Nia Vardalos as Connie
Toni Collette as Carla
David Duchovny as Jeff
Stephen Spinella as Robert/Peaches
Alec Mapa as Lee/N’Cream
Chris Logan as Brian/Brianna
Robert Kaiser as Paul
Ian Gomez as Stanley
Nick Sandow as Al
Dash Mihok as Mikey
Robert John Burke as Rudy
Boris McGiver as Tibor
Don Ackerman as Super Fey Guy
Debbie Reynolds as Herself
Veena Sood as Mrs. Morse
Critique:
Connie (Nia Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are second rate singers performing show tunes in airport lounges. After witnessing a crime, they flee from the criminals that want them dead and go into hiding.
Connie and Carla feels like a remake of “Some Like It Hot”, just taken one step further with Collette and Vardalos impersonating men impersonating women. The writing is solid, for a light comedy, and Colette and Vardalos follow it up with good timing and an ability to sing. The drag queen ensemble, while at times over the top, does not make a mockery of itself. Stephen Spinella and David Duchovny are convincing as brothers long separated but trying to reconcile.
The plot is unbelievable but it does not need to be realistic for the movie to work. While not up to the level of either “Some Like It Hot” or Vardalos’ own sleeper hit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” it is a funny and enjoyable movie. Many of the situations have been covered in other movies but they have been rehashed here in a fresh and lively way. The ending is overplayed and silly, but not so much that it ruins the rest of the film.
Who should see this movie? If you like Nia Vardalos, you will enjoy this movie. She might not make the most convincing drag queen, but she is great in the role. Action and thriller fans should go someplace else; the threat from the gangsters is just an excuse to get the girls in drag. For people that are looking for romance, there is a nice romantic subplot that should satisfy. As long as you go into the movie expecting nothing more than a light hearted comedy with a bit of romance thrown in you will not be disappointed.
