This is one of my favorite movies. I don't care what ethnic background you are, all of us can identify with at least one scene and say "yep, that's my family."
I'm armenian and identified so much with this. My girlfriend is french but she seemed to understand. We saw this in the theater and there were times we were on the floor laughing.
Cannot believe the Bundt cake wasn’t included 😂😂😂. Especially when the family presented it for dessert, putting a plant 🪴 in the middle, hearing someone say, “You fixed it!!!” 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I'm an American of Middle Eastern descent, and my family is a lot like this! The loud parties, intrusive relatives, etc. One of my older cousins who married a non-Middle Eastern guy actually made him watch this movie as a sort of preview to what our family is like! XD If I end up marrying outside of the culture as well, I just might do the same thing with my future husband hahaha!
Honestly I think what makes this movie such a success is that it doesn't matter what nationality you are just about everyone can relate to it. By the way nearly all my friends are Egyptian so I completely understand what your life is like lol
I've always envied families like yours because I come from the typical white Anglo-Saxon family like Ian who has been in America for so many generations that we have completely lost whatever culture we may have had when our ancestors arrived here. We only speak English, We just eat the foods that we grew up with, We wear everyday American clothes, We celebrate the typical American holidays. There's just nothing more there.
I love the scene where they nudge Tula’s dad into thinking of her working at the travel agency, then let him think that he came up with it, and he’s the genius!( 2:15 ) “The man may be the head, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head any way she wants”
@@larisalynnortiz8979it is the same trick my grandma used to arrange my aunt's love marriage. For years my grandpa used to brag in front of everyone how he has the best vision while choosing the best son-in-laws and daughter-in-laws in the family😂
I do have to admit, the bit at the wedding with Gus saying "Hey look, we're from two different backgrounds, but we're all just people, so let's have fun!" was kinda touching.
Michael Constantine who plays Gus is the best in these films, he is the quintessential Greek father his accent and mannerisms are spot on. I worked with guys just like the character he plays, he made me laugh out loud. Terrific movie!
He was from my town here in Reading, PA. Kept a home here throughout his career and moved back here permanently when he retired from acting. Stayed here until his death. He was a wonderful man. Did a lot for our town. Showed up at the Berks Ballet Theatre's production of 'The Nutcracker' every year, posed with the kids/dancers/adults for photos. Reading was once a thriving town. Its gone downhill drastically in decades but he was never EVER embarrassed or ashamed to say he was from Reading. He is missed so very much. We're very proud of him. 🌹
3:15 OMG! My yaya used to say ''If you want something from your husband then bring it up as if it was his idea'' and then I saw this scene and I thought WOW, that's really true! 😂
+assad amirxaefarouki her nose is Armenian as hell lol she looks like so many of my own aunts ..Armenians are very particular too but mistaken for a lot of similar ethnicities lol she's great but is a classic Armenian face
im just speaking on my own observation from my big armenian family + family friends compared to my best friends big greek ffamily and armenians i've seen in armenia lol
I can confirm this is literally how a Greek family is. Being Greek is brilliant and extremely fun. The excents are very spot on. In my experience the grandparents are spot on with mine, as well as the conversations in general not to mention some of the slang. You go to Greece or Cyrpus you hear that all the time.
Ok..maybe this is an ignorant question? However, the bible says in all your getting, get an understanding..do Greeks like black people? ☺️ I'm serious. I don't know anyone Greek but I think I would love this type of family..my mama was the best but I've always wanted to get to know someone who is Greek ☺️
@@kinapooh9275 To answer your question Greeks don't hate black people, none of my family does specifically. But I could probably say that some Greeks don't like black people, just like some Spanish people don't like black people. Some people are just racist and that's that but I can confidently say that a very very VERY large number Greek people do not hate black people. I mean in our religion we are taught to never hate anyone. Overall though if I had to say one thing. It's that if you meet someone Greek and they like you, you need to ensure that the family does too. If the family likes you then you'll most likely become part of the family.
This film is very accurate. I grew up with Greek neighbours and friends and work colleagues. Have visited Cyprus and Greece. I have always appreciated the culture. They are very warm and friendly people- who love feeding you!
+I am 5:AM hey buddy,GREECE has so much to offer.it has more than 300 islands…SANTORINI HAS BEEN NAMED AS one of the most beautiful in the world…it has great history and one of the oldest cultures in the world..it has the longest coastline on the mediterranean basin and 11th longest coastline in the world with fantastic weather climate.GREEK people are so friendly and helpful.GREECE is the birthplace of DEMOCRACY,WESTERN PHILOSOPHY,THE OLYMPIC GAMES,WESTERN LITERATURE ETC…THE CULTURAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF GREECE HAVE GREATLY INFLUENCED THE WORLD.GREECE,WHICH IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST SHIPPING POWERS AND TOP TOURISTIC DESTINATIONS,HAS THE LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE BALKANS,WHERE IT IS AN IMPORTANT REGIONAL INVESTOR.GREECE IS HOME TO THE FIRST ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS IN EUROPE AND IS CONSIDERED THE BIRTHPLACE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION.THEATER WAS BORN IN GREECE..AS WELL AS CINEMA..GREECE IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES,FIRST RECORDED IN 776 BC IN OLYMPIA..DURING THE PARADE OF THE NATIONS GREECE IS ALWAYS CALLED FIRST...if i were to continue,my list would be endless.so what does your country has to offer to the world dude? whats ur history?your comment clearly depicts you as an uneducated person.Greece has suffered greatly from the european recession,but this also applies to most countries in the EU as well...Nevertheless,Greece still stands strong because greek people are tolerant and perseverant..SO instead of sitting on ur fat ass criticizing others,why don't you open up a book or log into your filthy computer and start educating yourself,DUMBHEAD.The world needs less of you.
+claire amer Ok, great. What have you guys done lately except destroy the financial markets in Europe? You have the highest unemployment rates, constant protests, and you guys won't pay back the loans you took. Greece = land of bad creditors and women with sideburns.
We saw this when it first came out in the theaters, and our Greek friend (yes. his name is Nick!) was there. Through the whole movie, he kept nodding his head and saying "yep, yep"
My grandfather was just like Toula's dad and pressured my mom to be with italian. My mom did marry dad who is Sicilian like my mom and he was even born there. He ended up being a bad person and my grandfather now doesn't care what ethnicity we end up with as long as they arent from my dad's village😂
This was my Nanna’s favourite movie. We used to sit and watch it together every time I went to visit. She knew it back to front. It brought her so much joy. It makes me sad watching it now, but it holds so many beautiful memories for me too.
I love this movie ! This is exactly same like our Turkish culture. Large family, a culture and traditions.... It may be strange for Americans but I can understand the feelings of the father of the bride when she wants to marry to a non Greek guy. This is my culture this is our culture. I love Greeks!
All these countries are similar, true :) However there are differences when it comes to race and appearance. Greeks and Italians are however the same "race". Aswell as parts of Spain and Malta. Turks would not be considered to be the same people, but this is not about etnicity. This is about the value of family and mediterranean traditions which all these countries clearly have in common even if Greece, Italy and Spain are christian countries while Turkey is not.
***** They do not look the same, visit the countries or simply google, Italian people, greek people or Turkish people. Turkish people are generally slightly more dark in their skin tone. Medditearenean countries are similar in many ways, but turks do not look the same as Greeks, Spaniard or Italians. I should know this I'm from Sardinia.
I’m a gay man that married into a Greek family. Not exactly what his parents wanted but none of us would have it any other way. Learning Greek culture has been a wonderful experience for me. I love them.
I’m an Ashkenazi Jew from a small family, the craziness is relatable! But honestly would love to date/marry into a big Greek or Italian family. God we’d have a ton of fun!
This movie was a huge hit even it was produced with a humble budget. I’m chinese and my neighbours for almost 30 years are greeks and they are exactly like this… and yes their second son’s name is Nick 😉
you forgot about the scene where she's in the travel agency and she goes to answer the phone and it gets wrapped around her neck. Then Ian gets beat by an old lady. I don't remember how that came about. I have this movie. I need to watch it again.
I'm dying!!! I love this movie so much! I swear I'm gonna have a heart attack from laughing too much! I'm 3 quarters Pontian and a quarter Macedonian! My Yiayia always asks me if I got a Girlfriend and if I ever say yes then she'll say "Is she Greek!!!?" Classic!!! 😂😂😂
I’m half Greek and half Lebanese. Can confirm both sides of my family are very similar to this 😂 Minus the craziness around dating people outside our cultures hahaha
I'm straight American and there was a Greek girl in my hs named toula that I had a MASSIVE crush on. I had to sit next to her in Spanish class and it was debilitating because I was super shy lol. One time she came into class and greeted her friend (who was a girl) by giving her a huge kiss on the mouth, and then laughed as her friend yelled "toula!" And wiped her face.. It was the most hilarious and endearing thing I'd ever seen and it made me crush even harder hah. Alas I never had the courage to act on it.. My family is white-bread and boring so I would love to marry into a crazy Greek family like this lol
+swish007 not trying to sound mean, but grow so balls and just ask her out, before someone else dose. life is to short, so just go for it the worst that could happen is she says no.
I'm a male in the family and at 21 was already being told to get married have Armenian grandchildren. Now I'm 24 they want to ship me to Armenia for a year.
The most fabulous quote that I still use to this day… “The man may be the head of the house, but the woman is the neck & she can turn the head anyway she wants.” 😂 💙🤍
My Big Fat Greek Wedding kind of reminded me of Meet The Parents where the woman falls in love and the family is judgmental toward the guy she is in love with. The only difference is I thought this film was better than Meet The Parents because it was grounded in culture and tradition.
A lot of people say this is not what greeks are like...i find there is a difference between greek-american families and actual greek families lol. I find greek-americans can relate to this more maybe. Although my greek family members in greece are like this lol so what do i know? Let's all just have a nice laugh and a happy day :)
Frankly, anyone can relate to this movie Half of my family is Japanese and they are very much like the family here and my mom and dad kinda had to go through this but it all worked out in the end
Yes, exactly, 100% agree. I am Greek American but then actually moved to Greece. Big difference between Greek-Americans and Greeks. This is definitely a Greek-American movie!
@@Womanfemale12 sure. First of all, Greek homes are more minimal, there are not as many knickknacks, and definitely no Parthenon columns in houses. They aren’t as boisterous as Greek Americans, and a bit more reserved. The scene where “ There’s a hole in this cake” made me laugh because people in Greece make Bundt cakes ALL the time! I think Greek fathers in Greece are more modern, and don’t have the “ marry you off” mentality Greek Americans do. Educated girls are just as valuable as boys. A lot of First Generation Greeks that live in English speaking countries left at a time where all this was common, and they kind of never evolved from that, and kept those ideas with them. Greeks don’t say “opa” all the time like the movie depicts. Some of their accents are terrible! I definitely think they took bits and pieces of both cultures and created a sub- culture, which I can relate to, lol. When I first started living in Greece it was a big culture shock, despite the fact I was Greek American.
You are Right! 👇 Toula--Nia Vardalos Gus---Michael Constantine Nick--Louis Mandylor Nikki--Gia Carides Athena-Stavroula Logothettis ^^^The Actors who were Greeks, these only had bigger roles.
WOw, I missed that one! "Christ is risen for sure if Toula found a husband." (at 8:08) .but i think this one is missing one. The part where the Kosta goes, "there's two kinds of people in this world, those that are Greek and those that wish they were greek." (it goes something like that, anyways)
I went back over this scene and listened to it a bazillion times after seeing some of the comments cuz I never heard this line as many times as I've seen this until you time-stamped it so thank you for time stamping it!
Such a timeless movie. This just speaks volumes to any foreign family. My wife is Croatian and I'm Mexican so needless to say meeting each other's families was fun lol. We all got a long super well. I remember when I first brought her over I was so nervous but before I knew it my mom was teaching her how to make tortillas and now she's a pro. Good memories.
If I married a vegetarian my grandmother would likely have a similar reaction to the lamb lady🤣 ( we are Southern Italian). Luckly our traditional cuisine include vegetable- only dishes ( let's hope he can eat dairy products 😂)