Funny 'Connie and Carla' owe much to 'Some Like it Hot'

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

CONNIE AND CARLA (PG-13) Two-and-a-Half Stars (Fair-to-Good) After making an all-time hit movie by exaggerating her Greek family traditions, Nia Vardalos turns for inspiration to two of the most popular cross-dressing comedies in screen history. Toni Collette co-stars for director Michael Lembeck. Universal, 98 minutes.

As her follow-up to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," Vardalos takes her cue from "Some Like It Hot" and, to a lesser extent, "Victor/Victoria" to tell the amusing tale of "Connie and Carla," desperate women who hide under bad wigs and too much mascara.

Vardalos' premise owes so much to Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot," a credit line might have been appropriate. The filmmakers probably wanted to avoid a comparison to one of the greatest comedies in Hollywood history.

Nonetheless, such a comparison is inevitable. And, of course, "Connie and Carla" falls short, although it's undeniable fun, in the way an enthusiastic dinner theatre show recreates a legendary Broadway musical.

Connie (Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are show-tune singers whose dreams of musical success have come up short. They perform in an airport lounge in the Midwest, between waiting on tables. But everything changes after they witness a mob hit.

Targeted themselves, Connie and Carla hustle to Los Angeles, where they discover a world that just might provide perfect shelter. What better way to hide than to change sexual identity and join a drag queen musical revue? As women pretending to be men who pretend to be women, who'll ever spot them?

Ah, but when Connie falls for a straight guy (David Duchovny), the scam gets complicated.

The result is crowd-pleasing, feel-good fun of a sort that'll feel familiar to fans of "Greek Wedding." Like its predecessor, "Connie and Carla" is lighthearted fun, though a little rough around the edges. It converts its lack of polish into a virtue, and wins us over with its likable characters.

Vardalos' script takes an amiable, user-friendly approach to gender issues, exploring them mostly through the relationship between a drag queen (well-played by Tony-winning actor Stephen Spinella) and his confused straight brother (Duchovny). Her script offers funny moments, and director Michael Lembeck makes sure the best jokes get the solid punches they deserve.

Vardalos and Toni Collette sing their way with talent and gusto through several old-school musical numbers (like "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "I Cain't Say No"). The numbers are frequent and often shown in full detail, qualifying Connie and Carla as an honest-to-goodness musical pastiche.

And by the time everyone takes his or her bows, a musical legend even contributes a cameo appearance.

Rated PG-13, profanity, innuendo.