Connie and Carla Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)April 14th, 2004
CONNIE AND CARLA
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
"Chin up, boobs out, it's show time!" Connie (Nia Vardalos) tells Carla (Toni Collette). Although they are currently a very unsuccessful airport lounge act with great voices singing to nearly dead audiences, this all changes when circumstances conspire to force them to go into their own self-designed witness protection program. They go deep undercover as a couple of drag queens. As girls playing guys playing girls, they can be as over-the-top as they want and finally be loved and appreciated.
CONNIE AND CARLA, directed lovingly by THE SANTA CLAUSE 2's Michael Lembeck and written broadly by MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING's Nia Vardalos, is a silly and sweet musical comedy, filled with big Broadway hits, that is surprisingly fun. I don't expect it'll be another MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, but you'll have a good time. The audience at the L.A. club where the girls, I mean guys, perform can't help but sing along at moments, something even our theater audience couldn't help at times. The song and dance numbers are usually more musical montages that full numbers, but they are as joyously happy as they are humorously stupid.
The movie never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously, even in its message moments. Connie and Carla, whom everyone assumes are guys, give advice to the women in the audience, teaching the radically non-L.A. philosophy of avoiding Botox and diets. Heresy!
One of the storylines has Jeff (David Duchovny), the straight brother of one of the drag queens in Connie and Carla's chorus line, falling for Connie but rejecting his feelings for her since he is not gay.
The movie's finale has Debbie Reynolds walking into the club on the day of its big reopening as a dinner theater. Why? Because she does. It makes no sense whatsoever, but who cares. This way she can be part of the ending musical numbers.
CONNIE AND CARLA runs 1:35. It is rated PG-13 for "thematic elements, sexual humor and drug references" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, April 16, 2004. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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