Crimes:
- Telling a story about working-class nightclub singers hiding out from the mob in a drag bar while showing disdain for the working class, drag queens, the mob, and singing
- Relying on shticky one-liners as a substitute for dialogue
- Awkwardly inserting "be comfortable with who you are" messages into a story about people who spend almost all of their time in disguise
Defender: Director Michael Lembeck and producer/writer/star Nia Vardalos
Tone Of Commentary: Total lovefest. Lembeck tells Vardalos that the movie is so well-written! She tells him that it's so well-directed! They both praise co-star Toni Collette's singing voice! They love the enthusiasm of the extras! They point out some of the funnier moments that audiences might have missed the first time because they were laughing so hard! Wheeeeee!
What Went Wrong: Vardalos' wide-ranging self-deception, evident in her undue excitement over a routine movie gunfight. ("That was the coolest thing I ever shot," she says. "That's when I knew we were in a big movie.") Or perhaps her veiled contempt for the characters, evident when Vardalos points out that her and Collette's blue eyeshadow "hasn't been in since 1978," and that this detail "tells you exactly who those girls are."
Comments On The Cast: Vardalos' real-life husband Ian Gomez only agreed to be in the movie if he could carry a gun.
Inevitable Dash Of Pretension: Vardalos essentially repeats her character's big speeches, saying things like "My whole life, I've hated that word 'normal'" and "You have to accept each other completely and wholly… that, I think, is true familial love." Also, in her continuing mission to proselytize on behalf of the curiosities of Greek culture, Vardalos gives a lengthy explanation of what a gyro is.
Commentary In A Nutshell: After her character delivers an anti-Botox speech, Vardalos says, "Just for the record, I'm not against plastic surgery. If it makes you feel good, go for it. Just don't do it for anybody—that's the thing I'm trying to say. You know what? Just wrap your arms around your thighs. Kiss yourself once in a while."