In 2002, My Huge Fats Greek Marriage ceremony grew to become a real phenomenon. Written by and starring the then-little-known Nia Vardalos, the movie made almost 50 instances its modest $5 million funds on the home field workplace, and remained in theaters for a whole yr. As formulaic because the plot might have been—a girl falls for a person with a special background—the script was intelligent, coupling acquainted romantic-comedy tropes with culture-clash humor. Clichés concerning the Greek American way of life blanketed the script, however they charmed due to an enthusiastic ensemble solid. As my colleague Megan Garber noticed, the film “was an enormous hunk of baklava: layered, nutty, shockingly candy.”

No matter fluffy lightness the unique movie contained has largely deflated within the twenty years since—and My Huge Fats Greek Marriage ceremony 3, the newest sequel after a forgettable second installment and a short-lived TV sequence, marks the franchise’s nadir. With a shapeless plot that tediously unfolds, the movie is uncomfortable to look at. Even Vardalos, who directs for the primary time, appears to battle with mustering precise curiosity in her personal materials.

That’s considerably baffling, contemplating how a lot potential the premise has: This time round, the Portokalos family is touring dwelling to Greece, as a result of Toula (Vardalos) desires to satisfy her late father’s want of giving his journal to his childhood greatest associates. The journey is about as much as be a bittersweet one; Toula speaks of how her father’s demise has left the household “scattered,” particularly as her mom has begun affected by reminiscence loss. This journey, then, affords her an opportunity—very like the primary movie did—to come back to phrases along with her Greek heritage whereas bonding along with her eccentric prolonged household.

However any semblance of emotional stakes disappears beneath a flood of stale one-liners about, as soon as once more, how overbearing Toula’s family will be, and simply how totally Greek all of them are. Her brother whips out the household’s well-known healing Windex and quips concerning the Greek roots of English phrases. Toula’s aunts insist to Toula’s daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris), that the matchmaking expertise of Greek matriarchs are “higher than the apps.” An prolonged bit on the airport finds the household jammed right into a revolving door, unable to maneuver as a result of—har har—there are simply so many of them. At greatest, the punch strains are merely drained. At worst, they’re tasteless: A twist involving a long-lost relative is launched with a careless incest joke about Toula being drawn to him.

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The result’s a static movie wherein nothing occurs and nobody adjustments. Everyone seems to be a group of displayed quirks or declared traits. Paris deems herself “a large number,” regardless of all proof that she’s a standard school child, only one with a penchant for carrying crop tops. A brand new character—a cousin who’s been named mayor of Toula’s father’s hometown—is a caricature of Greek pleasure, saying all Greek issues to be “No. 1,” a behavior that will get outdated quick even in a movie sequence constructed on cartoonish portraits of Greek pleasure. Even Ian (John Corbett), Toula’s husband, is lowered to a parody of a supportive partner. He spends a lot of his display screen time wandering by means of his environment, ultimately (and inexplicably) befriending an area monk who helps with Toula’s quest to search out her father’s outdated associates—a plot level that feels shoehorned in to provide him one thing to do.

At 91 minutes lengthy and shot on location in Greece, My Huge Fats Greek Marriage ceremony 3 ought to have been a breezy postcard. As a substitute, no quantity of sequences filmed throughout golden hour can distract from the story’s clunkiness. The climactic wedding ceremony between two locals—as a result of the title requires justification—conjures up solely apathy, provided that it entails two characters who say no various strains of dialogue, and whose story is tangential to the Portokalos household’s. It’s a miracle any of the guests bear in mind their names.

Romantic comedies not often beget good sequels, as a result of stretching a love story out tends to decrease the fantasy inherent to the style’s success. The few which have labored—Mamma Mia!: Right here We Go Once more involves thoughts—construct on nostalgia for the unique story and deepen their followers’ understanding of the characters they fell for within the first place. My Huge Fats Greek Marriage ceremony 3 might have finished the identical; it already has the picturesque locale, for one factor. However it squanders no matter goodwill it as soon as had, ignoring its vibrant characters in favor of awkward goofs.

In a single scene, Elena learns that the often uttered Greek phrase sopa means “shut up”—and that it doesn’t at all times imply “be quiet.” Generally, it’s used to precise delight; different instances, it’s delivered to convey a sentiment akin to “that’s sufficient.” The time period is outwardly meant to be a enjoyable working gag—there’s a effective line between shouting the triumphant Greek expression “opa” and crying “sopa,” in spite of everything—but by the top, it additionally felt like a relentless reminder of how weak the story’s momentum is, and the way little the movie tries to say about household and the act of homecoming. Twenty years in, the franchise ought to take its personal recommendation: Sopa, My Huge Fats Greek Marriage ceremony. Joke’s over. That’s sufficient.