‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ is happening! Now let’s get these other rom-com sequels going, please.
The year was 2002, and everybody was obsessed with chunky highlights and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The little movie that could, about a romance steeped in cultural differences, was a huge, massive, gargantuan success. And now it’s coming back to the big screen. A sequel with OG stars John Corbett and Nia Vardalos is in the works and all we have to say is this: What took so long?
In fairness, sequels are tricky, and sometimes unnecessary (hi, Sex and the City 2). Let’s face it: Some movies, no matter how much we cherish them, don’t require a follow-up. Everything gets wrapped up in the original film, and there isn’t another plot to explore. But some movies, like MBFGW, are just asking for a follow-up. Or at least we’re asking for a follow-up. Here are some movies totally deserving of a second round. Come on, there are b-plot characters to flesh out and (strategically?) open-ended storylines to explore!
1. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
I adore this movie. You adore this movie. Naturally, we have questions. What happens to Jake and Hannah? Will Cal find love? Does anyone learn how to pronounce ‘Lindhagen’? Besides, we all need more Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in our lives. Let’s start a petition.
2. Bridesmaids
You can’t just play some Wilson Phillips, show me some puppies and call it a day. Everything seems okay at the end of Bridesmaids, but there are a lot of loose ends and plenty of material for a sequel—the most obvious being a wedding between Annie and Rhodes. And does it bother anyone else that there is so much we don’t know about Dougie? If the cast and crew isn’t down for a second movie, I propose a spinoff centered on brother-sister superstars Gil and Brynn.
3. Clueless
A Clueless sequel would like, totally be the most anticipated rom-com of the year. It could be about Cher and Josh’s way normal life together, married with kids. He’s a lawyer, she’s a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman. She’s a woman who can drive. And nobody will stop and ask, “Is it kind of weird you guys used to be pseudo-siblings?”
4. The Family Stone
So much to follow up on here. Life, death and a serious game of Let’s Trade Partners And Act Like It’s Totally Normal And Not Awkward, which lends itself to plenty of material. The end of The Family Stone paints us a picture of what life is like one year later, but I don’t want a quick summary. I want a feature film.
5. The Proposal
::Chants:: More Betty White! More Betty White! But seriously, more of everything from The Proposal. Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock are great together, and it’s easy to see what the next movie(s) are called: The Wedding. The Marriage. The Divorce (twist! They’re just pretending to get a divorce).
6. The Break-Up
The Break-Up had one of the worst movie endings in the history of movie endings, and I’d like to give everyone involved a chance to make it up to me with a proper sequel. They can get back together or stay apart, but I need reasons and resolution.
7. One Fine Day
This movie was way ahead of its time, what with cell phones and the wonderful Mae Whitman. One Fine Day was truly one damn fine day, and the people (well, me) are hungry for another. Sure, Jack and Melanie kiss and fall asleep on the couch together, but what happens when they wake up? Are they together now? Or are they just going to carpool their kids from now on? Give us at least one more day.
8. Reality Bites
When you have solid characters, you can transport them to endless scenarios and keep writing forever. That’s what we have with Reality Bites: endless potential. I’m really curious to see how Lelaina takes to the digital video medium. She would definitely be an early pioneer of webisodes.
9. The Holiday
The Holiday established two great couples, so now it’s time to watch them in action. Do they stay in Britain, or come to the US? I think they would all stay across the pond, because Graham wouldn’t want to uproot the girls, and Miles can record music from anywhere. But enough speculation—show us the real thing!
10. 13 Going on 30
A 13 Going on 30 sequel could take a few forms. It could be Matt and Jenna at 13, and show how their teen years changed because of the flash forward. Or it could jump back into the present and follow the adult Matt and Jenna we got to know in the first movie. Or it could jump to the future, where they have a 13-year-old daughter who experiences something similar. I’m doing the work for you, Hollywood.
11. Love Actually
If you haven’t seen this amazing parody trailer for a (non-existent) Love Actually 2, you must watch it right now. I suppose Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve could be considered sequels to Love Actually, or at least distant cousins of the film. But, they’re not good enough. I want to see where all of the characters from the original holiday-centric multi-character film end up. And yes, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ had better be involved.
