¶ … Films
Comparison of the Films My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Finding Forrester
Watching films has always been a favorite undertaking of several people. Some people do so as a temporary escape from the realities of the world while others are entertained simply by watching movies. Then there are those that view films for the cultural, historical, political, socials and other lessons learnt thereto. Whatever the film genre may be, movie aficionados derive valuable insights and these especially come in the form of themes presented in the movies. The way these themes come across may be the same and differentiated only in the film type. For instance, movies with love and hope themes can be portrayed in romantic comedies or even drama. Films with heroism and self-sacrifice as themes can be thrillers or tragedies. Indeed, whatever type or genre a film has, there are varying themes that can be sources of inspiration, lessons in life and whatever a viewer may deem relevant.
Two movies that can be considered as having similar themes yet presented differently are My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Finding Forrester. Both films involved individuals who have had to impose limitations on themselves as a result of the culture and environment they grew up in. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the protagonist had to face up to the pressures of being married whilst still young and looking for someone who has the same religious and cultural background as she has. Finding Forrester on the other hand has a young African-American youth who has to appear to be the typical young male more interested in basketball rather than show his intellectual prowess. Consequently, the theme for both movies is how individuals can "come out of their shells" and be the persons they want to be in order to attain what they truly want in life. Another theme similar to both films is "breaking conventions" wherein the characters did not do what was expected of and from them but rather asserted what they want in order to gain their aspirations. A theme that differentiated Finding Forrester from My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the friendship shared by the youth with an older man. The friendship was not readily apparent because it evolved from a student-teacher/mentor relationship into a unique friendship that saw the older man thanking the youth for "rekindling his desire to live (Connery, Mark, & Van Sant, 2000)."
The Themes of My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos played Nia Vardalos is a middle class Greek American woman who was having a major problem in life. It may be considered a mid-life crisis despite being only in her early 30s. Coming from a traditional Greek family, Toula was expected to be married to a man with Greek background and belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church. As fate would have its funny ways, she instead fell in love with Ian Miller, a school teacher who has upper class upbringing and a WASPish type. The dilemma then is that there is no way for Toula's father to accept such a relationship plus factor the fact that she was raised with the "three primary rules of life for a young Greek woman to follow: (1) marry a Greek boy, (2) make Greek babies, and (3) feed everyone for the rest of your life (Berardinelli, 2002)." Aside from these, Toula felt to makes things better for her; she has to make some changes in her life. She did so by taking computer courses and working at her aunt's travel agency, much to her father's chagrin.
The changes she made brought positive things to her and she indeed was finally coming out of her shell. She felt better about herself and she finally was able to have the relationship she wanted with Ian. Although Toula has taken the first step to be free from the bonds of what was expected of her, there is still that part of her that believes and respects her tradition and background. With regards to her relationship with Ian, she knew that it would be a big blow to her family especially her father if she tells them that she wants to marry a non-Greek guy. Her misgivings were mitigated when Ian agreed to be baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church. When she finally announced her wanting to marry Ian, her father had no choice but to accept since Ian was a convert already.
The "coming out of one's shell" and "breaking conventions" themes were dealt with in the film via the changes Toula made in her life despite...
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