Georgia (Nia Vardalos) is a former professor at Athens University who is forced to take a job as a tour guide. Since her passion is Ancient Greece, Georgia's itinerary always focuses on the ancient sites rather than modern ones. Unfortunately, one summer she gets stuck with a bunch of particularly clueless tourists more interested in cheap souvenirs and partying than the ancient ruins of Greece. Her attempts to educate them are futile until one tourist (played by Richard Dreyfus) suggests she make learning more "fun." Once Georgia loosens up a bit the tour becomes much more interesting and it ends with big smiles and dancing.
Truth be told this movie isn't very good. The jokes fall flat and although I appreciated Georgia's attempts to educate the masses, I'm not really sure they fully appreciated what they were seeing (Delphi seemed to be the only real exception). I also wasn't sure I liked the end message that it's better to skip the sites and go to the beach. Why Georgia didn't try to convince the group that history is pretty cool instead of tossing her itinerary out the window to please them is beyond me.
There are two saving graces in this movie: one is the handsome bus driver played by Alexis Georgoulis, and the other is a collection of stunning shots. The panoramic views of Delphi, Olympia and Athens made me nostalgic. I knew exactly where the group was when they toured the Agora, loved seeing the column drums again in Olympia, and miss that powerful presence one can only feel in Delphi (glad they mentioned that in the movie). I just wish that history wasn't portrayed as unbearably boring for most of the movie. I would rather go see a temple than go to the beach, thank you very much!
At any rate, if you like romantic fluff comedies and want to see some awesome sites, check out My Life in Ruins. Or better yet, just go to Greece.
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