Movie Analysis:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Toula Portokalos arrives at work with her father, who
tells his daughter how old she appears. Toula appears
accustomed to this negativity and feels badly about
herself. She is a waitress at a Greek restaurant, owned
by her family. We learn that Toula has not married, and
this is the talk of the town. She allows herself to be
walked on by her family and friends who make most of
her choices. Her family promotes three traditional
values — marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and
feed everyone until you die. From an early age, she is
distressed by their “over-the-top” ways. Her strict father
does not believe a woman should be smart. Most mem-
bers of her family, excepting her father, believes she is
capable of doing more with her life. Toula looks dreary
and old for her age. One day at work she sees Ian
whom she finds attractive. She hides behind the
counter to peer at him.
This is a turning point for Toula. When she begins
taking classes at a local college, her confidence
improves, she puts on a little makeup, and is trans-
formed into a beautiful person oozing happiness.
She becomes a successful travel agent. She reinvents
herself, creates a new appearance, and gains self-esteem
in the process. As she overcomes her insecurities, she
bucks tradition and becomes engaged to Ian, who is not
Greek, and eventually wins the family over to him and
their wedding plans.
Since this movie is a comedy and not a character
study, it is up to us to imagine where Toula’s newfound
self-image came from, and what were her resources for
her transformation. This is an invitation to fill in the
holes with our imagination and look inward at the same
time, finding our own resources.
Building Self-Esteem 103