MovieChat Forums > My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) Discussion > Why i won't watch this movie...

Why i won't watch this movie...

posted 8 years ago by ishouldbesolucky
58 replies | jump to latest

Being Greek, many people will presume i will run and watch this movie multiple times. However, this is not the case. I have seen the 1st film over 200 times and that is not an exaggeration. One reason i will not watch this movie is because of the way Greeks are portrayed in the first film. If i wanted to see Greeks being idiots i would go to church or some Greek event which is free. There are a lot of stereotypes in the first film which truly don't relate to Greek culture in the early 2000s. I honestly doubt it will have relevance to me now. Also, these days Greek families are not close and unlike the slogan, THEY DO CHANGE!!

The first movie does have a lot of heart, but a lot of crap which truly only i believe appeals to non Greeks. The only reason i watched it was because of my desire for people to be constants in my life. But it did nothing but make me feel a whole lot worse. Like i said, I can watch Greeks being idiots in public for free. Not all Greeks are idiots but the few make it seem like they are. Nia Vardalos has only made this worse.

Stereotypes such as windex are irrelevant to many Greek people as they don't even believe it can clean a window. The film makes a mockery out of vegetarianism which let me tell you was something very common in Greece. There are many Greeks, including myself who follow a vegetarian diet as they think meat is wrong. I am not against people eating meat but am against people believing that Greeks are very meat hungry. Also, in 2002 mixed marriages were quite acceptable and most families were estranged or didnt see each other every day or week. The fact that they are re doing something like this in 2016 makes me worry that people are going to believe that Greek's do not change with the times.

[–] Troy2Slick 8 years ago

I don't think any one on the face of this planet thinks this resembles real life. It's fiction, it's not real, it's a comedy, a farce meant to stereotype, it's how they get laughs and make money.

[–] blue_wolverine 8 years ago

Wow, that was a dumb reply.

So, playing on stereotypes is okay as long as you do it to make money? As a consumer, I would hope you would want more for your money instead of paying to see the same old garbage over and over.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] blue_wolverine 8 years ago

I take it you probably think Tyler Perry is a frickin genius, huh?

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] fierypoeticgirl 8 years ago

Perfect response!

"Self-reflection is the hardest thing for SOME people to do!" 

[–] fierypoeticgirl 8 years ago

Perfect response!

"Self-reflection is the hardest thing for SOME people to do!" 

[–] Carol10f 8 years ago

samanthaskapetis, I am Greek also and I did relate to the first movie, quite a lot really. I was surprised by your post because I can't recall any other Greek being different then me culturally, except for the Greeks who have lived in the USA for a few generations. I have only met one Greek vegetarian, my family is pretty close and we do have a lot of Georges and Nicks and Costas. The only thing that wasn't relatable in that movie was the Windex, which really shouldn't have been there in the first place.

[–] peter-alexandris 8 years ago

The windex is because in Greece rubbing alcohol is blue

[–] peter-alexandris 8 years ago

And Nia Vardalos had said when her grandfather came to the USA from Greece he thought Windex was rubbing alcohol. That's what that came from

[–] katzzmeow 8 years ago

Thanks for the explanation on the Windex, I didn't catch that in the movie. I thought my parents never used Windex.

[–] horsenbuggy 8 years ago

What is wrong with you people? No one thinks that all Greeks like Windex. Even in the movie it comes across as something only her father believes, not something tied to his ancestry or culture.

[–] jaynekranc 8 years ago

My neighbor REALLY didn't want to name her son Alex but she said she had to. There are about 15 Alexanders in her family.

[–] kendrah66 8 years ago

My cousin and I were born a week apart. I am Alexandra, he is Alexandros. My mother was annoyed because she didn't want to name me Maria, after my father's mother, because that was already another cousin's name and then, the other aunt stole "her" name.

[–] disneyed 8 years ago

You watched the first movie 200 times but are not going to watch the second one because the first one was so insulting to Greeks? Did I get that right?

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[–] ishouldbesolucky 8 years ago

I was quite different back then. But yes, i get what you mean. It is insulting to Greeks but i had no understanding of culture back then 7 years ago.

[–] darjeeling443 8 years ago

You sound a bit like a social justice warrior fool.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (55817158) 8 years ago

Lol holy *beep* chill out. It's just a movie.

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[–] MoshiMoshiYoshi 8 years ago

I don't think anyone watches this and thinks the Windex thing is real, or even a stereotype.

Anyway, it's weird that you'd watch a movie that you hated over 200 times. So there are 200 people you needed as constants in your life?

All I know is that when the first movie was first released, Greeks living in Toronto (where it was filmed, in a primarily Greek area), were overjoyed and praised the movie. I'm not going to say they represent ALL Greeks, nor will I try to put down the fact that you were offended... But I will say that you only represent you. It's at least good that this was written by a Greek woman, based on her own experiences... not by some non-Greek who purposely makes Greeks look bad (which is normally the case on Hollywood when dealing with any non-American culture in a movie).

As a non-Greek, I didn't watch these movies and think "wow Greeks are so loud and stupid"... On the contrary, I thought it made them look warm and caring and fun, and as a Persian I could also relate to the giant families, always in each other's business, having huge parties and making a lot of food. Hey at least Greeks aren't typically portrayed as nasty, disfigured villains... which is usually the case with Persians in Hollywood movies.

[–] ishouldbesolucky 8 years ago

I dont get what u mean with the constants thing

[–] DisturbedPixie 8 years ago

I have seen the 1st film over 200 times and that is not an exaggeration. [...] The only reason i watched it was because of my desire for people to be constants in my life. But it did nothing but make me feel a whole lot worse.

You said you only watched the original due to wanting consistent people in your life... 200 times apparently you did that.

Sounds like your issue is not with the films, first or sequel but more so with being disappointed in your family and wishing that a movie about a Greek family would help resolve your issues with yours in some way. Sorry, but films aren't magical cure-alls.

The films are supposed to be fun. Stereotypes can be funny if people can climb off their SJW horse. No one thinks all Greeks are obsessed with windex. No one thinks Greek families tend to be so obsessed with their own culture that they would deck out their home in everything Greek like done in the films. It's a joke, an exaggeration. It could be anyone's family or culture. That's why non-Greeks enjoy the film.

It's about being pressured by your family to stay in the past old country mentality in America. Many first generation Americans feel this family dynamic. Many in laws feel the pressure to blend into this culture that is all about the(ir) old country. I know I feel the pressure to be something I'm not because my husband's family thinks their culture is so great. So I can relate to this film, and I can laugh thinking about my Taiwanese in-laws.

Cuz Greek is just the fun cultural backdrop of this very relatable story of family. In fact, if you watched the sequel, you'd know this story is about change. Yes, families change, times change, and cultures change, but some things never change and that's life.

[–] kagawa-32645 8 years ago

AWESOME SEQUEL. Was thoroughly impressed with this sequel.

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[–] FuDaisy 8 years ago

I can sympathize with your feelings. As an Italian I can't watch any of the God Father movies and never watched the Sopranos. These negative stereotypes do not dictate the essence or an ethnicity but exaggerate bad qualities that only exist in a few. It makes a good story. I could relate to My Big Fat Greek Wedding in ways that my family always made too much food and they were always together and had very few "friends" outside of the family. My experience wasn't typical of the rest of my friends growing up in the US North East suburbs. It's just nice to be able to laugh about it since it was so cute looking back. Nowadays even my family has changed and I'm wishing it didn't in some ways.