Big Greek Wedding: More Family, More Problems

In 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2', Toula (Nia Vardalos) and her husband Ian (John Corbett) face challenges in their marriage as parenting their rebellious teenage daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris), who struggles with her Greek heritage and desires independence. The family also deals with financial troubles due to the recession, impacting their businesses. Meanwhile, Toula's father, Gus (Michael Constantine), believes he descends from Alexander the Great and wants to confirm his ancestry. In the process, he discovers that his marriage to Maria (Lainie Kazan) is invalid due to an unsigned certificate, leading to a new wedding ceremony. The entire Portokalos clan comes together for this bigger wedding, and the film concludes with Paris leaving for college.

Toula and Ian's marriage is strained

In the 2016 film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2", Toula Portokalos-Miller's life has taken a turn for the worse. The recession has forced her travel agency and the family dry cleaners to close, leaving only the family restaurant, run by her father Gus, still open. Her husband Ian is the principal at their daughter Paris' high school. Paris, who is applying to colleges, feels smothered by her close-knit family, who constantly interfere in her life.

Toula and Ian's marriage has become strained due to Toula's obsessive need to be involved in Paris' life and to "fix" whatever goes wrong in her family. This dynamic is further exacerbated by the family's constant interference in their lives. While on a date night to rekindle their romance, Toula and Ian are caught by their family making out in their car outside their house.

The family's interference also extends to Paris' life, as they pressure her to attend a local college so she can stay close to home. However, Paris is desperate for independence and privacy, so she applies to schools across the country. She is accepted to Northwestern University in Chicago and NYU in NYC, and ultimately chooses to attend NYU, following the advice of her great-grandmother.

Despite the strain in their marriage, Toula and Ian's relationship appears to be heading towards a positive direction by the end of the film. While attending Gus and Maria's wedding reception, Toula and Ian privately renew their marriage vows.

Paris feels smothered by her family

In the 2016 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, Paris, the daughter of Toula and Ian, feels smothered by her family. Paris is a teenager applying to colleges across the country, desperate for independence and privacy. She feels that her family constantly interferes in her life, and this drives her to consider attending college far away from them.

Paris's parents, Toula and Ian, are also experiencing issues in their marriage due to Toula's obsessive need to be involved in Paris's life and to "fix" any problems that arise in the family. This need to fix everything has placed a strain on their relationship, as it leaves them with little time for each other.

The family dynamics are further complicated by the fact that Toula's father, Gus, discovers that his marriage certificate was never signed by the priest, technically invalidating his union with Maria, Paris's grandmother. This leads to a new wedding being planned, which becomes a source of conflict as Maria wants a proper proposal, and Gus initially refuses.

Paris's great-grandmother also plays a role in influencing her decision to attend college in New York City, despite her mother's preference for her to stay closer to home. The movie ends with the family dropping Paris off at her college dorm in New York, as she takes a step towards independence.

Gus believes he's descended from Alexander the Great

Gus Portokalos, Toula's father, believes that he is descended from Alexander the Great. He wants to write to an online ancestry site for confirmation. However, Gus's belief in his lineage is not the central plot of the film. The film focuses on the lives of Toula and her daughter Paris, and the family secret that brings the beloved characters back together for another wedding.

Gus's belief in his lineage does, however, play a role in the film's plot. While sorting through his records to find proof of his lineage, Gus discovers that his and his wife Maria's marriage certificate was never signed by the priest, technically invalidating their union. Gus insists that he and Maria must marry again after fifty years together, but she wants him to propose properly. When he refuses, Maria refuses to go through with the ceremony. Eventually, Gus pleads with Maria to marry him again, and she accepts.

At the wedding reception, Gus reads a letter from the ancestry site verifying that he is a descendant of Alexander the Great. However, Ian, Toula's husband, realizes that Toula forged the letter to make her father happy.

Gus and Maria's marriage certificate is invalid

In the 2016 film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2", the marriage certificate of Gus and Maria is discovered to be invalid. While going through his records, Gus finds out that their marriage certificate was never signed by the priest. As a result, their union is technically invalid.

Despite the invalid certificate, Gus and Maria's current priest agrees to perform a new ceremony. Gus insists that they must marry again after fifty years together, but Maria wants him to propose properly. When he refuses, Maria refuses to go through with the ceremony. Gus pleads for her to marry him again, and this time, she accepts.

Maria wants a big wedding, so she hires a wedding planner, who later quits due to the family's outlandish choices. The whole family comes together to make the wedding happen. On their way to the church, Gus arrives drunk, causing Maria to storm off, feeling that Gus is not taking the wedding seriously. However, Gus's brother Panos tells Maria that Gus loves her, and the ceremony continues. Gus and Maria renew their marriage vows, and their family celebrates with them.

Maria hires a wedding planner

Maria Portokalos, Toula's mother, is finally getting the wedding she never had. After discovering that her marriage to Gus was never technically valid, she hires a wedding planner to help her plan her dream wedding. However, the wedding planner quits after finding the family's choices too outlandish. The family's wild ideas and rowdy behaviour are too much for the poor wedding planner to handle.

Maria is determined to have a proper proposal from Gus before agreeing to marry him again. She is frustrated by his initial refusal and pushes him onto the couch in response. Their confrontation escalates, with neither willing to back down. Eventually, Gus ends up in the hospital, and he publicly pleads with Maria to marry him. This time, she accepts.

Maria's wedding plans are interrupted by her granddaughter Paris's decision to attend college in another city. Paris feels smothered by her close-knit family and wants more independence and privacy. She applies to schools across the country, much to the dismay of her mother Toula and the rest of the family.

The family's wild ideas and rowdy behaviour prove to be too much for the wedding planner, who quits. But Maria is determined to have her dream wedding. With the help of the whole family, including Ian's parents and Angelo's business partner, they come together to plan the biggest and best Greek wedding.

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