DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009
Theatrical Release Date: June 5, 2009
Rating: PG-13 (for some language and sexual content)
Genre: Comedy
Run Time: 98 min.
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis, Rachel Dratch, Harland Williams, Alistair McGowan
There are many paths to a successful Hollywood career. One, apparently, is to impress the wife of a two-time Oscar-winner.
That's what actress Nia Vardalos did when her one-woman theatrical show caught the attention of Rita Wilson (wife of Tom Hanks). Hanks and Wilson then produced the film version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which became the highest grossing independent film of all time—a fact that, quite frankly, absolutely boggles my mind. Not that a small, no-name indie film can break out in a big way; no, it's the fact that such an awful small, no-name indie film was able to achieve such heights is what leaves me baffled.
With that history, I guess it shouldn't shock me if the new Vardalos/Hanks/Wilson Greek co-production finds another huge audience but, well, it nevertheless would. Or I guess I should say that I don't expect to be shocked as it's hard to imagine grown adults admiring something so sophomoric. No doubt hardcore My Big Fat Greek Wedding fans will want to give it a tumble, but the word-of-mouth on My Life in Ruins will likely leave the film in its titular state.
Vardalos not only returns to the Greek culture of her previous hit, but she also resorts to its garish tonal simplicity. Set in Greece, Vardalos plays Georgia, a travel agency tour guide with a passion for her native country—perhaps too much passion, as tourists bristle at her great enthusiasm and deep knowledge. Tourists, it seems (well, in this film anyway) really don't want to tour. The prospect of seeing Olympia (the site of the first Olympic games) or the Acropolis (the original Athenian citadel) or learning of their histories only elicits yawns and complaints. Apparently all people want to do is buy the knickknack replicas of these awe-inspiring wonders while on their way to eat American food at the Athens Hard Rock.
But perhaps this is to be expected when the tourists assembled in the group really aren't people but rather a motley crew of caricatures. There's the uncultured American suburbanites, Australian newlyweds with indecipherable accents and ever-present cans of Fosters beer, uptight Brits, a pair of bosomy Spanish "cougar" divorcees looking for action, as well as an IHOP corporate executive who only speaks in "pancake" (equating everything to flapjacks and syrup).
All are the most broad versions of themselves, well suited for a short sketch but insultingly flat for a feature-length film. This is comedy-as-cliché, sticking solely to slapstick and stereotypes, lacking any hint of dimension, wit, or basic characterization. Not even the great Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind)—try admirably as he might—can salvage much from the stock role of an obnoxious old coot who becomes the film's soul, dolling out wise one-liners in between crass sexual quips.
