My Big Fat Greek Wedding
30-year-old Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) feels that she is the only woman in her family who has "failed" at being a typical Greek girl. Her family expects her to be more like her 33-year-old sister Athena (Stavroula Logothettis) and marry a Greek boy, make Greek babies, and "feed everyone until the day she dies." Instead, Toula is stuck working in the family restaurant in Chicago, "Dancing Zorba's." Frumpy and cynical, she fears that she is doomed to be stuck with her life. One day while at the restaurant, Toula briefly becomes enamored with and embarrasses herself in front of Ian Miller (John Corbett), a handsome school teacher.
An argument with her overly nationalistic father Gus (Michael Constantine), who wants his daughter to marry and settle down with another Greek or man of Greek origin rather than pursue a career, causes Toula to want her own life away from the restaurant and her intrusive family. Gus refers to anybody who is non-Greek as "Xenos". After some persuasion by his wife, Maria (Lainie Kazan), Gus reluctantly permits Toula to begin taking computer classes at a community college. Toula trades her glasses for contact lenses, curls her hair, and begins to wear make-up, improving her confidence, mood, and self-esteem. Armed with her skills, Toula convinces her mother and her Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) to get Gus to allow her to work at Voula's travel agency instead of the restaurant.
Toula does better in her new job, catching the eye of Ian, who is smitten with her. Despite Toula being shy whenever she sees Ian, they introduce themselves, date, and fall in love. Toula tries to keep the relationship secret from her family, until Gus finds out due to the closeness of the Greek-American community. He throws a fit because Ian is not an ethnic Greek, and he orders Toula to end the relationship and tries to set her up on dates with Greek men, but Ian and Toula continue to see each other, against Gus's wishes. Ian proposes to her, and Toula accepts. Gus is hurt and infuriated, feeling that his daughter has betrayed him. Ian, wanting to be with Toula, agrees to be baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church, an act which earns Gus's grudging respect and the acceptance of the rest of the family.
Obstacles start to occur during the planning of the wedding, as Toula's numerous relatives "helpfully" interfere by imposing their ideas into her planning. The situation reaches its head when Gus and Maria invite the entire family to what was meant to be a "quiet" introductory dinner with Ian's demure and private parents, and the evening is a failure.
The wedding day dawns, and though Toula is nervous, the traditional Greek wedding goes without a hitch. At the reception, Gus gives a speech accepting Ian and the Millers as his new family. As his wedding gift, he presents the newlyweds with a deed to a new home. Following the reception, Toula and Ian drive away to begin their married life.
An epilogue shows the couple's life six years later. They have a daughter, who complains that she would prefer not to go to Greek school. Toula placates her by assuring her that when the time comes, she can marry whomever she wants. As they walk towards Greek school, it is revealed that their home is next door to that of Toula's parents.
comedy, humor, entertaining, romantic, flashback