February 12, 2012

This Day in Indie History: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

by MovieMaker Staff | Published April 18, 2007

Based on a one-woman show by Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding began screening in limited release on this day in 2002. Actress Rita Wilson and husband Tom Hanks produced the feature about a Greek woman (Vardalos) who pursues and marries a man (John Corbett) not of Greek descent. In a review days before the film’s release, Kirk Honeycutt from The Hollywood Reporter claimed the film “will probably have little impact theatrically outside of its obvious ethnic audience.” Boy was he wrong! What cost just about $5 million to make went on to gross over $600 million and became the biggest independent hit film of all time.

Quotable: “I had to go to Greek school, where I learned valuable lessons such as, ‘If Nick has one goat and Maria has nine, how soon will they marry?’” --Toula Portokalos (Vardalos) pointing out the basic principle of her Greek life.

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Comment by e-commerce website development on 8/21/08 at 7:59 pm: i’ve seen this movie and it was great indeed!
Comment by las vegas weddings on 8/21/08 at 8:01 pm: It’s funny.. I like the leading man.. so cute.. :)
Comment by Oahu Weddings on 10/11/08 at 8:25 am: This movie certainly turned out to be a classic!
Comment by San Diego Weddings on 7/08/09 at 9:11 am: Favorite movie of all time!
Comment by Shoe Italian on 7/11/09 at 9:43 am: Funniest movie I’ve ever seen! I’m Greek and know exactly what they’re going through!
Comment by escape the friend zone on 8/03/09 at 6:55 am: I like the leading man.
Comment by Cosmetic Dentistry Vancouver on 8/24/09 at 3:47 pm: Unlike others, I didn’t like this movie very much. I just couldn’t understand the humor. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.
Comment by Houston Insurance on 8/28/09 at 2:59 pm: Surely a great movie to watch for.
Comment by Fotografo Matrimonio Milano on 9/09/09 at 2:44 pm: I would love to watch this movie!
Comment by Wedding Musician Harp on 9/15/09 at 9:19 am: This sounds like a comedy drama movie. I’d like to watch this one!
Comment by Wedding Butterfly on 9/17/09 at 3:45 pm: Drama Comedy movies are my favorite. But not too dramatic…
Comment by Tower Defense Games on 9/25/09 at 1:49 pm: Nice romantic-comedy about a Greek-American girl which has to fight against her family’s strict traditions in order to marry a non-Greek boy. I think that, for the Greek people, this movie must be full of topics and stereotypes, but for the ones who don’t know about Greek ways of life is pretty funny.
Comment by With This Wedding Favor on 11/09/09 at 7:19 pm: Has it really been since 2002? It seems like just yesterday it came out and we all were so excited to watch it. Great movie!
Comment by groom wedding speech on 11/10/09 at 1:30 am: I wanted a dress that had lace sleeves, but most of the dresses that I were finding had straps or was strapless. I actually did find a dress that had the lace sleeves - it is made by Pronovias. Pronovias has discontinued my dress, but they still have some other gowns that have sleeves - very simple and beautiful.
Comment by tuxedo on 11/26/09 at 7:14 am: When I got married before the proposal I planned it out and brought the engagement ring and the wedding ring as a double set and got a great deal saving me money in the long run. After proposing to my wife I also showed her her wedding ring that was going to be worn alongside the engagement ring as a set and she absolutely loved it. We then both went shopping for my ring.
Comment by Hawaii Weddings on 11/28/09 at 4:47 am: The groom carries the bride over the threshold because it’s a symbol of a new beginning together, basically a new journey that they must cross together.
Comment by Wedding facebokk layout on 12/03/09 at 1:51 am: I planned it out and brought the engagement ring and the wedding ring as a double set and got a great deal saving me money in the long run.
Comment by cheap vps on 3/12/10 at 8:29 am: bride over the threshold because it’s a symbol of a new beginning together,
Comment by jewellers on 6/12/10 at 5:12 am: Greek Wedding starts out as a modern day Cinderella story and culminates with the traditional end to most fairy tale romances.
Comment by Wedding Insurance on 9/09/10 at 1:11 pm: An excellent and funny movie history in the filed and most over I like characters involved in the movie.