LIKES:
The Quirkiness At Times:
-You know this movie is about the annoying levels of family and those members that push the drama and the pressure.
-Installment three keeps that trend going strong and I loved those moments that just time it perfectly and the relatable antics that I saw.
-It's an anchor for the fanbase, and the characters are still the characters that you loved and got invested in and If you like that, then this movie scores points for the bigger fans.
The Acting:
-It's the same fun and fan favorite acting to bring the charm of this type of familial bond that we've had for the last two movies.
-Mandylor is that same cheesy fun, that you either love or hate in this overdramatic flair that he has going for him. It brings a little bit of light and love, despite how forced it feels.
-Corbett is fine and that same level of charm and class that I've liked about him. He's that calm counter to the chaotic Greek lifestyle and I quite enjoy that element when its worked in.
-And Vardalos is still the only character of most of the bunch evolving. She's got the familiarity, but some changes, the concern and same nervous tensions, but yet doing better.
-The family still feels like that messed up family, and the rest of the cast reprises the roles weaned makes it just enjoyable if you know that type of family.
-And the new cast fits well, at least some of them, to really add that sparkle and go toe to toe with the family's extreme personalities.
The New Characters:
-There are about 5 new characters really added in and they kind of work and kind of don't work depending on what you are looking for in a character.
-Aristotle is fun, down to Earth and a pretty boy that works on so many levels for the family and the young ward Paris to help give her a bridge to another arc.
-Victory, an eccentric distant cousin is that representative card with fun energy and some level of awkward initiation that serves as a bridging character for every arc, despite how much they can be.
-Alexandra is my favorite character. The most fitting of the bunch, she holds this old world charm that is a little bit of the replacement of Gus without completely taking his place or trying to be him. She was wonderful, added some of the best lines, and brought that attitude that embodies this franchise.
-Peter is fine, lots of potential that is somewhat there and somewhat not, there is strength and there is that fighting spirit that serves as again the proud Greek tradition.
-And the newlywed couple, though two characters, are really more of a character group that are more together than apart, and they are cute, fun, and serve the other part of the Greek family friendly plot elements that are for the mushy-hearted.
The Familiarity
-The jokes are the same as the other two installments, over the top, in your face and the stereotypes that this movie is loaded to the nines with in splendor.
-It makes it fun, friendly and that break out of reality and very heavy plots that streaming is saturated with, and that's sometimes okay to have to get away from such big drenched films.
-And the fact it caters to a lot of potential groups because of that relatable factor helps again make this just a group family film that is familiar waters on many good accounts, especially during those very comedic moments that were time so well.
The Music:
-My favorite aspect, part 3 is loaded with so many wonderful tracks that I found there to be an element of storytelling in of itself.
-The techno tracks are upbeat, fun, high energy, adding that spirit of adventure and elation felt in the shots of the movie and the cast.
-The alternative rock and rock moments are filled with that Greek beauty, part smooth, part powerful, part on fire, and part flowing water that helps just culminate in these goal focused objectives and beautiful celebrations.
-And of course the poetic prose of the power ballads and sonnets act as the sadder moment personifications that hold so much power to bring you down.
The Scenery:
-It's Greece! It's beautiful, and it holds so much cultural forte that it's hard to really hate on the setting they chose.
-The homeland is a great playground that holds as many story elements as the characters themselves. Designs that are simple, but tributes to craftmanship and strength.
-And the fact one can find themselves in a similar setting that stirs memories, or perhaps stimulating to go on a trip, you can't be upset when the setting you are shooting on can do that.
DISLIKES:
The Stale Tactics:
-Sometimes the jokes work, and sometimes they don't. For me, some of the jokes really were perfect in execution and timing.
-And sometimes, it was too much, too staged, and too forced to be funny too me. A third installment doing no favor to make it fresh and exciting.
-Plus, some of the other dislikes amplify this staleness and without having that same quality of the movie being put together... the movie is just kind of failing to keep the same song and at number worth coming back for fans like me.
The New Characters Are Inconsistent:
-I told you before that they each had a piece of that spirit of Greek Wedding, but sadly they didn't all quite deliver the full majesty that the other older characters did.
-The young couple is cute, serves as a metaphor, and helps symbolize much of the secrets, but they lack the full personality and feel just a cute and minor card that all movies seem to have to play to a lackluster level.
-Peter's involvement is minimalistic as well, boring even at times, with quick solutions and acceptance that belays the very nature of the family, but though charming is just sad at how much more he could.
-Victory is fun, and probably the best utilized character, but optimism only takes you so far before it gets buried to very rushed plots, the political card, and the lack of any real obstacles to help overcome. A shame given again the potential she held.
-Aristotle works and feels the most complete, but even he just needs time and more elements to be better.
-My favorite character even needed more time. Her comedy the only thing that had full development, while other elements felt rushed.
Too Many Characters:
-The second movie showed the expanding family and helped try to get the generations to mix in Paris' life.
-This movie, though supposedly only a year based on the plot element, feels completely different and the characters seem a bit of a mess and inconsistent in growth or changes. Maybe I need to revisit the movie, but so many things happen and yet I get the flyby.
-Even the third act's beginning tries to shove more in, and as fun, simple, and a nod it is, it does nothing to elevate their inclusion but a hasty to the story with some laughs for me.
-Thus, with more and more characters added, shoved in, and trying to balance... the dancing Zorbas don't quite dance as well as I had hoped for this performance.
The Story is Everywhere and Quite Sad At Times
-Life isn't always happiness, and this movie shows us that there are dark times in lives and how to get through it with the help of friends and family. That's cool. It's just the sadness weighs heavily at times and becomes too much focus on the movie.
-The story thought suffers with trying to do a lot in a short amount of time. There is the plot of the synopsis, which is always there, but never really developed and integrated like the other movies have done.
-The subplots are touching and relative, trying to weave themselves into a tapestry that will work, and parts of those threads connect quite well at times, but the overall inclusion is fast, repetitive, and resolved in no time flat.
-Impasses get settled with the snap of a finger, characters are hastily shown getting everything done so quickly, and the whole conversation, development, and conflict are boring n their execution.
-The result is a very hodge-podge mess, sewn together tale that might be enjoyable, but is weaker and lax compared to the original plots.
-Throw in predictability and again you are set for a movie that appeals to the extreme fans, but might be turned away.
THE VERDICT:
Overall, the third dive into the family's affairs is an okay film. It's a movie that sticks to the core traditions of family and the facets of life it can help you out with. Our favorite bunch of Greeks are still proud, boastful, fun, but caring and good hearted, meaning you are going to get a lot of high octane moral goodness in your one sitting. The trip the homeland offers beautiful sights, sounds, and magic, with a cast of characters both old and new that show promise and have their moments. It's a fun and friendly movie, offering a light hearted relief to the heavier handed and invested plots, and all while giving you familiarity and modern levels that aren't the most die-hard like today. Yet, the other reviewers are correct in the fact that this movie feels hastily put together and trying to squeeze money out of a story that is kind of needing a series at this point. With all the new characters, the story is too quickly solved and the conflict very minimal, with no one person having a really endearing story like the previous. The jokes are there, but so shotgunned that it's stale, tiresome, and a bit too quirky, alongside the fact that the very essence of the movie is just missing. It's a very mashed together story, and while again enjoyable, mind relieving and cute, it just doesn't fill as much as our dinners with the group did in the past. Thus, this movie is recommended to be watched at home for the ideal buck.
My scores are:
Comedy/Drama/Romance: 6.0-6.5
Movie Overall: 5.0.
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