My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 - 1 1/2 smiles

The lovable Portokalos family, who charmed audiences in the fluffy 2002 surprise hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, has returned. This follow-up is an 80s-style sit-com, where dramatic situations are forced and artificial and the jokes are mostly lame. The caricature quotient has been amped up to an Irritating level. On top of that, there’s not much plot, so the movie seems longer than it is. The film takes place about 18 years after the original and most of the cast is back. Michael Constantine, who was 88 years old when the movie was made, seems not to be in the best of health, so there’s something a little sad about watching him gamely trying to do what the script requires. Nia Vardalos, who was endearing in 2002, is mostly annoying.  The only standout is Elena Kampouris, who plays Paris, the youngest member of the Portokalos family, who feels smothered and longs to attend college far from home. If you’ve got an afternoon free and want to spend it at the movies, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” might fit the bill. But you could wait for it to be on cable, too.

Zootopia - 3 smiles

“Zootopia” is more than I expected although not nearly as good as a Pixar movie. Its underlying themes of inclusiveness and empowerment are adequately demonstrated and it boasts appealing characters. There’s a lot for kids to like and nearly as much for their parents. “Zootopia” is a mismatched buddy film with the two central characters, Judy (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), a rabbit and Nick (Jason Bateman) a fox, learning to respect one another as they gain an understanding of each other’s strengths. Any lessons about diversity are evident in the animals of different species getting along. There’s enough humor for this to be considered a ‘comedy’ with a few of the jokes being intended for older viewers. I wouldn’t mind another visit to this world with a second ride-along with Judy and Nick.