The Kings of Mykonos

Diane and I watched this lovely, unpretentious film yesterday and we both enjoyed this movie experience greatly. The comments about the movie and its low result from viewers illuminates the difficulty of contemporary movie appreciation. Yes, this film will not win awards nor will it win plaudits from reviewers but this raises the hoary question about what we the viewers want in a movie. I do not want to watch Disney movies with lifelike drawings of people; I realize that this movie making technique is a method of not spending huge salaries on actors for their roles in a film but I like our movies where real people do real things on the screen.

In this movie I have read complaints about the sketchiness of the plot and the paucity of acting in the film by some of the leads but I will have none of those criticisms. We loved the film; the island and the people and the buildings should be nominated for an award for best actor. The setting was magnificent and the actors blended into this beautiful background with ease. The script was a vehicle, not so much to challenge us intellectually but to present a canvas into which these fine Greek actors could play out their roles in the beauty of Mykonos. The script is merely the vehicle by which the true star of the film, Mykonos, can take centre stage. This is the best thing about film; it allows the viewer to remove themselves from the contemporary world and escape into something more than us.

It appears Hollywood's obsession with unnecessary sequels has hit Australian shores, with the recent release of perhaps the most unnecessary of all follow-up films: Kings of Mykonos. Nick Giannopoulos and Vince Colosimo reprise their roles as 'Wog Boys' Steve and Frank, who embark on a trip to the beautiful Greek island to claim what is theirs: a beach Steve has apparently inherited following the passing of his relative Panos. While trying to get around some red tape, and the evil intentions of Alex Dimitriades' Mihali, each learns a little something about love, friendship and family (it is a film about Greeks, after all).

Prior to viewing, this film carried with it the lowest expectations I've had for some time. That being said, I have to say that it wasn't terrible. Acting-wise, both Nick and Vince fail to convince in the opening scenes, but they eventually pick up where they left off in the original as the movie progresses. Dimitriades (best known as 'The Running Man' from the first season of Underbelly) comes along for the ride, and seems to relish bringing some comedic value to a non-traditional villain.

Fans of the original will enjoy cameos by Frank's wrestler-turned-pizza-store-owning dad, as well as the compensation-seeking uncle, both of whom make enjoyable references to The Wog Boy. The standout, though, is Tony Yugoslav, who benefits from a larger role in the sequel. He's still fat. Still a con artist. And still loves to swear. And yet, it works wonders in a film that plays to his style of humour.

Speaking of which, it almost goes without saying that the majority of humour in the film is targeted at Greek-Australians, and it helps to be of that nationality to appreciate the jokes. Despite this, some of the film's most comedic moments arise from playing off Greek stereotypes that even non-Greeks should recognise. Our laziness, obnoxiousness, love of food and (in the most memorable scene of the movie) hatred of Turks is all on display, delivering some hearty laughs in the process.

The dialogue is painfully cliché-ridden at times, particularly when the film takes a more sentimental as opposed to humorous approach, but innovation in this department was not exactly a priority of the filmmakers, nor was it expected by the audience.

Unfortunately, the film falls apart in the climactic act as director Peter Andrikidis tries to rectify the fact that the film has too many story arcs going on, and vainly attempts to solve them all in a limited time span. Indeed, he does just that, but not without the help of more than one application of the deu ex machina plot device, whereby an aspect of the story is quickly wrapped up by an inexplicable or highly implausible event. Simply put, it's a big no- no in the Dummies Guide To Filmmaking.

Finally, this is by no means a film to be taken seriously. While it can be criticised for many reasons related to the technical aspects of filmmaking (dialogue, story development, etc.) its main purpose is to generate laughs, and it does just that as frequently as one would expect from a film marketed as a straight-out comedy.

*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review.*

You really need to look at this movie for what it is - a realisation by Nick G and Co. that what we as Greek Australians think it is to be 'Greek' is far from ....

Most Greek Aussies think that they are Greek until they actually go to Greece where they realise that they are a different type of Greek. We are no more Greek than the African Americans are African. We are a hybrid, a culture on to our own. And guess what ... there is nothing wrong with that.

For the first time Nick G respects both the Aussie Greeks and the Greeks from Greece. We are not portrayed as stupid, un-educated, simple or without class. And it's about time ! The boys arrive in Greece thinking that they will be met with village Greeks. The Greeks have moved on. They are glamorous, rich, smart and sophisticated. And guess what ? They consider the Greek Australians foreigners ! A hard lesson.

You need to look at this movie and understand the undertones. Understand what Nick G and Co have realised. They have grown up and its about time.

I was amazed that this movie got such a low score! I mean, OK, it's not Oscar material, but it's a funny movie! Having seen both films (Wog Boy, and TKOM), I enjoyed this one, even more.

I agree that the ending of the film was abrupt (not confusing), Kevin Sorbo was a absolutely delight to watch (having seen his 'Hercules' role, adds to the "delight" part). I have been in Mykonos many times, the portrayal is over-stretched, but within acceptable "limits". And anyway, it helps the story beautifully.

Don't miss this movie, if afterwards you "die" to go to Mykonos, don't blame me ;-) (even if you don't, it would be time well spent).

I guess the movie might appear as pretty lame to quite a few guys who will watch it. And though it does use a tried and tested (succesfully at that) formula, it does not seem to really bring life to the whole thing. Still the effort the guys put in there and the fact that in this case I am a bit biased (Greek heritage living as a foreigner), makes me overlook a few things I guess.

You can have fun with this movie, though it never will achieve a status that "My big fat Greek wedding" has (though to me it is not so much inferior to the Vardalos picture, her recent career proving, that it/she might stay with that one big success), but it still might be enough to sit back and enjoy a movie about an island ... and some stuff. There is not much story, but it does use locals (you can hear it from their accent) and is just a neat little picture.