So I finally saw My Big Fat Greek Movie, and it wasn't really too funny, except for the voice-overs at the beginning, which were hilarious. The jokes were extremely broad, vulgar, and predictable, and the so-called "good-heartedness" of the film was betrayed by a kind of political-correctness neurosis that I found more offensive than if the filmmakers had just gone ahead and been politically incorrect. The only way they seemed to be comfortable portraying Greek-Americans as vulgar and stupid was to also portray WASPs as vapid and stupid. And in the end, how do the bloodless WASPs become fun and silly like the ethnics? By getting drunk, of course.

I was reminded of David Denby's protest of Ordinary People because the only salvation for the cold, out-of-touch WASPs was to have them cured by the warm, engaging Jew.

On the other hand, Nia Vardalos, whose Second City one-woman show inspired the film, is absolutely luminescent in the lead role. It would be very nice to see more of her.