It is always a pity and unfair for a movie to compare it with others. In the case of "Love's Greek to Me" however, it is difficult to avoid any comparison with "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". The premise and consequently the scenario is very simple and around similar ideas: a foreigner joins through romance a Greek family and has to deal with the different culture, traditions, and Greek hyperbole, with the differences in this movie being that this takes place in Greece, the foreign protagonist is a female and the major "problem-creator" is the mother-in-law.
The depiction of Greek habits and behaviours is a little over the top. But personally, even as a Greek, I didn't find it offensive and rather enjoyed this aspect, since even though it was a little excessive, some of these behaviours are to a much lesser extent present in real-life and in fact Greece is heavily rooted in tradition. But contrary to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the movie appeared less witty and left the characters defined simply as an expression of their caricatures rather than give them some depth. The only character I felt that had a meaningful and healthy arc was Alex (Mike's sister who was getting married).
Without hitting around the bush, let's get to the major flaws of the piece.
First, once again it appears that Greek actors cannot act to the same level as their foreign counterparts. The difference between Torrey DeVitto (Ilana) and even Jo Price (Ilana' mother) who had much less screen time with the rest of the mostly Greek cast was staggering. Especially the performance of Tsimitselis, who is a big name in Greece (we actually feel that he has made a deal and sold his soul to the devil as he appears everywhere), was somewhat blunt and uninspiring and a huge reason why the relationship/chemistry between Mike and Ilana was not believable, despite Torrey DeVitto' great efforts. At least the as always beautiful Santorini and the Greek scenery get a big win for team Greece.
Second, sometimes I felt angry with the screenplay. Obviously, the most interesting character is Ilana which is also played by a much bigger name than the rest of the characters. It is therefore understandable that much of what is happening is centered around Ilana, while the movie is essentially a portrayal from her point of view. But here lies the issue. In their core, the problems faced by our couple are around Illana's fear of commitment and Mike's indecisiveness and poor communication of his life's aspirations and plans (+mommy issues). But throughout the whole movie we see everyone including crucially Mike blaming Ilana like what is happening is primarily her fault, while to the contrary Mike showcased a lot of toxic aspects and manipulative behaviours. Even when Illana raises her concerns, the movie/Mike quickly avoids the tension and then forgets about it. Neither we nor Illana are faced with this admittedly kind of misogynistic reality, and the movie does not provide a resolution to this. Generally, when the recommendation is "Boys don't be like Mike" and "Girls don't put up with so much and accept to be victim blamed as Illana" there is something wrong.
Overall, was it terrible? No? Was it enjoyable? So and so. Would I recommend seeing this? It's less than 90 minutes and if you liked "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" you will get a long distant cousin that can be somewhat enjoyable, you probably won't say that you absolutely wasted an hour and a half, and you support a smaller production effort. Maybe with company, especially if you have a Greek friend (to provide live commentary) this could end up being unexpectedly fun.
