Connie And Carla (2004)

Some Like It Hot gets a queer makeover in Connie and Carla, a lightweight comedy from the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. In Billy Wilder's classic, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis teamed up in a male-as-female drag comedy, whereas here, writer-star Nia Vardalos goes a step further (and several derivative steps backwards), teaming up with Toni Collette as the titular heroines, playing women posing as men posing as women--kind of like Victor/Victoria with excess mascara. They witness a murder, and the killer knows it, so they hightail it out to West Hollywood, where (with the help of poodle wigs and garish cosmetics) they blend in with the performing drag queens at the Handlebar club, where queer makeovers are fabulously mandatory. Connie (that's Vardalos, to Collette's ditzy Carla) gets the hots for a drag queen's straight brother (David Duchovny), and even Debbie Reynolds pitches in to give a show that any gay crowd would love. There are some well-earned laughs along the way, but the whole thing feels like a sitcom we've seen before, which pretty much summarizes Vardalos's career to date. Vardalos has genuine comedic talent (and so does Collette), but it's adrift in this hash of old ideas. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

its a drag... pun intended!

connie and carla is a fun comedy about two lime light addicted ladies on the run. in order to hide they flee to la and its no exsitent dinner theater scene. unable to be out of the lime light for two long, the ladies join a failing drag show. with a little talent, love and alot of hair they get their lives back on track until... well i wont say much more but you get the idea. i recomend this movie for anyone who loves music, drag queens, comedy and drama... lots of drama. October 30, 2008

OOOOOOklahoma!

I love this movie. What can I say about Connie and Carla. They are the Thelma and Louise of comedy ("Run Thelma, run"). Toni Collete really delivers a performance to make you laugh more everytime you see this movie. October 6, 2008

Not quite hot enough...

It's apparent when one sits down to watch `Connie and Carla' that there are serious `Some Like it Hot' inspired moments here. In fact, the entire key plot is ripped straight from the Oscar nominated film. While `Connie and Carla' has its funny moments and can at times come off genuine and entertaining, sadly it never manages to reach the heights of its inspiration.

So, following the formula for `Some Like it Hot', `Connie and Carla' introduces us to two aspiring singers who find themselves cornered into performing at an airport lounge. When they witness a mob hit (their boss is murdered) they flee the city and seek refuge by posing as men posing as woman in a drag-nightclub, becoming the headlining acts and garnering a huge following. Their newfound fame may cost them their cover though, as they being to attain phenomenon status and their faces are plastered all over the television. Their worried boyfriends are looking anxiously for them and unwittingly aid the mobsters in ultimately finding them.

I'm sure you have already guessed how this is going to end, but it's all the stuff in the middle of the film that we're here for, right?

From a comedic standpoint `Connie and Carla' delivers the goods. The laughs are not always consistent, but they are there. Nia Vardalos is talented, but she is no Tina Fey, and here she is trying to be. She is completely overshadowed by Toni Collette (a comedic force in this movie) instead of playing off of her like Tina would Amy Poehler. I found her character to be kind of dull at times and this took away from the fluidity of the films comedic timing. Collette is a dream in this movie, sinking into her ditzy character with brilliant control and her `drag' voice is priceless.

The side plot involving Jeff, the straight brother to Robert, is nice and sweet and serves to be the catalyst for the films `moral' message but it can also feel a little out of place when surrounded by the rest of the film. It has its sincere moments but it doesn't completely work.

In the end I can say that I would watch this again, no doubt about it. It's funny and entertaining. I wish that it was a little tighter, sure, but not everything is going to be perfect and not everything has to be either. This one made me laugh, and Collette alone is enough reason to watch this movie over and over. I can't help but think how much better it would have been if Tina Fey had written and starred in it, but hey, you got to take what you can get, and Collette more than makes up for Vardalos' missteps. September 12, 2008

Awesomely Hilarious!!!

This movie is one of my favorites. Nia Vardalos (My big fat greek wedding) did it again with this movie. I love unsuspected humor and this movie is full of it. A great movie! July 15, 2008

I wanted to hate it, but ...

On principle, I wanted to hate this movie. I'm really tired of movies or television shows that exploit the gay community, depicting all gay men as cartoonish drama queens obsessed with superficial things, while dubiously preaching "tolerance". And in terms of the story, it's derivative and borrows from a slew of other movies including (but not limited to) "Sister Act", "To Wong Foo", "Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion" and even "Thelma and Louise". But there was something about this movie that made it impossible for me to hate it. Perhaps it was the sincerity of all the lead performances. Or the love of music that permeates every aspect of the film. Or maybe it's just that Toni Collette is so amazing that she can make anything watchable. In any case, for all its flaws, "Connie and Carla" was amusing and enjoyable enough to watch once. But I don't plan on any repeat viewings. January 25, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...