All 3 My Big Fat Greek Wedding Movies Ranked From Worst To Best (2024)

Warning: This post contains spoilers for My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise

Written and directed by Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 has been released in theaters, but it’s hard not to compare the third installment to the previous two films in the franchise — or rank them. When it comes to trilogies and franchises in general, audiences will always have a favorite film. Sometimes there is even a top five ranking, and many will look back to the original to find the jokes that have perhaps been repeated, story similarities, or the actors who have reprised their roles, and the ones who never came back.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 brings back the Portokalos family for a fun trip to Greece, as they honor Toula’s late father Gus (Michael Constantine, who passed away in 2021). The film is full of shenanigans one can expect from the Portokalos clan, some humor and meddling, combined with a splash of Windex. The third film wouldn’t exist without the first two movies, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, respectively, as it adds to the character and stories that were previously established. Considering it’s the third film in the franchise, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’s chances of being the best automatically dwindle.

3 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which saw Gus researching his relation to Alexander the Great only to discover that he and Maria (Lainie Kazan) weren’t legally married. The sequel also introduces Toula and Ian’s 17-year-old daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris), whose life Toula is heavily involved in to the point of meddling. While these plot points may sound intriguing, the 2016 film is a major letdown, especially as the follow-up to the original film.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is extremely repetitive and draws out its story, much of which is contrived to ensure there's a wedding at the end of the film. It creates unnecessary drama between Gus and Maria, the jokes are dry, and it relies on a lot of the charm and humor that worked really well in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but that is sorely lacking in any excitement in the sequel. It tries and fails to maintain the spirit of the first film, and the pacing and characters suffer for it.

2 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 has its flaws for sure, and its story is often fragmented with too many subplots, but it's certainly a step above the second film. Its heartwarming moments are a bit more genuine than they are in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. The third movie also manages to honor not only Gus, but the late actor who memorably portrayed him as well. The film can feel like vacation marketing for Greece, but it does tell a heartwarming story about the lengths families will go to for each other, and how their strength helps with grief and the changes that come after losing a parent.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is a celebration of family, culture, and differences. While the story comes together, there’s so much going on that it’s difficult to maintain its sense of focus. This affects the pacing and the emotional scenes quite a bit, though the jokes aren’t as repetitive as they are in the second film, and the laughs come more often, even if they are fewer and less lively than in the original. The film resuscitates certain aspects of the first two films, but it’s more successful in doing so than My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, even if there’s far too much going on to be cohesive.

1 My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the best of the three for multiple reasons, but it’s mainly because it has an outstanding emotional throughline, it's genuinely funny (and endlessly quotable, just ask Theia Voula and her lump), and it's focused and well-paced. The combination of all these elements pays off in the end without the narrative ever feeling as heavily manufactured as the sequels. Though the other characters get to shine, Toula, and the relationship she has with her family, is at the heart of the film, which tells a singular story that doesn’t get caught up in multiple (somewhat grating) subplots that don’t add anything to the character journeys.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is touching, hilarious, and relatable. What’s more, it’s well-written, and the heartwarming moments are earned, the conflict that arises makes sense and is thematically appealing and grounded within the story. And though many elements are played for laughs, the film harbors grains of truth about the experience of living with such a big, chaotic immigrant family. The comedy is authentic because it draws from Vardalos’ own life experiences, whereas My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 are simply extensions of the same story that more or less echo the same sentiment and warmth without being as effective or heartfelt.