Sure, the idea behind "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" isn't that different from any number of less tragic "Romeo & Juliet" tales — or from the plots of most daytime soap operas, for that matter.

But what sets this romantic comedy apart from most Hollywood romantic comedies is its low-key way of tackling what seems like done-to-death material.

Not that the resulting movie is completely free of forced and frantic moments — in particular, the clunky final third threatens to overwhelm the much better first two-thirds.

But the best moments are so charming — and surprisingly insightful — that you can see why actress Rita Wilson and her husband, Tom Hanks, were so taken with the material (adapted from the stage play of the same name) that they helped produce this independent-film adaptation.

The playwright, television actress Nia Vardalos, stars as Toula Portokalos, the oldest child of a family of restaurant owners. Having already passed her 30th birthday, Toula is considered an "old maid" by her parents, who are really starting to worry about her. Still, Toula's tradition-minded father (Michael Constantine) expects her to marry a Greek man and start a large Greek family of her own.

Instead, Toula asks for money to return to school and even begins working in her aunt's travel agency, which is where she finally gets up the courage to talk to the man of her dreams, Ian Miller (John Corbett, from HBO's TV's "Sex in the City"). And to her surprise, the hunky schoolteacher is taken with her as well.

Obviously, her family isn't thrilled at the prospect of her dating an "outsider," even if it makes her happier than she's ever been. And what happens next won't surprise anyone, but, overall, the film has a refreshing sweetness that overcomes the predictable nature of the material. (Director Joel Zwick, a television veteran, treats it with a realistic touch.)

And it is nice to see a "non-traditional" beauty like Vardalos playing the lead (something a big-budget Hollywood film would never permit). After all, the initial idea of her character and Corbett getting together seems unrealistic.

But the two do a good job "selling" their relationship (their chemistry is very believable), and the supporting cast is very good — especially Constantine and, as Toula's brash aunt, comedian Andrea Martin.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is rated PG for scattered use of profanity, some mildly vulgar sexual humor, a brief sex scene (discreet by today's standards) and brief violence (slapstick). Running time: 95 minutes.

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