed to be a continuation of. Of the film. So it's like post wedding. [00:34:19] Speaker B: So it's a sequel except the character's names are different. [00:34:22] Speaker A: I think it's either they keep too much name but they change Ian to Thomas. Like I think Nia does return. [00:34:29] Speaker B: Thomas John tested better. [00:34:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Thomas. I don't even know how much the family returns for life, but they only get for seven episodes. And then it got canceled. So it was like I think from March to April of 04. [00:34:40] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. [00:34:41] Speaker A: And then there's nothing for about, I would say five years until Neil Vardalos makes another Greek themed film. But it's not My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which is my life in ruins, which has. [00:34:53] Speaker C: Oh yeah. [00:34:53] Speaker A: Which has blue. A very blue. My Big Fat Greek Wedding blue poster has energy. That's very My Big Fat Greek Wedding esque. And it's her being a Greek, I think tour guide, like in Greece. And then I think Richard Dreyfus is in it. [00:35:12] Speaker C: It's so fuzzy in my brain I never saw it, but I can feel I'm in the theater watching the trailer. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Here's the, here's the crazy thing again. Brain is full of useless knowledge and moments where I cannot believe it's still in the back of my brain. The only reason why I remember this movie and I remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding too is because I used to watch the Today show a lot with my mom and they, I mean Today show in my head fucking loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding to the point where anytime there was a Nero Vardalos thing she was. I remember that they were pushing that movie in 09. I remember seeing her there being like, my mom being like, is this supposed to be a sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding? And it's like, no, it's just, it's just. It just so happens to be another Neil Vardalos spiritual successor. Yeah. And then the same year that that came out, there was a rom com called I Hate Valentine's Day starring Nia Vardalos and John Corbin. [00:36:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:06] Speaker C: Oh my gosh. [00:36:07] Speaker A: Together again, I think co written by Nia, if not directed by her. A tight 90. And again, it's Ian and Tula in a film together, but it's not about Ian and Tula. [00:36:18] Speaker B: Now there's a prequel. [00:36:20] Speaker A: There is a frequent. Right there. But after that, Neil Vardalos does other things. John Corbett does other things. We don't hear much from the Port oflos family until 2016, when we get the long awaited, most anticipated return of the Portacalos family. And it is a great example as to why sequels like this take so long sometimes, which is. There just wasn't a lot there. Yeah, no, it was a lot of. [00:36:50] Speaker C: Recyclings of the same jokes and they didn't land again. [00:36:53] Speaker A: Yes. [00:36:54] Speaker C: Not enough. There isn't enough Windex in the world to fix this. [00:36:58] Speaker A: And I would imagine one of the things too is they probably. I would imagine initial development for this. Was it not called Wedding 2? Like they probably tried to do another My Big Fat Greek Life esque title. [00:37:10] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:37:10] Speaker A: And then they're like, My Big Fat Greek. [00:37:12] Speaker B: Something else. Yeah. And it's like, yeah, I can see. [00:37:15] Speaker A: Some studio guys being like, well, you tried that and it failed. And you can go that route. But I stick to what you know. But I think the optics say. And then that's when it's like, okay, well, you know, what's the wedding? And they could have done a lazy choice for the wedding. And to be honest, the choice they. [00:37:32] Speaker B: Make, it is lazy. [00:37:34] Speaker A: I think it's insane. Like it's in terms of the lazy. [00:37:36] Speaker B: But it is lazy. [00:37:38] Speaker A: The lazy to get. It's lazy how they get to it. Yeah. [00:37:41] Speaker B: It's an unusual choice. [00:37:43] Speaker A: Yes. [00:37:43] Speaker B: And they go about it in the. [00:37:44] Speaker C: Laziest way possible and it's an afterthought in so many ways. There's so many subplots. [00:37:50] Speaker B: The movie barely keep going back and forth without a wedding at all. [00:37:53] Speaker A: Yeah. Half the film is supposed to be about Tula has kind of hit a rut in her 40s and has now gone back to being not full frump, maybe pseudo frump. And still now works with the. Like, the agency got shut down after the 2008 housing crisis basically. And so now she's back at the Zorbas, working there. Ian's a principal at a high school. And you know, they're in a place where they. They love each other still. They're still into each other, but they're just. Now they're in Their routine. [00:38:25] Speaker B: They're in a routine. Yeah, they've fallen into that kind of rut. They're sort of in roommate mode. [00:38:30] Speaker A: They can't not talk about their one child who is an angsty, very emo teenager who's in her senior year of high school and just wants to get the fuck out of Chicago because she is a Port of Carlos. And that means everything she does means she has 18 to 20 people behind her at all times. [00:38:48] Speaker C: And somehow her mom can't relate to her. [00:38:51] Speaker A: It's so wild. [00:38:53] Speaker C: Like, she is doing the same things that her family did to her. [00:38:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:57] Speaker C: And doesn't that empathy doesn't get. [00:38:59] Speaker B: And, like, that. That might work as, like, if this were a longer series and that was a later entry. But, like, to literally have your two success or consecutive movies, be mom going through this arc in number one and then number two, Daughter going through that exact same arc and mom being bewildered by it. It's like, come on. [00:39:22] Speaker A: Yeah, it is kind of like, you would think maybe there'd be something where since they're recycling so many ideas, they would have her be like, you know, when I was kind of at your age, when that wasn't true. Because in the first film if, like, she was 30. So, like, it can't be like, well, you're gonna go to college and that's where we're gonna get your independence. Like, no, she's in high school. So, like, there's not really much to connect the first film in that kind of way because all of Teenage Tula we see is in the first, like, 10 to 15 of the original. [00:39:47] Speaker C: It's such a short clip, too. I feel like we see more of her as a small child than we do as a teenager. [00:39:53] Speaker A: Yes. And I mean, I think. Because there's a lot of her getting, like, Windex sprayed on her and being having the ugly, thick rimmed glasses because. Yeah, because she has an older sister who really isn't much of a character in the first film and then is a less than of a character in the next two films. She basically exists. So in the third film, someone gets to watch the mom while everyone else goes to Greece. [00:40:15] Speaker C: That's right. Yeah. Her purpose was to make Greek babies and take care of her demented Greek. [00:40:20] Speaker A: Mother and then dye her hair blonde. Because she goes blonde. I think in the second or the third film, she's blonde for sure. But I think it's. Yeah. So it. I mean, it's. You think, oh, so this film is just going to be the fact that it's Hard to be in the port oflos family. But now there's a new one. And now Tula's a part of that family. That is just absolutely unbearable at times. And how does she deal with that? No, that's part of it. But then you find this. Then this random thing pops up where it's just, oh, my God. I thought I was just related to Alexander the Great. But no, I just found this document that said we weren't officially married between Tula's mom and dad. And this is where I think it gets the most lazy with the plot. Where it's like. It feels realistically they would just get married at that point. They'd just be like, let's just go get a. [00:41:06] Speaker C: To the courthouse. [00:41:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:08] Speaker B: But this inspires in Tula's mother a resentment that has apparently been welling up in her her entire life. A resentment for her husband was not. [00:41:19] Speaker C: Mentioned in the first movie when her daughter was gonna get married. No, no, no. [00:41:23] Speaker B: It feels very much like manufactured conflict. It doesn't feel organic. It's like, okay, suddenly, not only were we never married, but now I'm considering divorce. Unless you, you know, you'd get divorced. [00:41:38] Speaker C: If you didn't get married. [00:41:39] Speaker B: Well, right. But, like, I'm basically threatening. She basically threatens to leave him multiple times throughout the film. If he doesn't, like, do it up big and get everything right. [00:41:49] Speaker C: And he's so dependent on her too. [00:41:51] Speaker A: Make it big, fat and Greek. So we have. [00:41:54] Speaker B: Right. And so, yeah, it all just feels very strained from that point. [00:42:00] Speaker A: And again, with Tula's mom in the first film, she was a great kind of insight of an older female generation of a Greek family. That is very much understanding where Tula's coming from with wanting the independence and wanting to go her own route. But also understanding that Tula's mom has opinions. She's very well aware that the real head of the house, while her dad is one of the heads of the house. In reality, she wears the pants more so than her dad does at times. [00:42:29] Speaker C: And she knows how to, like, manipulate things in a way to where it looks like it was Gus's idea. [00:42:35] Speaker A: Yes. [00:42:35] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. That's. That's a great scene in the first film. Yeah. Where you see the wives puppeteering their husbands. [00:42:41] Speaker A: Ravula's really just not doing well enough. So they have to get her to go around it here and there. And because the mom is a lot of fun in the first film. And I think she's fun in this. But it is kind of like it does Feel manufactured in the fact that it's like, well, you know what? Cards are on the table. I wanted a big fat Greek wedding and I didn't get it because we were immigrating. [00:43:00] Speaker C: And then they have a big party, like, with their family members, like they kind of did in the first one, which is a little bit of a callback. [00:43:06] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:07] Speaker C: The scene that I hated the most in this movie was when all the family went to Paris's career day at school. [00:43:16] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:17] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:43:17] Speaker C: Why did you that? Not even parents go to that. That's for hero is college fair. [00:43:23] Speaker A: That's American parents. But the part of Carlos family, we all gotta be there for them. [00:43:28] Speaker B: But I think what you're speaking to is, like, kind of emblematic of the entire film's failings and that it's just taking every little premise from the first movie and stretching it thin. It's like, oh, the whole family has to be involved in everything, including career day, school, like, what the fuck? Or college fair or whatever. You know, it's like, okay, yes. But now we're like, caricaturizing all of it to a point that's like, not even. Not even, like, slapstick. [00:44:02] Speaker C: Believe people who love the first movie don't care. [00:44:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:06] Speaker A: It almost has to pull back a little bit of the development at the end of the first film where it's like, you know, people were, ah, you're all right, Ian. You know, Tula is in her full glam. This is her real personality mode now. They have to pull that back a bit. Tula's now a little bit frumpy again. She has to learn how to love herself again in her 40s. Ian is now just the butt of every joke again because it's just like, you know, you've been in the family for 13 years, and guess what? You're still. Is it Geno? [00:44:33] Speaker B: Xeno. [00:44:35] Speaker A: Xeno again. If the. The American, to me wants to keep saying xeno because of xenomorph and just seeing them. [00:44:42] Speaker B: Xenophobia. That's where the term comes from. [00:44:44] Speaker A: From. But since he is. They make him. They make. They do a bunch of jokes in the first film where it's basically. They tell him Greek phrases to say, like, this is what you say this. If you want to say, hey, everyone, let's go inside. And it's, I have a third testicle and stuff like that. And they basically do that again in two. But now there's all just a bunch of men in their 50s. [00:45:03] Speaker C: Exactly. And Ian was an only child, so he's not used to this, like, brother banter. And again, thinking that he's been in this family for a while, that he wouldn't get that same treatment. But that's just what brothers do. [00:45:17] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and another thing, too, I think two also shows, which I think is I will give a little bit of a strong point to three. Not much. But like Ian, Ian is very much so in the first film. A lot of the gags surrounding Ian is the fact that he is an only child in a family of three and the fact that his parents are very boring. [00:45:36] Speaker C: Very white bread. [00:45:37] Speaker A: Very white bread. Have the energy that if they could sit at opposite sides of the table and the table is 30ft long, they would very, very well. Prim. Prim proper. And very much not the. Very much the antithesis of what the Port of Carlos are. Which leads to the ending of Big Fat Greek Wedding being like, well, now we're a part of the family, and we're just gonna get liquored up and have a good time. [00:45:59] Speaker C: And were they in the second one? Did they go to the. They see Blink? I blinked, and I didn't see them. [00:46:07] Speaker A: Because in the second one, it becomes this thing where, like, most of the cast now just show up for big moments where it's like when they talk about the wedding planner getting canceled, like, all the Portacolos family, including Ian's family, is there, and they'd be like, well, now we have to do our own wedding and this and that. Because Nia Vardalos, ex husband, who's in the first film as Ian's friend, is back in two, because at the end of the first film, he married one of the Port Oflos, I think one of the cousins. [00:46:34] Speaker C: Yes, that was one of the bridesmaids. [00:46:37] Speaker A: Now he's like the chief of police or, like, one of the heads of the Chicago pd And so he pops up every so often. But there's a little moment in two that I think is, like, kind of fascinating that it's in the movie. But it's like Ian coming to his dad and being like, you know, dad, if you ever want to talk about things, you know, you can. Right. Like, he's seen the Port oflos be, like, very emotional with one another. I think that around this time, Gus's brother, his long. His long brother, long lost brother from Greece, has come back. Hector from Breaking Bad. Oh, yes. And he has shown up. Then I think Ian realizes, you know, just how emotionally vulnerable everyone is in a certain way and just realize he's never been there with his dad. And it Just kind of comes out of nowhere. [00:47:21] Speaker B: But it does have this interesting scene, though. [00:47:23] Speaker A: It's a nice scene. But it also goes, like. I guess Ian just doesn't. [00:47:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:47:27] Speaker A: If you're doing My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I guess you're not gonna really commit to the non Greek a little bit. [00:47:32] Speaker C: Yes. [00:47:33] Speaker A: I think he's gonna be there and be a good support, which John Corbett, I think is great support in all three of these films. He's doing the best he can. [00:47:40] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:47:40] Speaker A: And all three of these movies is something that's clearly, like the third film being like, ah, it's a vacation in Greece. How exciting. His introduction in three is so funny where, like, he's just shoved in the back with all the luggage and the taxi, and then he just pops his head out. [00:47:55] Speaker B: I know. [00:47:55] Speaker A: I was scared. [00:47:56] Speaker C: I was like, why aren't we seeing Ian yet? And then that little, like, pop behind the cab driver. And I feel like the third one is very much an excuse just to go to Greece. Neo is like, oh, absolutely, I want to go to Greece. How can I get this paid for? Tom Hanks. Rita. [00:48:10] Speaker B: Hello. Yeah, it has Adam Sandler movie vibes. Or where it's just like, oh, we just got everybody together to hang out and decided to make a movie while we were there. [00:48:18] Speaker A: I also wonder. It was probably easier to shoot during COVID restrictions, too. Like, it's almost like a White Lotus situation. It's like, we all go to Greece. We go to this one specific spot we'll all do. [00:48:28] Speaker B: We'll basically quarantine there and make a movie. [00:48:30] Speaker C: A very remote spot. There was hardly any. [00:48:33] Speaker A: It's so horrible. Quarantining in Greece. Oh, what a nightmare. It is. [00:48:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:41] Speaker A: And I think, you know, the big constant battle with two is the fact that it's like, sometimes it'll be like, oh, we haven't seen anything about Paris. Let's go back to Paris. Not really much has changed in Paris. Let's go back to Gus. [00:48:56] Speaker C: Yeah. Very sitcom subplot. [00:48:59] Speaker B: That's the weird thing, too, is, like, that Paris subplot. Or it's really the B. Like, if the A plot is the wedding. Yeah. The mom and dad conflict, then the. The next closest, like, the supporting plot or the next main plot is Paris, which is a problem because so little happens in Paris plot. So, like, we're really. We've got these dueling plot lines that we're cutting back in between. And like you said, every time we go back to Paris, it's like, okay, same shit. Yeah. [00:49:33] Speaker A: Like, the most Paris Thing you get midway through the film is when Gus pops his hip out. And then. And then a bunch of neighborhood bitties are just making fun of him. And then Tula just tears him a new one. [00:49:46] Speaker B: Right. [00:49:46] Speaker A: And then Paris is like, oh, you're kind of cool, Mom. [00:49:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:49:49] Speaker A: And that's, like, the most development she gets. And then there's this hilarious decision that doesn't have to happen narratively, but they decide it has to happen where prom is the same day as the crown. [00:50:00] Speaker C: Oh, my God. And then she wears white to promote, like, symbolic, in a way. And her prom day ends up being Greek, too, played by Alex Wolf. And they're bonding over their, like, embarrassing, loud Greek families. [00:50:14] Speaker A: His last name is Athens. Just kidding. I don't think ever say his last name. That whole thing was funny, too, because when Alex Wolf shows up, he shows up once at the beginning. [00:50:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Like a blink and you'll miss it, kind of. [00:50:25] Speaker A: And then it's a very awkward scene where he asks a girl out for prom and he's already dating somebody else. And then we have to watch these three teenagers be like, well, you trying to step on my girl, bro? [00:50:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:50:37] Speaker A: And it's like, why is this happening? [00:50:38] Speaker C: Well, she asked him out. Yeah. [00:50:41] Speaker B: He gets rejected, and then she picks. [00:50:43] Speaker A: Him up, and then he pulls, like, a Pete Davidson. Like, oh, cool. Yeah, sure, totally. And then you find out. Yeah, find out later. Yeah, my Greek family is big, wild and fat. Like, he says shit like that. It's like, oh, great, he's fine. She found a good Greek boy. Because again, since Paris is a Greek woman in the Port of Carlos family, it's constantly, you need to get married. As soon as you get out of high school, you're too skinny. You gotta find a nice Greek boy. And all of a sudden, she just. [00:51:14] Speaker C: Be a waitress at the restaurant. [00:51:15] Speaker A: Yes. And then she finds, you know, the Greekest naked brother band member they could find. [00:51:21] Speaker B: It's. Yeah, it's just a really weird, like, misalignment of priorities on, like, creating your plot because, like, you have the, you know. Okay, let's say it's just. It's a given that the premise is, you know, mom and dad and their whole we never got married thing, and they're gonna get remarried or whatever. Cool. Okay. Well, I feel like the natural second fiddle to that is Tula and Ian, like, kind of reigniting their love, and they get to do that kind of vicariously through their parents. But, no, the second plot is fucking Paris's prom, where she basically kind of just does Tula's arc over again, except worse. [00:52:04] Speaker C: And she does have a little bit of a glow up, though. She got rid of that eyeliner. I was so appreciated for that. [00:52:09] Speaker B: But it's like just a super watered down, passed over version of Tula's arc in the first film. It's like, would have been way more interesting to like, focus a lot more on Tula and Ian figuring their shit out. [00:52:21] Speaker A: Yeah. And they ultimately. [00:52:22] Speaker B: Their parents and all of that. [00:52:25] Speaker A: Yeah, they ultimately do that anyway because kind of. Yeah. [00:52:27] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:52:28] Speaker A: When Gus. And when the. When the parents get. When the patriarch and matriarch finally tied the knot behind everybody else, it's Ian and Tula re. You know, renegotiating their vows again. Right. [00:52:41] Speaker B: It would have been nice to spend the whole movie building to them. [00:52:43] Speaker A: Yeah. They're almost treated like it's a secret tune. It's like, why is the street like a secret? And then it's like, Greeks love secrets. [00:52:49] Speaker C: And that's what the third one's about. [00:52:50] Speaker A: Do you think there was an original. [00:52:52] Speaker B: Greeks love telling secrets, I think, is the message of these movies. [00:52:55] Speaker A: Do you think the original design for Paris was just going to be a tiny, frumpy Tula, but with Paris, like, they're going to put her in the same brown cardigan and they're like, wait a minute, that's not modern enough. What's the closest thing to a frumpy teenager now? And it's like emo. Emo with a hoodie up. So you're just kind of like constantly scrouch. [00:53:15] Speaker C: But more whitewashed. Because she's only half Greek. [00:53:18] Speaker A: Yes, yes. [00:53:20] Speaker C: She's a porter. Collis Miller. [00:53:21] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. [00:53:23] Speaker B: A lot of Miller doing heavy lifting. [00:53:27] Speaker A: To me, this is the great. This is the best, like, the most common example of. Oh, my gosh, they made a sequel to this movie I really enjoyed. Why have I never seen this or really had an interest to watch it? And then you watch it and you go, okay. Yeah, like, I don't hate. I don't hate this movie. I think it's fine. But like, I. [00:53:45] Speaker C: So generous. [00:53:46] Speaker A: I. Because it's the fact that it's like I'm watching. It's like at a certain point, and this is something that I could be very pessimistic about, but they're very clearly understanding that regardless of what they do with this family, you are here because you like the family. [00:53:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:53:59] Speaker A: And until. And unless they're going to character assassinate some of these characters, unless they do that, you're probably gonna sit there and just be like, it's just good to see Nikki again. It's good to see the family. Joey Fatone's gay now. [00:54:12] Speaker C: Oh, that was the. That was a really good part of the second one too, because I kept. Because I always thought Nick was the gay one, but I was like, there is. There is a gay guy in here. I had to find him. [00:54:22] Speaker A: He's wearing every tight tank top, white beater around. And there's a whole thing in the first film where Tula's younger brother wants to, like, become an artist. [00:54:30] Speaker B: Right. [00:54:31] Speaker A: And a painter. And that really doesn't go anywhere in the sequels. But, you know, he's. He's. He happy. He found a wife and had, like, three boys, so he's okay there. [00:54:39] Speaker C: And then in the third one, he's constantly grooming himself, so I'm like, wait, maybe there is a little something there. [00:54:45] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, he. I mean, it's two. Just two exists. Like, that's it. Like, it's one of those films where it's like, I don't hate it, I don't love it. And it is very forgettable. But if you're just a super fan of one, I guess there's some people out there that are just like. You just see Voula and you yell. Like, seeing Captain America on screen, I don't know. Like, it really is just like, oh, she's back. She's back. And she doesn't know how to use a phone. [00:55:11] Speaker C: Aha. She's with her blazer. She loves her blazers and her big earrings and her big hair. [00:55:16] Speaker A: And she's so horny. She's making everything uncomfortable. [00:55:20] Speaker C: Well, and this is not a standalone. Neither two or three, not standalone movies. You have to watch them in succession. With the first. [00:55:27] Speaker A: Could you imagine sewing someone three, just unprompted, just going straight into three, being like. Just so you know, the first film is well beloved. And then you show them three, and you're like, how do we get to this? [00:55:40] Speaker C: It's the only one of the good things about three is Greece is beautiful. [00:55:46] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:55:46] Speaker C: But they show you stills of, like, all of these important landmarks in three, and then they're like, are we gonna go to that beautiful place? [00:55:54] Speaker B: No, no, we don't go anywhere. [00:55:59] Speaker A: Greece is in. In my mind, is basically the example of if you have a shitty meal, but you have your favorite drink with you, where it's like, yeah, the move. The meal is still shit. But you gave me a Dr. Pepper. I can't give this a one out of ten. I like a Dr. Pepper. I mean, it's kind of how it's gonna be. And Grease is. Yeah, clearly they're just like. Grease is so naturally beautiful that the flatness will just look way better in any scene compared to the flatness in two. And they get away with that. [00:56:27] Speaker B: And I think it's also not as overlit because they're using a lot of natural light. [00:56:31] Speaker C: Natural light. And the buildings are already so white. [00:56:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:56:35] Speaker C: And the blue really stands out too. Something I kept thinking about was like, the Greek locals. I'm sure that they were so excited to be extras in My Big Fat Greek Wedding three. [00:56:45] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Can we talk about the fact that John Stamos is in two for like five seconds. Oh, my gosh. And he's married. [00:56:51] Speaker C: Yeah. The husband of Rita Wilson, a classic. [00:56:54] Speaker A: Rom com baddie who's like everyone's best friend in every film. Shout out to Rita Wilson. All my homies love Rita Wilson. [00:57:02] Speaker C: Well, and a call back to one. You were talking about how it was. It was a play based on her life. I heard that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were in the audience of the play and they were like, there's something there. We gotta make this and to show. [00:57:16] Speaker A: And also because now I'm thinking about. I will forget this five seconds after I say it because I also found out that Tom Hanks and Neo Vardalos worked on a film together called Larry Crown. [00:57:27] Speaker B: Right. Yeah. [00:57:28] Speaker A: She co wrote it, I think, with Hanks. Or at least 2011 or something. Yeah. It's like, what if Tom Hanks went back to college? That's basically all it is. Is that Bill Murray. It's Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. Oh, I think Julia Roberts is the teacher. And he's just like a guy that just like loses his, like, corporate job or something. And he's like, ah, I guess I'll just go back to school and goes to community college. There's probably. [00:57:51] Speaker C: Nia loves a slice of life, honestly. [00:57:53] Speaker A: And you know what? I think she does a good job with it, clearly. I mean, even the weaker parts in two, it's like, okay, there's nothing in two. That really feels like she's phoning it in for the bag. It just really feels like they are. They're having a difficult time trying to figure out how to make it fresh. [00:58:10] Speaker C: Yeah. It's hard to beat the Oscar nominating screenplay of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Then we have two, and then we have three. [00:58:18] Speaker A: And if two is scraping the bottom of the barrel to kind of really keep the port of Kahlos family as A cinematic family to keep watching their adventures going on. Three is scraping the barrel so hard it might break through the wood. It is kind of. It's. It's kind of wild how, in my opinion, Three is constantly trying to get to its 90 minute runtime. And there are times where it feels. [00:58:44] Speaker B: Like it's like struggling to fill that. Yeah. [00:58:46] Speaker A: There's so many conversations in three that feels like two AIs talking to one another because they're just like. There's just certain conversations that feel like NPC's in, like, a video game. [00:58:56] Speaker B: Right? [00:58:57] Speaker A: Where it's just like. You just see random people talk to each other that have no. Like, excuse me, where's the oldest tree in town? Oh, it might be over there in the grove. Thanks, Victory. Yes. [00:59:08] Speaker C: It was so forced, what was going on. It was so juvenile. The writing was so simple. [00:59:16] Speaker A: But that's when I would check this. Then I would check the time, and it's like, oh, we're only 26 minutes in. They're now going, fuck, fuck, fuck. We gotta get to 45, then we get to 60, then we get to 75, and then we hit 90. The movie actually ends at like. Like, 83. The rest of it's like, credits. [00:59:31] Speaker C: So, like, there's nostalgic, like, photos and imagery and Gosh. [00:59:36] Speaker A: Yeah. It's now time to talk about the opening to three. Because in my mind that it fucking. I cackled in my bedroom at, like, fucking 11pm Just being, like, seeing, you know, kind of stock footage of Greek food and then just like, CGI photo frames of stills from one, stills from two, and. [01:00:00] Speaker C: And then the dads. [01:00:01] Speaker A: Yes. [01:00:02] Speaker C: And then they go to gray. So the film, they're dead. [01:00:05] Speaker A: Yes. Three, I think, went into production, early production, I think in 21, at some point, the mate, the patriarch of the family, Gus the actor, passed away at, like, 93, 94. In 21. I think he already retired at that point. But they make the plot in three. Going back to Greece to find Gus's friends, to give him his notebook he's kept for, like, his entire life. [01:00:30] Speaker C: Do we learn what's in the notebook? [01:00:32] Speaker A: Not really, no. [01:00:33] Speaker C: We don't learn any of the significance. Those three characters that we're talking about, they don't even have lines. [01:00:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:00:39] Speaker A: But they do play soccer with each other in flashbacks that everyone sees. [01:00:44] Speaker C: And then it's this photo poorly photoshopped and doesn't even look. Look old at all. [01:00:49] Speaker A: Because there's a big thing. And it makes sense, honestly, in terms of the trilogy. There are Actually some choices on three where it's like, okay, this makes sense to be a trilogy ender, because ending in Greece makes sense. Because in two, there's that whole conversation about the fact that the wedding, you know, they didn't get to have a real wedding because they were immigrating. And then you have the whole thing about Gus's brother showing up and being like, you've never been back to Greece since you've been in America. [01:01:16] Speaker C: Which should have been the signal for their wedding to be in Greece. [01:01:20] Speaker A: Yes. [01:01:20] Speaker C: And not have this third slot movie. [01:01:23] Speaker B: Sure. [01:01:23] Speaker A: But Paris has to go to prom. God, we can't leave Paris behind. And so, of course, ending the third film on Greece just makes sense. I mean, at this point, how many Mamma Mias have come out that show how beautiful Greece is? Sister of the Traveling Pants did Fucking Grease. [01:01:42] Speaker C: Gorgeous. [01:01:43] Speaker A: Greece is gorgeous. Classic rom com shit you can do in Greece. [01:01:47] Speaker B: Right. [01:01:47] Speaker A: And the film is My Big fat Greek wedding 3. You gotta do it. Do a Greek wedding in Greece. [01:01:54] Speaker C: And mind you, the big fat Greek wedding that they're talking about is two strangers. [01:01:59] Speaker A: Oh, that is the introduction when they're like, we're gonna get married. And that's the introduction to the fact. [01:02:06] Speaker B: That, yeah, those characters are, like, barely relevant to the movie. [01:02:11] Speaker A: I'm Peter's son. [01:02:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:02:13] Speaker A: I'm dating this Syrian refugee who's like, kind of like a sister to my family. [01:02:17] Speaker C: That is exactly how the line went. They are very explicit in explaining. [01:02:21] Speaker B: Yeah. There's no. There's no subtext. It's all in the text. Everything is literal. [01:02:27] Speaker A: Like. Yeah, because three almost feels like you're 20 minutes in and everyone's going, fuck, fuck, fuck. Where's the wedding? Which one's doing the fucking wedding this time? We can't have Joey Fato get married again. What are we going to do? [01:02:37] Speaker C: Which would have been cool. [01:02:38] Speaker A: It would have been fine. Would have been great. [01:02:40] Speaker B: That would have been cool. I also think, like, if you were to make the ultimate, like, like scrap 2 and 3 off the historical record. If you were to make the ultimate My Big Fat Greek Wedding sequel, I feel like you take the marital conflict between Ian and Tula from 2 and like, transpose it into the Greek. The Greece globetrotting thing of three, and then you kind of have your perfect little, like, everything, but instead they kind of, like, spread it all out and it's a mess. Yes. [01:03:13] Speaker C: And Paris has a silly subplot of her, like, being on academic probation and being like, I need to live, I need to figure things out. I was partying too much at nyu. [01:03:26] Speaker A: Oh, my God. [01:03:27] Speaker B: Stuck in Greece with, like, a guy she dated or talked to Aunt Vulo. [01:03:33] Speaker C: Trying to be a matchmaker. Was like, let me say, set you up with this boy named Aristotle, the most artificial Greek name I've ever heard. [01:03:42] Speaker A: And then I can imagine someone in the theater when he. When he quotes Aristotle, just seeing the silhouette of a gun going into their mouth, being like, I cannot believe this twink. Aristotle just referenced the. [01:03:54] Speaker C: I put my head in my hands. I said, I've had enough. [01:03:58] Speaker A: Well, the great Aristotle once said, and it's just like, oh, my God. [01:04:02] Speaker C: And she didn't even know that he was going on the trip either. Like, yeah, very much, like, ambushed her and was like, hey, I know you ghosted this guy, but he's assisting us on this travel adventure that we're having as a family. [01:04:13] Speaker A: I think all three of us were like, there's no way Alex Wolf is coming back for a third film. Like, we. We. [01:04:17] Speaker C: He was too busy making good movies. [01:04:20] Speaker A: He was in Hereditary, I think, like, the same year two comes out or like a year or so after. So it's like he's doing other. [01:04:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Caught him right before his, like, big blow up in Hollywood. [01:04:31] Speaker A: Could you imagine if someone recut, too, with the scene in Hereditary when he smacks his head on his desk, just trying to make it seem like it works narratively. [01:04:39] Speaker C: Yelling, opa. [01:04:40] Speaker A: Did the porter callous girl go to prom with that dude that smacked his head into the desk, broke his nose. But, yeah, it just. It opens with this whole thing of it being like, both the fathers have passed away. Ian's dad has passed away. Tula's dad has passed away. The film is about Toola's dad. The funniest fucking thing about this movie is that they show these portraits. They go from color to black and white to signify they have passed. And from this point forward, this is the last time anyone will have any reference to Ian's dad. Not a single person talks about. [01:05:15] Speaker C: It's because he's not Greek. [01:05:16] Speaker B: Yeah. It feels like such a tacked on in memorial. [01:05:20] Speaker A: Well, I think it's like Ian's dad, I think, passes away two or three years after two does. And it's like. It's just funny to, like, see that and be like, oh, that's a very sweet way to commemorate both actors who are. I think Ian's dad is, of course, not as important as Tula's dad, but he was a very sweet addition in one and two and to just like, have that and be like, oh, I wonder if it's about Ian's gonna have any talk about his dad. Never says anything about his dead dad. [01:05:45] Speaker C: Tula does say something of, like, well, both of our dads are dead now. And I think that's it. [01:05:49] Speaker A: It's. There's the amount of things that just kind of pop it. I know. It's like, What? The first 10 minutes of it being like, this is what's been going on. And then there's the taxi cab, and then there's the recycled shot of the Zorbas from 2. It looks like the exact same CGI Zorba shot for the second film. [01:06:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:06:08] Speaker A: Everything is very flat. It's kind of uncomfortable because the mom now. It's now, but enough years past. It's kind of implied that she is got Alzheimer's or maybe dementia. [01:06:20] Speaker B: It's not implied. She, like, forgets things. [01:06:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:06:23] Speaker C: And it's like, this is a weird, like, comedy point, and it's not landing. And it's, like, making fun of her. And I didn't like that. And, like, she has, like, so much work done in her face where there's no emotion at all. [01:06:35] Speaker A: And she goes. She goes, I'm kidding. Just keeps making. I'm joking. I remember you. My daughter used to be young, and it used to be very ugly. I'm kidding. I know who you are. And so, like, yeah, it's used as a joke almost to kind of, like, lighten the mood. And then it's not to the very end when Teela's brother Nikki's like, you know, sometimes she's very nice in between those moments, and it's like, what the fuck is this? Why is this serious? Okay, so now we're taking it seriously. Now we're taking 10 minutes until the movie ends, and we're gonna take this seriously. It is funny how the movie, when it gets to Greece, it feels like. It feels like the most mild fever dream I've ever had. Because it's just, like, moving so fast. The jokes are just like. It feels like a dream where you're stuck and you're like, this is not fun. Why can't I keep. Why is this still happening? This is not funny. Why does everyone have snacks on this plane? Why is everyone being mean to this place? [01:07:30] Speaker C: Tostitos had a big moment on that plane. Everyone had a bag of Tostitos. [01:07:35] Speaker A: He is. Ian's getting bullied as if it's okay. He's a retired principal in his 60s, and they're all making fun of him for being a retired principal in his 60s and saying he's not cool. His plot with Nikki is that he's not cool. That doesn't get resolved until the second to last minute of the film. [01:07:54] Speaker C: Well, and Nikki and Angelo are some of the good characters, but we hardly see them. But yet they saved the day in the mission. [01:08:05] Speaker A: There's the other Nikki with Joey Fatone, that. With Voula's family, Voula's Nikki, that just show up. They are outside, I think it's supposed to be implied. It's outside Zorbas. And they're like, we need you to help find these people. And then they come to Greece and just leave Zorba's clothes, which they were. [01:08:21] Speaker C: Just wanting them to stay home and do research, but they took it upon themselves. They're like, we need a vacation too. And they're. They're going on ferries, planes, trains and automobiles to Greece for Angelo and Nikki. [01:08:32] Speaker A: They take the whole day just going to each different island to find these people. And so they get to Greece, they run into a character who just like this character, I was just crazed every time I saw them because I was just like, what is the point of you wearing a cape or a towel at all times and being so weird? And that is Victory. Oh, with a name like Victory, a distant, distant cousin. Non binary queer representation in the series that I think is genuinely, you know, very intentional and very sweet at times. [01:09:11] Speaker C: But it's not explicitly said, which is like, we have to appeal to the libs and the conservatives. [01:09:18] Speaker A: There's one moment where Vula goes, do you prefer boy clothes or girl clothes? And they go both and neither. [01:09:24] Speaker C: That's right. [01:09:25] Speaker A: And then later on, when they do the male dances, the male Greek dance and the female Syrian kind of traditional dancing, Victory goes back and forth. [01:09:33] Speaker C: That was cute. I really liked that. [01:09:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:09:35] Speaker B: I think that I actually liked Victory overall quite a bit. Like, she was a fun, different kind of energy for the movie. [01:09:41] Speaker A: But, man, there were times where the jokes were. This, like, Ian's whole joke with Victory is that, can we go do that? No, no. The amount that all the B roll increase and be like, we're not doing anything. We're not going anywhere. We're going to the shitty little island has six people. [01:09:58] Speaker C: Well, and their improv move of no. Carried on with other characters too. [01:10:02] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, it did. And then. But like, Victory would just have these moments where they would just be like silent and still in frame and then just leave and they would always have, like a cape on and it would be A towel. It would be the Greek flag at times. [01:10:16] Speaker C: And I was like, capes are very non binary, Logan. [01:10:19] Speaker A: I know, but it's just like. And then they would come back with the cape and I was like. I thought the whole bit was. You were wearing the cape. Because they're like, I'm gonna save my island. I will save Greece. I love Greece. And then they just are always wearing the cape. [01:10:31] Speaker C: And Victory has that subplot of, like, I need to save my village. [01:10:35] Speaker B: Yeah. She's the mayor of the town. [01:10:37] Speaker A: I will give the film props that it will be like, oh, by the way, your dad's old island only has six people, and we do meet all six people. Yeah. Yeah. Which is this scary old lady that used to be Gus's old flame Alexandra. Alexandra, who had a son named Peter, who is Gus's. Who is Tula's long lost brother, which I love. [01:11:02] Speaker C: That's something I did like about the movie is how well received he was. It wasn't awkward. It was very much like, oh, we have another brother. That's so cool. And like, they welcome him with open arms. And it wasn't awkward or weird. [01:11:13] Speaker A: He has my favorite funny moment in the movie where it was just when she's drunk and she's like, it's okay if I just be nice to a handsome man who likes me. And he's like, I'm your brother. [01:11:24] Speaker C: Well. And yeah. [01:11:25] Speaker B: And we. [01:11:26] Speaker C: Before we even meet him, Nia, like, Tula, she sees a handsome man in the window and is like, someone is staring at me. And it's like. [01:11:35] Speaker B: But she's, like, more into it than she is scared of it. [01:11:38] Speaker C: And it's like, you have a hot John Corbett, Ian Miller, as your husband. What are you doing? [01:11:43] Speaker A: His hair's not long. [01:11:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:11:45] Speaker C: You weren't into Greek men in the first movie. Why are you all set up into him in the third? [01:11:48] Speaker A: I will say Peter is an attractive man. [01:11:50] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. That's. [01:11:51] Speaker A: He's a beautiful man. And I honestly. He has another one of my favorite bits where brother Nicky is like. He's got his whole little plot about taking Gus's urn on the plane. He's stoned. [01:12:07] Speaker C: That's his little secret. Yeah. Taking the ashes. [01:12:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:12:09] Speaker A: And he's trying to find the oldest tree so he could put the ashes there. And then he. Peter finds out and he's like, please don't tell Tula. And he goes, I'm not. I have to tell her. Turns around and runs away and just goes and tells Tula to tell because. [01:12:24] Speaker C: He'S like, I know we have to have a permit for this. You can't just take ashes over international waters. [01:12:32] Speaker A: But it's like you're sitting there and it's like, okay, so the reunion is happening here, right? Because the whole thing is the fact that they're going to this small town because a reunion's going to bring everyone together. And they're trying to find these three old men with very Greek names that used to be his friend George, Theanos, and something else. And then Victory's like, I lied. They're not gonna come. I don't think so. There's nobody here. And they're like, okay, well, what's the next 45 minutes gonna be? How are we gonna do this? And then it becomes. Tula tries to look at surrounding Greek cities and Greek villages to ask about who these three men are, if he can find out who they are. And ultimately does not find them. Ian has this weird subplot where they just leave him behind after getting groceries. And he starts to have a relationship with what he calls a monk on the beach. [01:13:20] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [01:13:21] Speaker A: Which is very sweet. And he ultimately becomes the one that helps Tula find out where everyone went. And then there's Nikki with the urn, getting the whole where's the oldest tree thing. And there's also the plot to pull the rocks out of the river, the well, so they can have it be in the end of their. [01:13:39] Speaker C: Oh, the water source. [01:13:43] Speaker A: There's the whole thing. [01:13:44] Speaker C: See how crazy this is, y'? [01:13:45] Speaker B: All? This is a lot of plotline. [01:13:48] Speaker A: And then there's. They make the Paris secret. They treat it like, oh, my gosh, something bad must have happened to her. And then it's like she's on academic probation. Okay, that's bad. But it has to be for some reason that is, like, not the normal situation. And then just being. She was fucking partying the whole time. [01:14:05] Speaker C: Because she was such a sheltered Greek girl. [01:14:08] Speaker A: And they tell that. They tell that line while music is playing and, like, other things are happening in the background, and they never address that again. And it's so funny that it's just like, oh, so you did what a lot of people do in college, which is like, kid him. What? That's it. That's what you're so embarrassed about telling Aristotle, who has no arc other than just to be like, I like you. That's it. And the only reason why they're together is because Voula and the other aunt put a little Greek voodoo under her pillow, and she dreamed about her oh. [01:14:44] Speaker C: Yeah, those like chocolate coated almonds or something. [01:14:47] Speaker A: This is why I watched the movie right before we did this episode because I had a feeling that if I had watched this over the weekend, I might have forgot all of this and. [01:14:56] Speaker B: What a tragedy that would have been. [01:14:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:14:58] Speaker A: Well, after the Greek tragedy. Oh, look at that. Ten comedy points were paid for that. But I mean, it's just. I will say and I will give the movie props for this. I'm very curious how you both will react to it. I do think is a rare occasion with this movie where I felt like this movie was just chaotic all the way up to its third act. And then the third act, I think has some very earnest moments. Sweet moments. [01:15:23] Speaker B: Absolutely. [01:15:24] Speaker A: I like the wedding. I like even though the couple themselves. [01:15:28] Speaker B: Yeah. Totally removed from the main phase. [01:15:31] Speaker C: Oh yeah. I love that the Greek aunties made her dress for her out of just like linens in the. The house that they were staying in and she looked gorgeous. [01:15:39] Speaker A: And the whole conversation about the fact that it's like, I wish Tula and Elaine were more involved, but the fact that it's like it's another situation where it's just, you know, a Greek family. [01:15:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:15:49] Speaker A: And just being upset that there's. That their son is not. Or they're just family member is not date. It's not marrying an actual Greek woman or. And it's fine. It's like, it's like, you know what? My son loves her and she's a part of the family already. [01:16:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:16:04] Speaker A: And it's like it has the older Alexander being like, I, you don't need my blessing. And they're like, we're already getting married. I give you my blessing. That's very sweet. The scary old lady does get very funny. She kind of looks like. What's his name for young Frankenstein a little bit. You know who I'm talking about? The, like Igor. [01:16:25] Speaker B: Igor. Yeah. [01:16:26] Speaker A: She kind of looks a little bit like Igor. And it's funny how every time they're just like, this is my. This is my son with your dad, Gus. And I'm just like, can I see a picture of her that like when, when they were both young? Because like I. Gus looks like a Muppet to me for the most. For that actor. Does a great job in the first two movies. Very sweet guy, but he does very Muppet energy. [01:16:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:16:48] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Like the old guys that are always like sitting up like watching the play and laughing. Yeah. He does look like one of them. I don't know their names. [01:16:56] Speaker A: Every time Gus was sad, he Just had like this energy that was just very aloof and very sad because he's. [01:17:02] Speaker C: The patriarch and he wants everyone to listen to him. [01:17:05] Speaker A: Yeah. And then he's like. He's like, honey, they won't listen to me. She just wants to keep dating that. That not Greek boy. He's got nice hair. He didn't even ask me if I can date her. And yeah, the third, the third act I think does have this energy of like. Okay, they actually. This feels like an ending to a trilogy. They're doing the conversation of who's the new head of the house. [01:17:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I really liked that too. [01:17:30] Speaker A: That's one of the better scenes. The little like the whole candle lit kind of jar leading up to like the beautiful ruins of where the wedding, I guess takes place. I wish we could have seen the fucking wedding. But I guess we just cut away from that and then everyone shows up for the reunion. [01:17:45] Speaker B: Fat Greek off screen wedding. [01:17:47] Speaker A: Yeah, it doesn't really roll off the tongue, especially with the 3 9. [01:17:51] Speaker C: Yeah, the reunion was made a bigger deal than the wedding. [01:17:54] Speaker B: Well, that's. Yeah, that's kind of the weirdest. One of the weirdest things about this trilogy is like the wedding itself becomes less important to each film successively. It dissolves to the point where it's like. Yeah, the third movie is entirely just about like family and grief and like what you become as you get older within your family. And also there's wedding tactile. [01:18:20] Speaker A: It almost implies that if there is a fourth film, it would be them doing random things and they find a newspaper and they go, oh, there was a Greek wedding that just happened. And then they do the rest of the movie. It was big. It was big and fat and apparently it was really good. It was at the church we got married at. [01:18:34] Speaker B: No, no, no. In the fourth one, the wedding happenings through montage in the opening credits. [01:18:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:18:40] Speaker B: As a flashback. And then the rest of the movie is after that. [01:18:43] Speaker C: I hope she doesn't have a fourth one in her. [01:18:45] Speaker A: No, I think it's very clear that like, you know, again, Neil Ridolis clearly likes coming back to the family and being a part of it. I think especially with three, there's this energy of like, you know, a lot of the cast members who are cla, who have been in the industry for decades are getting old to the point where if you have the chance to make another one and you, you feel like you have a good enough idea which. Take the Port of Carlos to Greece. Okay, fine. That's easy. Here, take. Take the Indescribable amount of budget. I don't know what they got. I don't even think it's online. [01:19:14] Speaker C: Yeah, Tom Hanks, let us know how much you gave me them. [01:19:16] Speaker A: Tom. [01:19:18] Speaker B: How much did you spend, Tom? [01:19:19] Speaker A: Rita, honey, can we. Can we please go to Greece? You can come with us, please. It's like it. It clearly is just like, you know, one last hurrah, let's do this. And honestly, I think ends in a way that is like, you know, it's very contained. Paris gets the love interest that, you know, she really never had built up for her. But, you know, he's a Greek boy, he's nice. She's like, I'm a mess. I'm a train wreck. And he's like, well, as Aristotle say, I'm down bad. Let's do it. Okay. [01:19:51] Speaker C: And you're Greek. [01:19:52] Speaker A: Yeah. And then Vul. And then the ants. The aunties are happy. Ian. And Ian and Tula are just like, ah, we still love each other. It's like, good, good. And then they all come back to the airport, and then Tula's been volunteered to make dinner. [01:20:09] Speaker C: Yes. Very on the spot. Right before the beautiful, earnest moment of like, we're both gonna share head of the house. [01:20:16] Speaker A: And then she gets to say, put on your eating pants. And then they all. They all do a big old huddle. And then it just like slowly fades to black and then we're done. Like 85 minutes in and we're done. [01:20:27] Speaker C: So wham, bam, thank you, ma'. Am. [01:20:29] Speaker A: That's the trilogy. It is. It is a trilogy that does not need to exist by any means. But it's. If you were just begging, frothing out of the mouth after that first film, being like, I need more Port of I'm desperate. [01:20:42] Speaker C: I'm gonna ask, are you sure? [01:20:43] Speaker A: Yeah. It is. It is like a monkey's paw. Wish you want more, you will get more. But it. None of it will just be as fun and magical as that first film in terms of just like the natural kind of confidence and just how everything is free flowing in the best way and how. This is a trilogy that has very low stakes across the. The board. And the only one that really handles that effectively at, I think its fullest. [01:21:08] Speaker B: Is the first film, the only one that has any urgency to it. [01:21:11] Speaker A: Yeah, it's. It really is that 2 and 3 are just kind of like. I guess that makes sense. [01:21:17] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:21:17] Speaker A: And that's really it. You're just like it. You're not really fully invested until, you know, moments in three. I Think there's sweet moments in two. Both have sweet moments. I honestly, I think two and three are on the same level for me. But I understand because I think you told me that three you prefer. [01:21:31] Speaker B: I like three. I don't think it's a good movie necessarily, but I liked it a lot more than two. I guess here's my half hearted defense for three is I think in almost always, except maybe the wedding of it all, it kind of answers the questions of what you do with a sequel much better than the second one. [01:22:00] Speaker A: Yeah, I can see that. [01:22:01] Speaker B: It's like, I think going to Greece makes sense. I think bringing in grief over lost family members makes sense. You know, I think the kind of growing up aspect of it, you know, with. With Tula and her brother kind of taking on, you know, more, you know, head of household roles and things, that all makes sense. And you can do it without, you know, manufacturing conflicts between the matriarch and patriarch of the family. And I think it, you know, I think in a lot of ways, although some of the jokes are pretty fucking stupid and out of nowhere, a lot of them are also fresher and something different and not just repeating the same punchline over and over again. Like, the second one is. Like almost every joke in the second one is just lifted from the first one. [01:22:48] Speaker A: I will give the nude beach props. [01:22:50] Speaker B: Yeah, the nude beach was a decent gang. [01:22:52] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, that was very silly. Paris showing up and like her whole family is nude on the beach too. [01:22:58] Speaker B: And just. Yeah, just a lot of heart in the third act. And that's kind of the critical spot where you want people to care about your movie. That's where you're sending people off with something to think about. And yeah, I think this one, the third one, gets that a lot better than the second one does. [01:23:13] Speaker C: Could have ended less abruptly for sure. I wish there was like a Mama Coco moment with the mom or something to see. Like that she finally remembers something of significance that represents, you know, her husband or her family in general or being in Greece. [01:23:30] Speaker A: Yeah, at that, I would. I would imagine. Yeah. The unfortunate truth of the matter of it being like Gus's actor passing away, the mother's actress probably just getting at the point of almost retiring because they're like. And I think she's in her early 80s, I think. [01:23:46] Speaker B: Kind of wonder if. Yeah, I mean, if maybe she's like kind of immobile physically. Like all of her scenes are sitting down at a table. [01:23:54] Speaker A: Like, also Covid time and Vula didn't give a will, just keep going. [01:24:01] Speaker B: She Will be the only returning character. [01:24:05] Speaker A: God, I will tell you, if I saw an vula in Avengers Doomsday, I'm buying tickets. Day one. She could stop. [01:24:13] Speaker C: She carries all the jokes on her back. She's good. [01:24:16] Speaker A: She could stop. King Paige, what is, what would you say? Do you prefer two or three? If you had to pick a sequel. [01:24:24] Speaker C: I would also say 3. There is a little bit more sentimental value to it. I, I, they should have just done My Big Fat Greek Wedding too. And combined a lot of elements from two and three together. And three. Being in Greece makes the most sense. And we don't even have to add a wedding if we don't want to. My Big Fat Greek Vacation. [01:24:50] Speaker B: That could have, you know, theory Logan, like, would have been a way better way to go rather than sticking to a wedding every time. Go with different life events. [01:25:01] Speaker C: Like, yeah, My Big Fat Greek Funeral was really good. [01:25:05] Speaker B: It's clear that the core, core, like, idea of these movies is to explore the family, not to get married over and over again or to talk about marriage. It's really just talking about family life. [01:25:19] Speaker A: Like my Big Fat Greek colonoscopy. [01:25:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:25:22] Speaker A: It'd be Gus or Gus being like, you know what? Everyone's gone to college. I want to go to college. [01:25:27] Speaker B: My Big Fat Greek midlife crisis. [01:25:31] Speaker A: What a. [01:25:31] Speaker B: Could you imagine My Big Fat Greek retirement? [01:25:34] Speaker A: Gosh, I, I would love just the longest tile possible. And they just do it how they do in the first film where they constantly just put my life and they go, my Big Fat Greek midlife crisis. [01:25:45] Speaker B: They have that great little animated title card in the first movie. [01:25:49] Speaker A: Cheap out 2 and 3. [01:25:50] Speaker B: I know. [01:25:50] Speaker C: They just kind of put the title up. They don't let us work for it. [01:25:53] Speaker B: It's. [01:25:54] Speaker A: They should just put a picture of John Corbett smiling in the sun while they did that. That would be enough. [01:25:59] Speaker B: But it's just John Corbett as the Teletubbies baby. [01:26:02] Speaker A: Yeah. Thank God. [01:26:03] Speaker C: Another pro. About the third one was the soundtrack was really good. There is beautiful Greek music while we were in Greece with the beautiful backdrops. [01:26:11] Speaker A: Absolutely. I can't remember what they played at prom. There's one song they played at prom. [01:26:17] Speaker C: Oh, my God. It was a bad song. [01:26:19] Speaker A: It was like, it was like you're playing. No, they're playing 80s track for like a bunch of 18 year olds. And it's like, not saying they can't like that, but like, you're not gonna play like walk the moon or some. That would have been popular at that time. [01:26:31] Speaker C: You're not gonna play that'd be too obvious. [01:26:33] Speaker A: It would be too obvious. Also, you'd have to pay. Oh, yeah, it's a lot cheaper for, I don't know, Ace of Bass or Guns N Roses. [01:26:43] Speaker C: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson drew the line at that. They were like 80s music only for the prime. [01:26:48] Speaker B: Yeah, that was. [01:26:49] Speaker A: That was Tom's only thing. But, yeah, I mean, that's my Big Fat Greek Wedding trilogy. That's the trilogy. [01:26:56] Speaker C: My Big Fat Greek trilogy. [01:26:59] Speaker A: It. Trilogy. It very much is a trilogy that does not need to exist. But it is nice to see, like, if anything in the most positive way possible. There are versions of 2 and 3 that I could see that are a lot more egregious in the. Like, I can see, even though the taglines are not that good for two or three, where it's like, it's bigger, it's fatter, and it's Greek. Like, it's something like that where it's like this whole thing where it's trying to push even more intensely. And I think a lot of that is the reason why we didn't get that is because there was such a big gap between what it do and God. There's got to be an alternate reality where that My Big Fat Greek Life runs for like six seasons. [01:27:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:27:39] Speaker A: And I wonder what the fuck that looks like. Like what. What that. What that show was supposed to be and ultimately just fell flat because no one really wanted a show of that. [01:27:48] Speaker C: Are they still gonna have Dancing Zorbas? Is it still in business? [01:27:51] Speaker A: I would say they have to have, like, a Seinfeld esque. [01:27:55] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. [01:27:56] Speaker A: It's got to be an NBC sitcom. In my head, it feels like an NBC. [01:27:59] Speaker B: Every other scene has the establishing shot of Zorbas. [01:28:03] Speaker A: Wait, gotta go to Zorbas. [01:28:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:28:06] Speaker C: And it has that Greek, like, guitar stringy, like, theme song to it. [01:28:11] Speaker A: But they couldn't get Windex as a sponsor, so it's just a blue bottle. [01:28:15] Speaker B: It's like glass X. [01:28:17] Speaker A: It's just unmarked. They've ripped off the. They ripped off the sticker, but you can see the remnants. Oh, yeah. Paige, thank you so much for joining us for this episode. [01:28:28] Speaker C: I had so much fun. Thank you so much for inviting me. It was an excuse to watch one of my favorite movies and watch two movies. [01:28:36] Speaker A: I was glad to finally get you on the pod and get you on for a film that you love and also two films that also are tied to that film. Andy, I don't even think you. Did you say that you saw this movie when you were like, seven years Old. These are the first films. [01:28:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I kind of. We kind of passed over that. We were talking about our introductions to these movies, but, yeah, I saw the first film in theaters. I don't remember it. In fact, like, watching. [01:29:03] Speaker C: You had no business being in that film. [01:29:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Watching it back for this podcast, there was not a single moment where I was like, oh, yeah, I remember that image flashing across. [01:29:14] Speaker A: Didn't have, like, a. Just a. [01:29:15] Speaker B: It was as if I'd seen it for the first time. Which is funny because it's like I remember sitting in the theater for it, but I don't remember anything that happened. [01:29:25] Speaker C: Was Tammy LeClaire there? I know she loves this movie. [01:29:27] Speaker A: No, I did not see this movie with Tammy LeClaire. Gosh, God bless Tammy. I can't wait to tell her that we're doing this. Yeah, I wonder if. Yeah, I wonder if Adam's mom has seen the sequels. I gotta ask her that. [01:29:39] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. That feels like something where she probably might not even know. There are my mom, and I want. [01:29:44] Speaker C: To protect her from it. [01:29:46] Speaker A: My mom loved the first film, and I think when I told her what we were doing this, she was like, oh, yeah, there are two of them. There are two other films. [01:29:54] Speaker C: It's a mom move. Me. [01:29:55] Speaker A: Yeah, it is. It's a mom movie. More so than Mother's Day was. So we watched for last year. [01:30:02] Speaker B: That's true. [01:30:04] Speaker A: But again, yeah. Thank you so much, Paige. I can't wait for the next episode to have you on. I don't know what it would be, but I cannot wait to see what you're interested in when we do in the future. Oh, my. [01:30:13] Speaker C: I have a lot of ideas. Trolls. I know Emma wants to do that real bad. Maybe we can have a girls takeover. [01:30:21] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, gosh. [01:30:23] Speaker C: But no, thank you so much for having me on. And happy Valentine's Day. [01:30:26] Speaker A: Happy Valentine's Day. Whether it's before or after, you're seeing Emerald Fennels. Whether or not. Thank you for listening to the episode. And while this was a very light, very delightful trilogy to cap in the the Day of Love, we're gonna go into a much darker, sadder trilogy after this, because to end February, we are capping off the month with a trilogy that is 20 years in the making, per se, that just finished in January and probably will never get another film again, at least for the next, like, five or so years. [01:31:02] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:31:03] Speaker A: But to talk about this film, this is a. This is a. These are adaptations of a horror franchise that have always kind of had this of almost as Big as something like Resident Evil or Last of Us in terms of video game stuff, but never really got the time of day. Or in terms of Resident Evil's case, the amount of movies due to how popular it was. And so, in honor of the newest Silent Hill film, 20 years after the original film came out, we are talking about the Silent Hill trilogy, which is 2006's Silent Hill 2012 Silent Hill Revelation, and then 2022's Return to Silent Hill, which is, appropriately, the first film's an adaptation of the first game, the second film's an adaptation of the third game, and the third film is an adaptation of the second game. Only adds to the oddity there. [01:31:59] Speaker B: Yeah. In effect, kind of makes it a lot like our odd Oz or odd Nutcracker trilogies and that. It's kind of just an assemblage of adaptations that don't really talk to each. [01:32:13] Speaker A: Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun to talk about because I have recently gotten more into the series because last year they had a game called Silent Hill F, which is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. And this year I'm doing a lot of homework for. Too much homework, honestly, for one of these movies. And Andy had seen none of these movies. [01:32:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:32:32] Speaker A: You're so dedicated to your craft and plun. He's. That's the best part is usually we like to make it as the balance. If one of us is putting too much effort into. Into something, the other one either shames them or doesn't do anything. I say shame, because anytime I buy a Blu Ray, someone at this table that isn't Paige likes to shame me. [01:32:53] Speaker C: I wonder who. [01:32:56] Speaker A: I haven't done that in a while. [01:32:57] Speaker C: For a great group project. [01:32:58] Speaker A: Right now, just looking at me going like, why'd you buy four Blu Rays? It was five. [01:33:05] Speaker B: Expensive. [01:33:06] Speaker A: They were cheap. Okay. Will I ever watch the Silent Night Daily Night films again? [01:33:10] Speaker B: Probably not. [01:33:11] Speaker A: Well, I'm not gonna answer that right. [01:33:12] Speaker C: Now, but check next week's episode. [01:33:17] Speaker A: But, yeah, tune in on the 28th when we talk about the Silent Hill trilogy. And as always, I'm Logan Sosh. [01:33:23] Speaker B: And I'm Andy Carr. [01:33:24] Speaker A: Thank you so much for listening. Bye.