Review: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

In 2002, My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a surprise blockbuster. It earned $240 million at the box office, and ended up as the fifth top grossing film that year (ahead of Signs, Austin Powers in Goldmember and just behind Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). With that kind of haul, you would've expected a sequel right away; instead they attempted to follow it up with a sit-com version that fizzled out after 7 episodes.

I understand why they would go the sitcom route-- the sense of humor in the original and in 2016's My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is very much what you would expect from a sitcom. It's contrived and built on unlikely coincidences and communication failures that should be easy to work out; the only thing missing is a laugh track.

So the comedy is unsophisticated, but the characters are cute and charming, and that's all that really matters. Like the first film, it's got a strong sense of family and compassion that most films lack. I'm not sure if there's the same cultural yearning in 2016 for that kind of connection as there was back in 2002, but I think it's safe to say that if you liked the original, then you'll enjoy the sequel.