Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
90 mins
Nicely acted, sweet comedy that delivers several laughs but runs out of steam before the end.
Nia Vardalos was the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the surprise hit of 2002. Unsurprisingly, after the success of that film, The Hollywood Suits asked her what she wanted to do next – and it turns out that what she wanted to next was a) a re-working of Some Like It Hot with the genders reversed and b) snog David Duchovny.
The result is an amiable comedy that, er, drags a little in the middle but still delivers a good few laughs.
Small Town Singers On The Run
Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette play two small-town girls whose childhood dreams of singing and dancing have only taken them as far as a Midwestern airport lounge where they play to largely indifferent audiences. However, when their boss (and biggest fan) gets ‘whacked’ by gangsters, the girls accidentally witness it (their disturbingly amusing reaction is what gives them away) and they go on the run, leaving their bemused, dim-witted boyfriends behind.
Once they hit L.A., they hit upon the inspired idea of disguising themselves as drag queens and auditioning at a West Hollywood night club, where they quickly become a huge hit. However, when Connie (Vardalos) meets Jeff (David Duchovny) she starts to wonder if she can risk blowing her cover.
The film has a nice central idea and the twist on Some Like It Hot works well, although Connie and Carla is surprisingly tame in comparison – for example, when a dragged-up Connie finally kisses Jeff, his reaction is one of horror rather than of sexual confusion. (Hell, even Blackadder II handled this better). Unfortunately the supporting characters (each one a screaming drag queen) get a little tiresome and the middle section of the film drags considerably as a result.
Spirited Performances
That it works as well as it does is down to the spirited performances by Collette and Vardalos. Connie and Carla are genuinely loveable characters - none too bright perhaps but with plenty of heart. Duchovny is a talented comic actor (witness his work in The Larry Sanders Show) but he plays it – literally - straight here and his character seems rather flat as a result.
There are, however, some superb gags, particularly the running joke of Tibor (Boris McGiver), the hitman sent to find them, who checks out every Broadway show in the country and develops a fine appreciation of musical theatre along the way.
In short, Connie and Carla is worth seeing for the onscreen partnership of Vardalos and Collette and it provides several decent laughs, despite the first half being a lot better than the second half.