My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 American romantic comedy directed by Kirk Jones and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Andrea Martin, Ian Gomez and Elena Kampouris. The film was released on April 19, 2002.
Plot[]
Thirty-year-old Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos is a member of a large, loud, intrusive Greek family that only wants her to get married and have children. Frumpy and meek, she works in her family's Chicago restaurant, "Dancing Zorba's", but longs to do something more with her life. While working one day, a school teacher named Ian Miller comes into the restaurant, and Toula develops a crush on him. That evening, Toula tells her parents that she wants to go to college to learn about computers, but her father, Gus, becomes emotional, claiming Toula wants to leave him. Her mother, Maria, comforts Toula and convinces Gus to agree to Toula's idea.
As the weeks pass, Toula gains more confidence and changes her image, switching her thick-framed glasses for contact lenses, styling her hair, and wearing makeup and brighter clothes that show off her figure. She sees a notice for a course on computers and tourism and tells her Aunt Voula, who owns a travel agency, that she could apply what she learns in the course to Voula's business. Voula agrees, and she and Maria slyly convince Gus to agree as well.
Toula's happiness working at the travel agency catches Ian's attention and he asks her to dinner. On their date, Toula confesses to Ian that her family owns Dancing Zorba's, and Ian suddenly recognizes her; contrary to Toula's fear that he would lose interest in her, Ian reaffirms his fondness for her. They continue dating and fall in love.
Knowing her family would not approve of her dating a non-Greek, Toula lies that she is taking a pottery class to see Ian. However, Toula's lie is exposed when a family friend sees Toula and Ian kissing in a parking lot. Gus is furious that Ian did not ask his permission to date Toula, even though they are grown adults. Gus refuses to let them continue seeing each other because Ian is not Greek, but Toula and Ian continue dating anyway. Gus introduces Toula to single friends of his own, to no avail.
Ian proposes marriage and Toula accepts. Maria tells Gus that he must accept their marriage, but Gus remains upset because Ian is not a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. To get the family to accept him, Ian agrees to be baptized into the church. The Portokalos family does finally accept him but constantly inserts themselves into the wedding planning, designing ugly bridesmaid's dresses and misspelling Ian's mother's name on their wedding invitations. Ian's quiet, conservative parents meet the entire family during a loud and extravagant Greek family dinner and are overwhelmed by the experience, frustrating Gus. Toula worries about whether her father has accepted Ian.
At the wedding reception, Gus gives a heartfelt speech focusing on how the differences in the newlyweds' backgrounds do not matter. He and Maria then surprise Toula and Ian with a house as a wedding gift. As the two families dance together, Toula narrates that while her family is indeed loud, odd, and somewhat dramatic, she knows they love her and will always be there for her. Six years later, Toula and Ian leave their house to walk their daughter to Greek school. The house is then revealed to be right next door to Gus and Maria's house.