Movie Review

Third time's not the charm for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Keeping a franchise going in Hollywood is dependent on a lot of factors, but prime among them is a studio’s willingness to pay for it and an audience’s interest in seeing more of it. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was the surprise hit of 2002, earning over $368 million worldwide and even a screenwriting Oscar nomination for writer/star Nia Vardalos.

Vardalos immediately turned that success into a CBS sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Life, in 2003 … which lasted seven episodes. Thirteen years later, she tried to resurrect the franchise with 2016’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 … and was met with a resounding yawn from both critics and moviegoers. And yet, she’s somehow convinced the right people that an audience exists for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.

For the first time in the franchise, the title doesn’t refer to just the family of Toula (Vardalos), but also the location, as she, her husband Lan (John Corbett), her brother Nick (Louis Mandylor), her daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris), and more have returned to the Greek hometown of the family patriarch for a “reunion.” Except, for most of the film, it’s just them, the town’s mayor, Victory (Melina Kotselou), and a few others.

There is no real plot to speak of from writer/director Vardalos, as it’s just an excuse to string together a bunch of supposedly humorous gags about the unwelcoming nature of one local woman, the boorish personality of Nick, a will they/won’t they with Paris and ex-boyfriend Aristotle (Elias Kacavas), and more. That would be all well and good if the film had any kind of comic timing or charm. Which it doesn’t. Zero.

In fact, the first 30 minutes of the film are shocking in how inept the filmmaking is, with it turning into the equivalent of watching dead air on radio. None of the jokes land, shots are held on characters for unknown strange reasons, and the music sometimes drops out altogether, making the scenes very awkward.

Once they arrive in Greece, there are at least the visuals of the countryside to distract, but Vardalos manages to botch even that. Very few of the scenes take place in objectively picturesque locations, and even those that do don’t take full advantage of the views. Why you would travel all the way to Greece to not make it a love letter to that country is strange indeed.

You would also think that being in Greece would result in fun performances, but almost none of the actors seem like they’re having a good time. The lone exception is Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula, who absolutely slays with her criminally-small amount of screentime. Vardalos has also saddled Toula’s mother, Maria (Lainie Kazan), with dementia, a choice that does neither the actor nor the film any favors.

Much like Adam Sandler setting many of his movies in exotic locations, it feels like Vardalos only made My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 as a way to get her and her cast to Greece. The film itself is a hodgepodge of scenes with little humor or emotion, making it a waste of 90 minutes for anyone unlucky enough to sit through it.

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My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is now playing in theaters.

Photo by Yannis Drakoulidis / Focus Features

Nia Vardalos and John Corbett in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.

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RIP Don

Don Nelson, legendary Dallas Mavericks head coach, dies at 86

Ronald Martinez /Allsport

Head Coach Don Nelson of the Dallas Mavericks points from the sidelines during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Reunion Arena in Dallas on April 5, 2001.

Former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday, August 9. He was 86.

Nelson’s family confirmed the death in a statement that did not say where he died or provide a cause.

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” the statement said. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises — Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State — also serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time coach of the year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never winning a title.

Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.

“The league really hadn’t seen an offense like the one we were running, and the results were undeniable,” Nelson wrote in 2016 in The Players’ Tribune.

Nelson said that “without Red Auerbach teaching me the mechanics of running the fast break, none of it would have been possible. He deserves all the credit for Nellie Ball, and for how fast the game of basketball is played today.”

Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams under four different coaches. He became an assistant coach in Milwaukee after retiring as a player, then took over after coach Larry Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson coached the Bucks for 11 seasons starting in 1976 and won seven straight division titles.

In Nelson’s second season, Milwaukee overcame a 29-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Atlanta 117-115 in regulation.

“I coached the team as though I was still playing for the Celtics, while implementing a few of my own strategies,” Nelson wrote. “I knew I wanted to play unconventional basketball and use speed to my advantage.”

His fast-paced offenses were probably best on display with Golden State in the “Run TMC” era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted them on the court at the same time.

Nelson spent 11 seasons over two stints with Golden State. The first one was punctuated by a rift with rookie star Chris Webber, who was traded away a month into his second season. Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995.

In between, Nelson was fired after less than one season in New York in 1995-96, then coached in Dallas for eight seasons, missing 21 games with the Mavericks starting in December 2000 to recuperate from prostate cancer surgery.

Nelson’s son, Donnie, joined his father as an assistant coach with the Mavericks in 1998, later became general manager and remained with the organization until 2021. Together they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Don Nelson also developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA’s top point guards before Nash went on to win back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.

Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks Don and Donnie Nelson persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Dallas Mavericks Facebook

“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today,” current Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He consistently challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different lineups and styles of play and saw possibilities in the game that others often did not. So much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game."

At Golden State, Nelson’s “We Believe” Warriors led by Baron Davis upset Nowitzki and the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs in one of the biggest shockers in NBA history. In his final season as a coach, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10.

“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court,” Curry said in a statement released by the Warriors. “He taught me a lot during our one season together and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him. He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”

Davis added: “When I think of Nellie, I’ll always think of the ‘We Believe’ team and our incredible run in 2007. He understood what made us go and made us believe we could beat anybody, ultimately helping us make history as the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. That time in my life and career was truly special, and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible.”

Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before close friend and now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022.

Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2025, he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. Miffed that the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade, Nelson wore a pair of Doncic’s signature Jordan Brand sneakers to the awards ceremony. He called the trade a “tremendous mistake.”

Don Nelson was miffed that the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade Courtesy photo

Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Nelson attended high school in Rock Island, Illinois, and averaged a double-double in college at Iowa. He spent his retirement years living on the Hawaiian island of Maui and owned several short-term rentals on the island.Dallas

Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont issued the following statement on the passing of Nelson:

“Don Nelson was a true original whose impact on the Dallas Mavericks and the game of basketball will endure for generations. Nellie helped transform this franchise, bringing an innovative spirit, a belief in doing things differently and, most importantly, a winning culture to Dallas. His influence can be seen throughout Mavericks history and across the NBA today.

“On behalf of the entire Mavericks organization, our thoughts are with Don’s family, friends, former players and coaches, and the many people whose lives he touched. We are grateful for all he gave to the Mavericks and to the game he loved.”

Read the Mavericks' tribute to Don Nelson at mavs.com/news/don-nelson-one-of-a-kind.

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Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this story.

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