Movie Blog @ MSPIFF, Day 18: 'Papadopoulos & Sons'
Papadopoulos & Sons - a British comedy about Greek immigrants - was a surprise hit in its home country. But Sons takes a more subtle route than that other surprise hit comedy about an overweight, Hellenic wedding.
Successful entrepreneur Harry Papadopoulos (played by the decidedly non-Greek Stephen Dillane) loses it all in a bank collapse. His family pushes him to bury the hatchet with his unreliable brother Spiros (the decidedly Greek Georges Corraface) in the hope that they will reopen the fish and chip shop they ran in their younger days.
Papadopoulos goes easy on the ethnic caricatures and broad comedy that made Nia Vardalos' debut its millions. First-time film director Marcus Markou lets the fun unfold in a very loose and organic way. A seasoned stage director, Markou brings out the best in his actors – giving Papadopoulos & Sons a big fat Greek heart.
Papadopoulos & Sons plays at St. Anthony Main Theater tonight at 9:30 p.m. and on April 29 at 7 p.m.
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Other Highlights: Sunday, April 28
Electrick Children. A young Mormon woman sets out on a road trip to Las Vegas to meet the rock singer whom she believes impregnated her via song. (9:20 p.m.)
Kuma is the Turkish word for "second wife." A middle-aged Turkish-Austrian housewife discovers that she has cancer. She arranges a wedding between a Turkish girl and her son, but her husband has a different plan for the girl. (2:10 p.m.; also showing April 29 at 4:50 p.m.)
The Deep. Iceland is riveted by the miraculous survival story of a shipwrecked sailor, who withstands hours in freezing water before being rescued. But scientists can't seem to believe the sailor's uncanny luck. Based on actual events. (8:30 p.m.)
~Steve Swanson
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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.
Throughout the entirety of the 2013 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, we'll be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see the WCCO Movie Blog's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.
