PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

THE COMEDY IN DRAMA

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is a very entertaining and successful film and it has all the ingredients of a good story. It's the story of Toula (NIA VARDALOS) who makes an effort, against strong family resistance, to do what feels right for her. This is a story of one person winning against the odds - something we all would like to succeed at. Although she starts this journey on her own, Toula is helped along the way by Ian (JOHN CORBETT), for this is also a love story - something else we would all like to succeed at. But the story is not just about a how a girl meets a boy. It in fact deals with bigotry and bias, issues of control and dominance, the value of history and traditions, gender roles and ultimately declares its theme as being about the fact that although we are all different, in fact, we are the same. This is a story that generates a lot of drama and has a lot to say. It also makes us laugh and therefore is a comedy.

Measuring the Performance Achievements
Stories that are rich in purpose give the actors many influences to work with and so the performances in is this film are richly diverse and serve the story well.

In the beginning when NIA is playing Toula's "frump-girl phase" it is arguable that she at times pushes the performance a little more than is required to tell the story, but this soon settles down and a good balance is found. For NIA VARDALOS and JOHN CORBETT don't work at making their performances funny, they work at dealing with the drama and being truthful to their impulses. How do we know this? One element that makes this process plain is the way they find and develop pauses in the dialogue. There are many pauses of 4 to 5 seconds in duration. In fact, in the scene where Ian finally remembers he has met Toula before, there is a pause of about 9 seconds duration. These pauses do not slow the storytelling; in fact they heighten it, because they are generated by the difficulties of dealing with the circumstances of the moment. They are not a product of actor indulgence but rather actor trust, for not only do they heighten and define the ingredients of the drama but frequently it is the difficulties they explore and the surprises that they generate that bring many of the laughs. These are the laughs that emerge from audiences who have achieved a shared understanding with the characters. This can only the product of good acting.

Confidently Relaxed
JOHN CORBETT is a fine example of the value of simple, open listening and the value of genuine relaxation. There is no actor tension evident in this actor and consequently he wonderfully fulfills that often quoted SPENCER TRACY dictum of "Never let them catch you acting." JOHN CORBETT is always comfortably and truthfully "there". He is never caught acting - he is simply "doing it".

A film well worth seeing for the performer's achievements. You will also be thoroughly entertained.

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