My family used to be stuck together with their own sweat. In the wake of Gus Portokalos (the late Michael Constantine) and Ian’s father Rodney Miller’s(the late Bruce Gray) deaths a year ago, the Portokalos family is dealing with their grief. Nick (Louis Mandylor) who is now separated, returns home, displaying immature behaviour, dying his hair and wandering around the house naked. Athena (Stavroula Logothettis) and her husband Yiannis (Peter Tharos) are caring for Maria (Lainie Kazan) who is battling dementia. Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) while happily married face the challenges of parenthood unaware their teenage daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) is struggling with her first year at NYU. Distant relative Victory (Melina Kotselou) who is the mayor of Gus’ hometown Vrisi on a Greek island, invites the family here for a supposed reunion. On the flight, Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) introduces her assistant Aristotle (Elias Kacavas), Paris’ college-mate which makes Paris squirm. Toula reveals she’s bringing Gus’ journal, containing his life story, to give to his three childhood friends in Greece as promised. They arrive in Athens, where Victory greets them and they travel in her beaten-up truck past all the go-to sights only stopping for a quick dip in the sea before taking the boat to Vrisi. In the nearly abandoned village they find Gus’ childhood home and meet the formidable Alexandra (Anthi Andreopoulou) Gus’s old flame. Victory confesses there’s actually no reunion, she had simply been hoping the arrival of the Portokaloses would revive the village. The family goes to a neighbouring town the following day, where Toula searches for Gus’s friends without success and gets horrifically drunk on ouzo. Nick searches for the village’s oldest olive tree while Ian befriends a monk, who it transpires possesses information about everyone’s activities in the village. Meanwhile, Aristotle tries to communicate with Paris, who rebuffs his advances without telling him why. At dinner, Toula and Ian meet Peter (Alexis Georgoulis) – the handsome man whose reflection in the window she’s been swooning over – who turns out to be Alexandra’s son by Gus, whom the latter never knew about, as well as his own son Christos (Giannis Vasilottis) and Alexandra’s assistant Qamar (Stephanie Nur). Christos and Qamar take Aristotle and Paris to a club, where they reveal they are secretly betrothed. The next day, Toula informs her family about Peter but struggles to locate Gus’ friends. Fortunately, the monk gave Ian a list of those who left the village, targeting one who moved to Syros. Toula shares this with Cousin Nikki (Gia Carides) and Angelo (Joey Fatone) who travel to Syros and return with them. Toula discovers Nick has taken Gus’s ashes to Greece, following his father’s wish for them to be scattered by the oldest tree in Vrisi. Later that evening, the family learns about Christos and Qamar’s engagement and Toula and Ian are shocked by the revelation that Paris is on academic probation. Peter and Alexandra disapprove, prompting Ian to offer intervention for Paris. However, the youngsters reject parental interference, choosing to handle their issues independently. Next day, Peter comes to terms with Christos and Qamar’s relationship while Alexandra eventually does the same. Victory recognises the potential of a wedding to revitalise the village and initiates plans … I think my Dad knew how much we needed to go on this trip. All these years later the sweetly sentimental family-oriented series takes up after the death of Portokalos paterfamilias Gus as well as Ian’s father and some months after dropping Paris at her college dorm so the scene is set for some rearranging of the relational furniture. Writer/director/star Vardalos brings her typically light and bright touch to a knot of issues revolving around bereavement, dementia and what comes next for every generation. It doesn’t really matter who’s in charge as long as we’re together. The issue of parenting in middle age with the inheriting of roles arises between siblings Toula and Nick; not knowing their own daughter’s dilemma gives Toula and Ian pause; while finding a new brother on the trip to the homeland just expands the love in this crazy gathering. Along with the quest storyline there’s much humour, with the older ladies running the show: We yell and scream to find a solution together using threats and guilt! There’s certainly a hint of Mamma Mia! about the enterprise but you cannot deny the legitimate ethnic rationale of the glorious setting with even a regular reminder about where all the important words have their roots. Nothing like pride in your origins, properly placed. Spectacularly shot by Barry Peterson with a bouncy soundtrack from composer Stephanie Economou. Unfailingly pleasant entertainment with kudos to Vardalos for taking the reins. It’s like we’ve gone back in time
mondomovies 