My Big Fat Greek Wedding tells the story of a couple who are ostensibly mismatched for each other but triumph over the stereotypes.
Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is a somewhat dowdy young Greek girl who yearns to break the mold. Instead of listening to her father who simply wants her to get married another Greek person and have kids, she goes to school and learns to be independent and assertive. To to the further chagrin of her father, she gets involved with Ian Miller (John Corbett), a non-Greek. Ian tries hard to become accepted with the expected results in the end.
The movie's clash isn't between Toula and Ian, who get along just fine. It's between their parents and the stereotypes they represent. Toula's parents are portrayed as fun-loving but simple-minded folk, whereas Ian's parents are as stodgy as they get. In the end Ian's WASP-y parents appear to be the ones who are converted to the fun-loving Greek style of living.
The performances are all very good, and Corbett looks like he's enjoying the jokes being played on him. The film is based on a play by the lead actress and since the cast appears so down-to-earth, the film is almost believable. The humour is consistent, and the pacing is just right. Definitely worth checking out as a family/group film.