My Big Fat Wedding Analysis

2.2 My Big Fat Wedding (2002)

This movie tells about a 30-year-old Greek woman who had not married yet fell in love with a Turk man. The Greek woman was Tortula Portokalos and the Turk man was Ian Miller. Tortula’s father, Mr. Portokalos, was ‘very Greek’ who was very assertive in maintaning Greek cultures, one of them was a culture that a Greek has to marry a Greek. That was why Tortula and Ian dated secretly until one day their relationship was known by Tortula’s relative. Their relationship were not approved by his father as Ian was not a Greek. In short, Tortula’s father accept Ian as his daughter’s husband after Ian commited a Greek Orthodox baptism.

Cross cultural understanding in this movie is the different cultures of Greek and Turk. There is also stereotype that is

Ian said that Tortula and him will held their wedding because Tortuala’s parents was relly religious. Ian asked Tortula to show the brochure of reception and Ian’s parents looked shock when checking the brochure. It was luxurious and different from wedding they know. Turks usually held a simple wedding. Traditional Greek wedding is usually held in a church and is continued with big party in other place. The Apphrodite Palace was the place where Tortula and Ian wedding party was held.

There was different wedding culture between Greek and Turk which is presented in this movie. In the wedding party, Mr. Portokalos gave Tortula a house as a gift. This transfer of parental peoperty to a daughter at her marriage is called a dowry. Turks do not have dowry at their wedding, so it was a shock for Ian and Ian’s parents when they knew about it. It was also a shock for Toula because the gift that Mr. Portokalos was a house. Somehow Mr. Portokalos was a great Greek dad who wanted his children be happy and wanted the best for his