‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ hits home for Las Vegas families

Kirk Baird

Thursday, July 18, 2002 | 8:22 a.m.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is a comedy about a Greek family in Chicago, whose youngest daughter decides to marry a non-Greek. Her choice in husbands, however, causes quite a stir in her family her father in particular.

The film, which is playing in Las Vegas, is fictitious. At least, it is supposed to be.

When Bill Flangas married a non-Greek Mormon, his Greek parents were not pleased. His mother, in particular, was so upset by the non-Greek union that the day of the wedding she claimed to be having heart problems so she wouldnt have to attend the ceremony.

"It had a happy ending," Flangas, 75, said. "Later my mother and my wife got to be very close and the best of friends." Flangas and his wife, Marilyn, have been married 46 years.

Flangas' mother's initial reaction was very similar to the father of the bride in the movie, Gus Portokalos (Michael Constantine), who remained hesitant to accept the wedding throughout much of the film.

Nitsa Filios, 53, was born and raised in Greece, before coming to the United States at 18, six months after being married.

While Filios married a Greek, her daughter met an Irish man in graduate school and a few years later they were married.

Although Filios and her family were supportive of the match, she said the differing cultures of the Greeks and Irish was confusing to her then future son-in-law.

"This man's father was a general in the U.S. Army, so his life was ordered and very structured," Filios said. "But with (us) ... it's a large family and we're family-oriented people. So we had family members in and out of our house, kind of like the movie. He was scared and reluctant (and wondering), 'What does this all mean?' "

Both Flangas and Filios watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" recently at a charity screening at St. John's Greek Orthodox Church in Las Vegas. Both raved about the film for its humor and accurate depiction of Greek family life.

"There were a lot of things very true ... with some exaggerations," Flangas said. "(But) there were some things that were outrageously correct."

For example, the film's wedding, in which the groom's side of the church is sparsely populated but the bride's side is nearly overflowing.

"If there is something happening, all the families get together," Filios said. "If there is happiness, the family is there. If there is sadness, the family is there. If there is a dispute, the family is there."

The low-budget film, produced by Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, was made for a modest $3 million. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" has grossed nearly $25 million since opening April 19.

The movie has struck a chord in the Greek community, which watches it with great pride even as they laugh at the characters and situations, Filios said. However, she said much of the romantic comedy's success also can be attributed to non-Greeks.

"It's a great family movie. A lot of other people can relate to it," Filios said. "Italians or Jewish ... anyone with an ethnic background can totally relate to it.

"People are calling me asking, 'Nitsa, did you see the movie?' Everybody is so happy, that's the great thing about it. It makes you feel good, it makes you feel happy."