14 years ago, I fell in love with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The movie had everything I love about romantic comedies: a loveable, slightly awkward female lead who just hadn’t figured herself out yet; a nice, decent and funny male lead who would turn out to be just what she needed; and a kooky background of family/friends that provide the comic relief and constant stream of mishaps.

This months, they finally released the second movie! Obviously, I’ve been excited for ages, I’ve watched and rewatched the trailer, and I saw the first reviews roll in. And most of them were bad. Then again, many of my all time favourite movies rank low on sites like IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes, so I don’t really trust reviews. I can’t even trust my own Dad who said he thought Jurassic World was boring (IT WAS NOT!)

Anyhoo, my Mum and I went to the cinema a couple of days ago and had a blast! I won’t recap what happened in the first film, so if you haven’t seen it yet (shame on you ;)), stop reading now, go watch it and then come back.

Set around a decade after the end of the first movie, the second instalment starts by reintroducing us to the family. Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) have a daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris). Much like her mother when she was younger, Paris is having trouble with her family and their overly outgoing “greekness”. Desperate to escape their clutches, she’s planning on applying to colleges as far away as possible.

Because of the recession, Toula had to give up her job at the travel agency and finds herself back at her parents’ restaurant, despairing at how life can go wrong. Surrounded by her siblings (Louis Mandylor and Stavroula Logothettis) as well as her cousins (Gia Carides and Joey Fatone), Toula is also still fighting the overbearing attitude of everyone around her, but with little result.

When her parents Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) realise that their marriage was never legal, chaos ensues: should they get married again just to make it right? Can Maria expect a romantic proposal? Or is Gus too proud to admit that he loves and misses her?

Prepare yourself for many flashback to the first movie, as well as new jokes and situations. Watch as the movie asks whether romance has to die after marriage, or whether you should fight to keep it alive? Observe how once again a child is trying to leave the nest even though the parents are clutching at straws to keep it there. And marvel as a family pulls together to solve every problem thrown their way.

The cast has aged well, and it feels like reuniting with your own family as you see them slowly appearing on screen. Vardalos and Corbett still share chemistry, and it looks like everyone had a blast filming together, which makes it seem like a group of friends just got together to have some fun, which might have ended up on camera. Produced by the power couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, the movie has plenty to please young and old alike.

A definite must-see for fans of the first, and everyone up for a laugh!

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