Connie and Carla (2004)


Nia Vardalos            Connie
Toni Collette           Carla
David Duchovny          Jeff
Stephen Spinella        Robert/Peaches
Alec Mapa               Lee/N Cream
Chris Logan             Brian/Brianna
Robert Kaiser           Paul
Ian Gomez               Stanley
Nick Sandow             Al
Dash Mihok              Mikey
Boris McGiver           Tibor
Don Ackerman            Super Fey Guy
Debbie Reynolds         Herself
Veena Sood              Mrs Morse

Directed by:            Michael Lembeck
Produced by:            Rita Wilson, Nia Vardalos, Peter Safran


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.

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Connie and Carla are two small-town 'girls' whose dreams of stardom have taken them nowhere. From their 
debut in a school cafeteria to their current gig slinging drinks and belting out tunes at a Midwestern 
airport lounge, the singing and dancing duo simply refuse to let the less-than-enthusiastic crowd response 
dampen their showbiz drive. For Connie and Carla, everything's coming up roses, naysaying boyfriends and 
snoring audience members notwithstanding. The girls lose one of their few supporters when their boss Frank 
ends up on the wrong end of a criminal deal--a scene they unfortunately happen to witness. Quicker than a 
fast change in the second act, Connie and Carla pack up their battered dreams and extensive assortment of 
wigs and costumes and hit the road, running for their lives. Convinced the killers will never look for 
them in a place utterly devoid of culture, the pair ends up in the Land of Dreamers, Los Angeles. In a new 
place with new identities, they create a cover (with a lot of cover-up) that makes them the toast of the 
town--headlining in a local drag club, they soon find the acclaim that has always eluded them, singing the 
show tunes they've always loved. Being famous is their dream come true--who cares if includes a tiny little 
lie? But trying to keep their secret turns out to be a real drag, especially when Connie meets Jeff, a real 
nice guy with whom she'd really like to be a real girl.