My Big Fat Greek Wedding was something of a hit and miss film. You learned much about the Greek (lead) character, Toula, and her inter-family relationships. But you learned very little about her love interest, Ian. If the point of the film was to show the development of Toula from the shy woman living life for her father by waiting tables (“seating hostess”) in his restaurant to the confident, beautiful self-styled woman that Ian Miller falls in love with, then, I guess, it succeeded. Sadly, because you know so little about him and his one-dimensional parents, this film feels empty and fails to pull you in.

Reviews will tell how My Big Fat Greek Wedding makes you laugh, cry and feel. I, however, was left wanting more. The large Greek family, played with love and humour, finally come to accept non-Greek Ian into the family. Ian, however, never challenges that their acceptance requires him to turn into them. Far from celebrating diversity, the film fails to show both sides of the tale and we are forced to believe that Ian will do anything, unquestioningly for Toula. I suspect that I am trying to read too much into, what should be, a light Saturday night romantic comedy but as the film played out its story I found myself less and less engaged.

Having said all this, there were some laugh-out-loud moments and some top-class performances. Andrea Martin (Aunt Voula), Michael Constantine (Gus) and Lainie Kazan (Maria) all stood out. The performance of Nia Vardalos (Toula), who also wrote the story, is also worth mentioning as she certainly conveyed Toula’s side of the story. Unfortunately, that’s all I felt I got (Toula’s side) and it could have been so much more.

On this day…

2004: Autumn Again
2002: First VHS For Sale

I saw a pumped-up Matt Damon on The Bourne Identity last weekend. Sadly, I am a sucker for this kind of action movie. They have little point but tell a tale that absorbs you for 90 minutes and gives you an all-action thrill for some of that time. What more do you want from a cinema-going experience?

My Review: Who would that thought Matt Damon could, convincingly, play the international agent? Yet a beefed-up Matt holds his own in the world of blockbuster espionage – that’s a world of martial art acrobatics and high-speed car chases down back alleyways (and flights of stairs). Franka Potente manages to keep the role of Marie convincing when many would have just walked away from Jason Bourne (Damon) at their first meeting. It’s a Friday night, action-packed, spy-game blockbuster (with a twist of amnesia) and, unfortunately, nothing more.

See also: Matt Damon as Man of the Moment.

On this day…

2005: It’s In My Hand
2004: Happy Birthday To Me

You know when you don’t go to the cinema for, what seems like, an age and then you suddenly go quite a lot? No, well, I do this on-off thing with cinema quite a lot. Yesterday, following on from my Men In Black II experience, I went to see The Guru at The Clapham Picture House (which, if you live in this part of the world, probably ranks as one of the better cinemas and it’s not part of an overly large chain – although there are more of them then you would imagine).

The people I was with, loved it. They laughed (a lot). Many people in the cinema was laughing too. I smiled occasionally and there was the odd laugh but on the whole I was pretty quiet. So, to validate my lack of enthusiasm for the film (which seems to be generally well received) I got as far as The Guardian’s film site (which, I am sure was Film Unlimited at one point). Peter Bradshaw reassures me with,

There’s no bite or edge to this movie, though; it’s goofy, soft-centred romcom slush, with some very half-hearted Bollywood pastiche” and “… these moments don’t really justify the admission price

[Full Review]

Now, I am using the web to reinforce my own opinions. This can’t be a good thing.

On this day…

2002: Celebrities in Space

“Strange, zany, generally amusing and very likeable without actually being all that hilarious or surprising, Men In Black II relies heavily on familiarity with and affection for the original. Fans of that film, who are simply content with more of the same, shouldnÂ’’t be dismayed or too seriously disappointed by a pleasantly insane bit of nonsense”. [Empire Online]

This review tells almost all about my night last night. I went to UCI Sutton to see Men In Black II. I had enjoyed the first in a wash-over-me kind of way. Interest wanes at twenty minutes.

On this day…

2005: Catherine Tate
2003: Naked Valley Money

Looking back, I do have to say Scooby Doo was a great film. If one of the goals of cinema is to entertain then this was a successful film. If another of the goals of cinema is to provide escapism then, again, this was a successful film. I believe I am the only person I know who thinks this. That, of course, makes me right and everybody else wrong (kind of).

On this day…

2005: Memories