Movies Set in Greece with the Greek Movie Goddess, Nia Vardalos

Can you name a movie set in Greece? Chances are you’ve probably thought of Mamma Mia! (we are kindred spirits, you dancing queen!), Zorba the Greek (a classic), Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (this is what I chose to watch before my trip to Santorini), or you may have thought of My Big Fat Greek Wedding…which isn’t actually a movie set in Greece. (Don’t worry, I have an actual list of movies set in Greece.)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Instead, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is actually an award-winning movie set in Chicago, Illinois. It is about a Greek woman, played by funny woman Nia Vardalos, who is struggling to figure out life with her Greek family who just won’t leave her (or her love life) alone. She does eventually find love with a man who isn’t Greek (unacceptable!) and the family does eventually come to love the new husband…and they definitely want to get involved in the wedding.

And even if the movie isn’t a movie set in Greece, it’s still a movie that will give you some insight into Greek culture (or at least immigrant Greek families) and it will make you laugh. The film was considered a bit of a “sleeper hit” as it didn’t debut with a lot of fanvare, but was a box office hit and was also nominated for several awards including the Best Originial Screenplay at the Academy Awards and Best Movie (Comedy or Musical) and Best Actress (in a Comedy or Musical) at the Golden Globes.

Nia Vardalos

Behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Nia Vardalos, a Canadian actress and writer born to Greek-Canadian parents (her actual name is Antonia Vardalos) who wrote the story based on her own experience of marrying a non-Greek man. She had turned her experience into a one-woman show and, lucky us, after that show was seen by Tom Hanks and his (Greek) wife Rita Wilson, they wanted to work with Vardalos to turn it into a movie.

My Big Fat Greek Life (2003) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

The success of the movie led to a franchise–here were two more movies and a TV show. Although it didn’t last very long, the TV show, My Big Fat Greek Life, looked to continue the story from the movie and focused on the relationship of a Greek woman, her non-Greek husband, and her Greek family.

The second movie, though, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 continued the success of the first movie and is focused on the wedding of the parents (but still in Chicago).

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (2023)

Finally in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, we get to go to Greece. In this movie set in Greece, the Portokalos travels to Greece after the death of the patriarch to return some of his journals to his childhood best friends. Through this movie, we see Athens, small-town Greek life, and, of course, learn to appreciate the Greek commitment to family.

My Life in Ruins (2009)

Although it’s not part of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, my favorite Nia Vardalos is another movie set in Greece: My Life in Ruins. (Yes, this one is included on my list of Movies Set in Greece.) It’s funny, sweet, and, of course, comes with some great shots of Greece (and some interesting insight into life as a tour guide). In this movie, Vardalos is a recently-fired Classics teacher who has become a tour guide in Greece in order to make ends meet.

Her emphasis on history isn’t always appreciated by the clients on her tours, but when she ends up with a group of misfits on a tour–including an elderly client who helps her see why she’s so unhappy–Vardalos’s tour (and her life) begin to shift into a much better place.

For funny heartwarming insight into Greek immigrant families and adventures in Greece, you can’t go wrong with Nia Vardalos movies.