4 stars out of 5 for C & C Knoxville News Sentinel

C & C Review (spoilers)
A review and a article about one of the drag queens in the movie. Spoilers

Cathy

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Knoxville News Sentinel

April 13, 2004, Tuesday 11:49 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: ENTERTAINMENT

LENGTH: 511 words

HEADLINE: 'Connie' offers a sweet yet strong message of acceptance

SOURCE: Scripps Howard News Service

BYLINE: BETSY PICKLE

BODY:
Thanks to "Connie and Carla," no one will be embarrassed to join a show of hands in response to the question, "Who likes show tunes?" The distaff drag farce pulls everyone out of the closet, pun intended. No more guilt about knowing all the songs in "Oklahoma!" No more hiding that vocal talent under a head of shampoo (except when singing a certain number from "South Pacific").

And while Nia Vardalos, the star/writer of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," is busy getting people to harmonize with her new film, she also nudges them closer together. "Connie and Carla" may be a comedy, but it's a comedy with a sweet yet strong message of acceptance.

Connie (Vardalos) and best friend Carla (Toni Collette) have always loved performing, even if their audiences haven't always loved them. They've worked every stage from the school cafeteria to dinner theater to their latest gig, a Chicago airport lounge.

After they witness a murder by local gangster Rudy (Robert John Burke), Connie and Carla get out of town fast, not realizing they have a package of Rudy's cocaine in their possession. They head to Los Angeles, perhaps the last place Rudy would look for them since it has no dinner theaters.

They find a place to live in West Hollywood, where they notice a lot of good-looking and friendly males reside, but jobs are harder to come by. Then a lightning bolt strikes Connie. She suggests that they disguise themselves as drag queens and try to win a gig at a nearby club.

Connie and Carla impress the lip-synching competition with their singing, and they get the job. But they have to maintain their masquerade offstage so that no one outs them as women. Not only do they find the charade draining, they also learn that life without boys - or, more specifically, boyfriends - gets to be a drag, especially when Connie meets Jeff (David Duchovny), a handsome straight guy.

"Connie and Carla" isn't just "Some Like It Hot" in reverse, although it shares plot similarities with the Jack Lemmon-Tony Curtis classic. It's the latest step in mainstreaming gay culture in a non-threatening way. No one could be a better poster girl for unity than Vardalos, whose "Big Fat Greek" hit appealed to nearly everyone.

As Connie, Vardalos is even more likable than she was playing a character based on herself. She's wacky and impetuous and good-hearted, so it's hard to imagine anyone shutting out her script's upbeat homily.

While Collette is more convincing as a drag queen because her frame is more believably masculine, she and Vardalos have great chemistry as friends and as performers.*** Duchovny oozes charm and good intentions.*** Stephen Spinella is affecting as Robert, the only "real" drag queen whose story gets in-depth treatment.

Director Michael Lembeck rarely lets the pace flag. "Connie and Carla" reflects its namesakes' irrepressible and positive spirit.

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual humor and drug references.

Four stars (out of five)

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