My Big Fat Greek Wedding

In Chicago, 30-year-old Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos is a member of a large, loud, overbearing Greek family. Her father, Costas "Gus" Portokalos, wants her to get married and have children as soon as possible. Toula lives with her parents and works at their restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, but longs to gain independence from her family. One day, Toula finds herself attracted to Ian Miller, a high school teacher who is meeting a friend at Dancing Zorba's. That evening, she tells her parents she wants to take classes at the local college to learn about computers to help them run the restaurant, but Gus becomes distraught, thinking Toula intends to leave him. Toula's mother Maria comforts her and convinces Gus to agree to Toula's idea. As the weeks pass, Toula gains more confidence and changes her image, switching her thick-framed glasses for contact lenses, styling her hair, and wearing makeup and brighter clothes that show her figure. After seeing a flyer for a class about computers and tourism, she suggests to her aunt Voula that she could take the class and apply what she learns to help Voula's travel agency. Voula agrees, and Toula and Maria covertly convince Gus to agree as well. While Toula is working in the travel agency, Ian notices her and asks her out for dinner. On their date, she reveals to him that her family owns Dancing Zorba's; he suddenly remembers her and, contrary to Toula's fear that he would remember her as "frump girl", he remains interested. They continue dating and fall in love. Knowing her family would disapprove of her dating a non-Greek, Toula lies about taking a pottery class as a cover to continue seeing Ian. However, she is exposed when a family friend sees them kissing in a parking lot. Gus is furious that Ian did not ask his permission to date Toula and forbids them from seeing each other. Despite Gus's efforts at introducing her to single Greek men, she continues to date Ian. Her brother Niko tells Toula she has inspired him to follow his passion and take art courses at night. Ian proposes marriage and Toula accepts. Maria tells Gus that he must respect Toula's decision, but he remains upset because Ian is not a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. Ian agrees to be baptized into the church to persuade Toula's family to accept him. Toula's family members constantly insert themselves into the wedding planning, designing ugly bridesmaid dresses and misspelling Ian's mother's name on the wedding invitations. Ian's quiet, conservative parents meet Toula's entire family during a loud and extravagant dinner, after which Gus is frustrated by the Millers' introverted and judgmental nature. Toula worries about whether her father has accepted Ian, but Maria reassures her that she and Gus came to the United States so Toula and her siblings could have the freedom Maria and Gus did not have as children. At the wedding reception, Gus gives a heartfelt speech about how the differences in the newlyweds' backgrounds do not matter. He and Maria reveal that they have bought a house for Toula and Ian. As the two families dance together, Toula decides that while her family is loud and unconventional, she knows they love her and will always be there for her. Six years later, Toula and Ian are living in the house Gus and Maria bought them, which is located right next door to the Portokalos' house. The couple walks their daughter Paris to her first day of Greek school.

Plot from My Big Fat Greek WeddingCC BY-SA 4.0