My Big Fat Greek Wedding

I must confess, I asked to review My Big Fat Greek Wedding so I could give it to my fiancZ as a Valentine's Day gift. Not to mention my folks have been hassling me to watch the $240 million-earning indie flick since back when it was being marketed as *Nsyncer Joey Fatone's first film. Based on my mother's theory of "Greek, Jew: the same," I guess this was prep for impending nuptials to my Catholic girlfriend. Needless to say, I resisted as long as possible, though I'm pleased to report it was a much less painful than predicted. It's a sweet and innocuous sitcom-style flick about 30-year-old spinsters, vegetarian pseudo-hippies and white bread WASPs wasted on ouzo. Based on her one-woman shows, Greco-Canadian Nia Vardalos offers a low-key but well-timed comedic performance as Toula. Her parents (Michael Constantine and Lanie Kazan) are humorously broad and Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula is hilarious as usual. If you've ever worked in a Greek restaurant, had Greek friends or are Greek yourself, then their stereotypical shenanigans will amuse. Unfortunately, John Corbett plays Ian as blandly as his caricatured parents. If his lack of personality is Toula's escape from her family's cultural obsession, why force humiliations like Ian's wading pool baptism to win their approval. Then again, pontificating is beside the point. This is not a particularly deep film, which is why it'll likely work just as well when it spins off into My Big Fat Greek Life on the small screen. Aside from informative commentary by Vardalos, Corbett and director Joel Zwick, there is little added-value, aside from "bonus trailers" and cast biographies. But my fiancZ loved it and Valentine's Day was a success; now on to my own big fat non-practising Jewish wedding. Extras: audio commentaries by Nia Vardalos, John Corbett and Joel Zwick, bonus trailers, cast bios. (Warner)