On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 20/21 |
Jason Lee |
I was embarrassed for Nia Vardalos as an actress in this movie and I was embarrassed to be a viewer of the movie. |
| 77/82 |
Kelly Metz |
I was hoping for another My Big Fat Greek Wedding - I am now convinced that was a one-hit wonder for Vardalos. Just plain silly. I'm embarrassed for the actors who agreed to co-star. |
You might remember a little movie called My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was released on April 19, 2002 in 108 theaters and earned $597,362 for a per location average of $5,531. That's the sort of thing that would draw slight attention in today's box office climate, but nothing spectacular.
But things changed quickly for the Little Movie That Could. It had a remarkable run of 353 days in theaters, during which time it earned a ridiculous $241.4 million in North America, all on the strength of word-of-mouth and grass roots marketing. It took in an additional $112.4 million overseas and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. People believed that breakout star Nia Vardalos was poised for big things, particularly since she had the power of Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson behind her.
Somehow, though, Vardalos has never been able to recapture that lightning in a bottle that she discovered in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. A television series adaptation of the movie (My Big Fat Greek Life) was a flop, and small movie Connie and Carla received next to no attention at all. She's had an okay run as a (very) supporting player on the wonderful TBS comedy series My Boys, but essentially, Vardalos has been all but absent from the movie scene in the years since My Big Fat Wedding shocked the world.
Perhaps all that will change for Vardalos with the romantic comedy My Life in Ruins, which is set in - where else? - Greece. In that movie, she plays a travel guide who works in the ruins in the Greek islands, and we're guessing that she'll find some sort of hunky dude to fall in love with along the way.
Like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Fox Searchlight plans a slower start for this film. Perhaps they're hoping for similar results, but the sad reality is that My Life in Ruins looks pretty much like every other generic romantic comedy you've ever seen - it just has some nice scenery thrown in. Still, My Big Fat Greek Wedding didn't necessarily look special, either. People found that spark of family and fun in the film and perhaps the same can happen with My Life in Ruins. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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