I found it endearing and funny how the entire family live right next to each other, and how they're always there and ready to help or support a family member at a moment's need. American families tend to be distant, so it was very entertaining watching how the Portokalos family operates.
Is your family close? What did you think about the Portokalos family?
"You're an idiot." - Irisa Nolan, Defiance (2013)
Mine isn't but my husbands is. Two family members live across the street from each other and the rest of us are less than 30 minutes away. We gather together often. Every single one of us. It's great.
During our second date we went to church and I met almost every single one of his family members. He has so many cousins, aunts and uncles I couldn't keep track. My father in law joked they should all wear name tags.
After 20+ years of marriage I still forget who is linked to who and how. So does my husband. Around town if people hear our last name we are asked if we are related to "so & so" and the answer is most likely.
What's funny is since it's such a large family the same first name is used twice at times. Two of my kids have second and third cousins with the same name. This is confusing on Facebook. Lol
I grew up in a small family so I feel blessed to marry into such a large family. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a pure joy.
I'm Greek and I have to say that its true that Greek families tend to live close to each other. My Uncle Kosta's family and my Uncle George's family lived down the street from one another in the 70's and 80's. And when one family moved the other family moved with them. Again living down the street from one another.
shareI'm not Greek, yet my mom's side of the family is very very close like the Portokalos. Mainly b/c they are a Southern Georgian family so that should tell you right there. Most of the my aunts and uncles lives right next door or down the road from my grandparents (except for my mom due to us being Military). Most of my cousins live not far from their parents as well, only a few of us actually moved out of state, but if something happens to anyone we are there in a second. I remember one Easter everyone was able to get together, we went to church all together and the family took up the entire right side of the church, that was just my aunts, uncles, cousins and their children etc, etc.
My husband still can't get used to how close my family is with each other compared to his.
People are stupid with random moments of brillance!
My familt is from south georgia and we're all close like this too. In fact, when i saw the first movie i was there with probably seven or eight cousins. During the scene where she introduces her never ending family we all just looked at each other and cracked up.
During this movie i recognized my family in the scene where everyone goes to the hospital with the uncle/father. When there's a medical emergency, the waiting room is packed with family. Although i don't live in the city with them anymore.
My partner is Greek and where we live they do tend to live like that. My in-laws live in an apartment below us, and have cousin who live in the 3 houses and workshop next to us. It's often because land gets passed down and then split between siblings (obv depending on wills etc)
shareMy family is Greek and we all actually live on the same street. My family is nothing like the family from the movie though, my family is cruel and uncaring. Growing up watching this movie I used to wish my family was the one from the movie.
"War is waged by nations, but it is human beings who pay the price" ~Helen of Troy
Also Greek but I married a xeni;
While My family & friends enjoyed the movie, some of them think the Portokalos family is portrayed as a little too much "horyates"
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
My family isn't close at all but my girlfriend's from the South of Europe and her family is very very close. Too close. Overpowering really.
I must say I found the first movie funny but with the added perspective of the "tight knit" smothering family to my personal experience, as the "in-law", the second movie was less fun lol
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco
I'm very close to my parents. They live 5 minutes from us. I talk to them on the phone almost every day, sometimes multiple times, and sometimes for hours. I feel like I see them every day, although I know that's not the case. I used to talk to my brother almost every day, but that was for sure 2-3 hours long so I had to put my foot down about that. We both couldn't stop talking, so it's nobodies fault.
I have a large family, but we're all spread out around the country. So I grew up with almost no family nearby. I had an aunt and a cousin who would move back and forth between our town and other towns, and that was mostly it. I felt very lonely and longed for my far away relatives.
So I was very happy when I married my husband who has a large family mostly in our area. Our kids got to grow up with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins.
My mother-in-law lives on our property. Her mother, her sister's family, and her niece and her family all live on adjacent properties (out in the country and orchards so it's like living on the same property). Every Friday night we all go down to grandma's and have dinner and games. We usually have around 20 people there, depending on who's around that weekend. I also find it interesting that we're fairly diverse ethnically (in a town that hasn't been very diverse in the past): White (as in genetically English/Scottish), Mexican, First Nation, Black, Italian, and Chinese.
Both sides (especially my side) can get pretty loud and ridiculous sometimes. I think it's fun. Sometimes, we have to apologize to people but it doesn't really seem to faze many, fortunately.
We love these movies. Even though we're not Greek, it reminds us so much of family members and interactions that we have. It's funny, and it's sweet. My husband and I laughed and cried while watching this second movie.
Pretty typical of all immigrants, really. Why there are Chinatowns and Little Italies and Little Saigons and Japantowns and Koreatowns and so on.
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