Weddings Part IIAttending a wedding is like being handed a licence to act like a twat. Oh how I laughed when I sobered up and realised I'd nicked most of the plates and cutlery from the posh hotel lunch and those vague memories of stealthily exiting like a cat-burglar had in fact involved falling out of the hotel, knives and forks clattering onto the steps.
Tell us more of your wedding stories.
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chthonic, Mon 3 Nov 2014, 18:10)
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Fortoula "Toula" Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is going through an early midlife crisis. At thirty, she is the only woman in her family who has "failed." Her family expects her to "marry a Greek boy, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day she dies." Instead, Toula is stuck working in the family business in Chicago, a restaurant, "Dancing Zorba's." In contrast to her "perfect" sister, Athena (Stavroula Logothetis), Toula is frumpy and cynical. She fears that she is doomed to be stuck with her life as it is.
At the restaurant, Toula briefly sees (and embarrasses herself in front of) Ian Miller (John Corbett), a handsome school teacher. This event, combined with an argument with her overly-patriotic father, Gus (Michael Constantine), who merely wants his daughter to marry and settle down rather than pursue a career, causes Toula to want her own life, away from the restaurant. After being persuaded by his wife, Maria (Lainie Kazan), Gus permits Toula to begin taking computer classes at a local college. She also gets contact lenses, curls her hair, and begins to use make-up, which improves her mood, her confidence, and her self-esteem. Her mother and her Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) then collectively discuss a way to get Gus to allow Toula to work at Voula's travel agency, though it would be Gus who came up with the idea "all by himself". Despite Aunt Voula having a minor slip-up, Maria and Voula are able to manipulate Gus into shuffling some of the family members around so that Toula can work at Voula's Mount Olympus Travel Agency.
Toula feels much better in her new job, especially when she notices Ian looking at her through the window. Despite Toula initially being terribly shy whenever she sees Ian, they finally introduce themselves indirectly, and they begin dating. Toula keeps the relationship secret from her family, until some weeks later when one of Toula's family members, Vicki Pavalopolis, sees her "sucking the lips off Ian's head" in a Denny's parking lot. Vicki tells her mother, who tells Toula's cousin Nikki's mother, who tells Toula's mother, and this all leads to Gus accidentally finding out about it. He throws a fit because Ian is not an ethnic Greek (a xeno), and he orders Toula to end the relationship, but Ian and Toula continue to see each other against Gus's wishes. Ian proposes marriage to her, and she accepts. Gus is hurt and infuriated, feeling that his daughter has betrayed him, and Ian agrees to be baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church, to be worthy of her family.
As the months pass, the wedding planning hits snag after snag as Toula's numerous relatives "helpfully" interfere. Her father insists on inviting the entire family, all of their friends, and distant relatives to the ceremony. Her mother orders the invitations, but misspells Ian's mother's name (Harry, not Harriet, as it should be), and Toula's cousin Nikki (Gia Carides) orders tacky bridesmaids' dresses, much to Toula's dismay. Toula is horrified to learn that her parents have invited the entire family, to what was meant to be a "quiet" introductory dinner with Ian's demure and private parents. They are not used to such cultural fervor, and they are completely overwhelmed. During the dinner, Rodney and Harriet are both offered copious amounts of ouzo, a very strong Greek alcoholic beverage, and they become extremely tipsy. They cannot help but look on in a daze as Aunt Voula tells them about a lump she had in her neck, which turned out to be her twin. This later prompts Gus to complain about them, saying that "they look at us like we're from the zoo," and "they're dry bread" and "he just wants to apply a little marmalade, but oh no!" and this leads him to again question the upcoming marriage.
The wedding day dawns with liveliness and hysteria, but the traditional Greek wedding itself goes without a hitch. Gus gives a speech accepting Ian and the Millers as his new family (along with telling a miniature tale about the origin of the names Portakalos and Miller). As his wedding gift, he presents the newlyweds with a deed to a new home. Following the reception and colorful Greek dancing, Toula and Ian then drive away to begin their married life together.
An epilogue shows the new couple's life six years later, living in the house purchased by Gus and Maria, next door to their own home. They have had a daughter, Paris, whom they are raising in the Greek tradition. Toula tells her that she can marry anyone she wants when she grows up, after Paris says that she wants to go to Brownies instead of Greek school. Toula replies to her daughter, "I know!" As they walk out of the driveway, Ian says, "Greek school, pame!" and asks his daughter what it means. Paris says, "let's go", much to Ian's delight. The film closes with Toula, Ian, and Paris walking by Gus and Maria's home and saying hello to Gus, who is washing his car with Windex.
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Zuowan, Fri 7 Nov 2014, 7:57,
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