My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

The super-family, doing everything they can together like a curious fun-loving dis/harmonious blob, rooted in the past, making merry in the present, cultivating the next generation, with hyperintense traditional effervescence.

Boxes of steak.

Evaluations.

The addition of strawberries.

Holistic homemaking.

Resonant, romance.

Inconsistencies have damned-up the wild playful currents in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, however, as it becomes known that patriarch Gus (Michael Constantine) never officially married partner Maria (Lainie Kazan), and Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian's (John Corbett) child (Elena Kampouris as Paris) considers moving away to study.

It works as a predictable sequel, familiar endearing characters set up in new challenging situations which bring them heartwarmingly back to life, but struggles to lay down a foundation of its own that significantly differentiates itself from its nimble predecessor.

It's funny here and there, Andrea Martin (Aunt Voula) still churning out laughs and stealing scenes, a Greek version of White Wedding spicing up the soundtrack, contrasts and synergies provocatively and emotionally reeling, Mana-Yiayia's (Bess Meisler) omniscience startlingly transitioning.

Not really my style of film though, I'm more into the melting pot, as long as it doesn't infringe on minority rights, even if the melting pot's out of fashion these days (I don't recall ever being in fashion).

I'm wondering if the Alexander the Great letter which Toula forged actually states their family isn't Greek; I'm thinking the answer may be found in instalment 3.

A warm and friendly franchise.

There's something to be said for that.

Long time since I saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Way way back.

Different goals, divergent options.

Free-spirited you know.

That never truly goes away.

What to Expect When You're Expecting

It's not the multiple storylines in Kirk Jones's What to Expect When You're Expecting aren't cleverly woven together or some of the observations presented within transferable.

It's just, well, I've never seen a film before that more closely resembles a 110 minute Hallmark card.

My apologies if you like Hallmark cards. They're not really for me but it's not like I turn my nose up if I receive one.

Like the best feature of What to Expect When You're Expecting, the group of fathers who get together to privately discuss the challenges of parenting, I'm not judging.

But this style of film is simply one that I have trouble relating to.

I was going to make an extended comparison to John Carpenter's They Live but think I'll just leave it at that.