Connie and Carla

Plot synopsis:
Connie (Nia Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are two performers whose lifelong friendship and co-obsession with musical theater have brought nothing but career dead ends. Despite this they continue their optimism, hosting a variety act at an airport lounge. After accidentally witnessing a mafia hit in Chicago, they go on the run, landing in Los Angeles. After being fired from a beauty salon, they pose as drag queens and audition to host a drag revue at a gay club called "The Handlebar."
Because they sing their own songs (a rarity for queens), they are hired, and their variety show (at first titled What a Drag (Pun Intended!) then later re-titled Connie and Carla and the Belles of the Balls after they add a few friends to the act) becomes a hit. Things are going smoothly but the two make a pact not to let men interfere with their life. This causes conflict when Connie falls for Jeff (David Duchovny), the straight brother of Robert (Stephen Spinella), one of their drag queen friends. As the show gets bigger, the two convince the club owner, Stanley (Ian Gomez), to convert it into a full dinner theater, and eventually their popularity threatens to expose them.
On the official opening night of the dinner theater, the mob killers catch up with them. But with the help of their drag queen friends, and to great applause from the audience (who think it is part of their act), Connie and Carla take them down. They ultimately confess their real identities to the audience and are accepted for who they are. Connie reveals herself to Jeff, who arrives after the chaos. He accepts her and becomes her boyfriend.
=== Musicals referenced or featured ===
The following is a list of musicals referenced or featured in the film (in the order of which they are presented in the film): Barbra Streisand and Debbie Reynolds were mentioned several times before Reynolds herself appeared and performed with Connie and Carla.
Oklahoma! – Connie and Carla perform "Oklahoma!" as young girls in their school lunchroom and in the airport lounge and "I Cain't Say No" during their audition at "The Handlebar," the gay club where they eventually become successful.
Jesus Christ Superstar – Connie and Carla perform "Superstar" in the airport lounge and "Everything's Alright" during their first performance at The Handlebar.
Yentl – Connie and Carla perform "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" in the airport lounge.
Cats – Connie and Carla perform "Memory" in the airport lounge.
The Rocky Horror Show – Peaches 'n' Creme perform "The Time Warp" at The Handlebar.
Cabaret – Connie and Carla perform "Maybe This Time" at their audition at The Handlebar.
Evita – Connie and Carla perform "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" at their audition at The Handlebar.
Mame – Interludes during the picture with the character Tibor seeing several performances of Mame at different venues across New York City.
South Pacific – "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair", is part of Connie and Carla's performance in What a Drag (Pun Intended!) at The Handlebar. They also sing "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" at the end of the film with the rest of the main cast.
Funny Girl – Connie and Carla sing "Don't Rain on My Parade", part of their performance in What a Drag (Pun Intended!) at The Handlebar.
Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Producers, Say Goodnight, Gracie, Never Gonna Dance, Gypsy, Chicago, Mamma Mia!, Long Days Journey into Night, "Master Harold"...and the Boys, Avenue Q, Man of La Mancha, and Hairspray – Billboards for these shows are shown.
Gypsy, Rent, and Hairspray – At this point in the film, these are mentioned by Tibor, Hairspray, of which, he got a matinée ticket, though no songs from the shows are sung. The theater productions of Rent, Hairspray, and Mamma Mia! became semi-successful movie musicals shortly after this film.
Gypsy – "Let Me Entertain You" is performed by Connie, Carla, and the Belles of the Balls.
Hair – Connie says the guys should enter from the back of the house on "Good Morning, Starshine".
The Music Man – Debbie Reynolds says they should enter from the back of the house on "Seventy-Six Trombones".
Grease – Debbie Reynolds, Connie, Carla, and the Belles of the Balls sing "There Are Worse Things I Could Do".
A Chorus Line – Connie and Carla sing "What I Did for Love".
Guys and Dolls – Connie mentions "the Guys and Dolls tribute."

Tags: murder

Review:
Her silly and girlish character is a winner....especially after opening an unknown package in the car.Nia Vardalos will never win an acting award, but still has fun developing her own roles that she clearly writes for herself.
You'll be hardpressed to find better on screen chemistry between any two people that will be beat Collette and Vardalos in Connie and Carla.David Duchovney and Stephan Spinella are also highly effective in the role as anguished brothers, ultimately proving the well known theory about blood and water.
There are many funny scenes, and the movie itself could be called a musical, as there are plenty of renditions of broadway songs with the ladies dressed in drag.
"Connie and Carla" is about two dinner theater performers (Vardalos & Collette) who, on the lam from the mob, bring their musical show to L.A. where they pose as drag queens while one falls for a guy.
The premise, of course, isn't original, I knew that going in, but I really like Toni Collette and I was hoping perhaps Nia Vardalos would do something creative with the idea, but no such luck.
Instead, Vardalos makes the proceedings even MORE insulting to any viewer with half a brain by adding 'sensitive' little subplots - like one of the cross-dressers trying to rejuvenate his relationship with his straight brother, played by David Duchovny, who is also - of course - Vardalos' love interest.
Connie (Nia Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) have been putting on musical shows since their school days.
Throw in a little romance, a hilarious assassin, an ailing Drag club, brotherly love, good laughs and great songs and you have a mix that will draw you in with it's warmth and goodwill.
Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette play Connie and Carla, struggling dinner theater performers in Chicago who are on the run after witnessing a mob hit.
Connie (Nia Vardalos) and best friend Carla (Toni Collette) are show-tune performers who get themselves mixed up with the Chicago mob-scene when they witness their boss get shot by mob-boss Rudy (Robert John Burke).
The storyline drags (pun intended!) on for way too long, with a running time of 98 minutes in which watching Vardalos and Collette uglyfying themselves becomes almost excruciating.David Duchovny plays Jeff, estranged brother to one of the girls drag-queen friends, Robert (Stephen Spinella) and love interest to Vardalos.
Two performers are wasted: Duchovny is a natural, easy-going, nice-looking actor who deserves better (and seems embarrassed) and the mega-talented Collette, shunted to the sidelines and whose character ends up with the same white-trashy guy from Chicago.
All I could think of through this whole messy film was: It takes some feat of directing to make Toni Collette look as bad as she does in Connie and Carla.
The only relief comes from David Duchovny (in the tentative Marilyn Monroe role) as the straight brother of a drag queen who reluctantly starts to enjoy hanging out with Nia Vardalos (as a man).
Ms. Vardalos' debut film, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - despite its labored humor and clichéd characters - had a couple of charming moments.
You're much better off renting "Some Like it Hot." It's cheaper and it's a film you'll want to see over and over again.The sad thing is that there are no doubt some terrific scripts languishing in Hollywood because clunkers like "Connie and Carla" get made.If Ms. Vardalos decides her next original screenplay will be about, say, a rich, reclusive matriarch who dies clutching a snow globe while uttering the mysterious last words, "Rose petal," and an intrepid young reporter tries to find out what those words meant, we can only hope she will make sure to credit Welles (and Mankiewicz) for the idea..
It's made by people who have obviously never seen a drag show.It perpetuates stereotypes and even has a character listed as"Extremely Fey Guy." Nia Vardolos, the success of whose last film was a fluke, shouldbe ashamed of herself.
Vardalos and Collette are two atrociously tacky, but good-natured nightclub entertainers who treat the guests of a Chicago airport lounge to their brand of showbiz (which includes warbling show tunes in harmony while changing costumes in mid-song.) When their boss is killed during a drug deal gone bad, the ladies skip town for fear they'll be next and hide out in an L.A. gay bar posing as tacky, but good-natured drag queens!
Facially, Collette is perfect for her role and though Vardalos is much more feminine-looking, there ARE drag queens out there that come awfully close to looking like the real deal.
A couple of years ago, when "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was such a smash hit (a movie that I had, at best, lukewarm feelings towards), I had a suspicion that Nia Vardalos wasn't quite so amazing a writer as everyone thought she was.
I was actually looking forward to this movie, because it has a potentially very funny story, and I was totally open to giving Vardalos a chance to impress me this time.
Connie (Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are best friends and a singing act who perform showtunes for dinner theater.
Settling in the predominately gay West Hollywood area, they go to what turns out to be a drag club, and get the fantastic idea of how to hide out and still be able to do what they love (sing on stage): pose as drag queens.A potentially funny story.
There's something of worth there, and Duchovney gives the film's best performance, but that's pretty much where the movie's good qualities end.
Connie (Nia Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are life long friends who're following lives in show business no matter how pathetic.
I feel this is the only way to watch this movie, Nia Vardalos is a very talented woman it is a shame that people criticised this movie because it wasn't up to par with Greek Wedding.
When they witness a murder they rush off and disguise themselves as drag queens (yes drag queens, men dressing up as woman) or as Connie put it Women dressing up as men dressing up as women.That is the basic storyline.Vardalos really gives it her all in the script department, whilst some parts are a bit sloppy overall it has been cleverly written with some very witty dialogue in between.The acting is absolutely brilliant, Nia Vardalos is perfect as Connie and Toni Collette is absolutely amazing as Carla, she really shows America how brilliant and versatile some Australian actors are.Overall I give Connie & Carla 8.5/10A great movie for everyone to enjoy.
Today I watched "Connie and Carla" a movie that quietly worked its way up my Netflix queue and arrived with few expectations and little fanfare.
There are some similarities to Some Like It Hot in the fact that they are in drag, but it breaks away from the mold by Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette's wonderful musical numbers.
This is where Victor/Victoria and Sister Act come in.True Connie and Carla is a combination of several films, including Some Like it Hot but I found it quite entertaining nevertheless.To be honest I started watching with trepidation as I am a red blooded heterosexual and I thought that a film about cross dressers would not be much to my liking.
For the most part I thought the script was tastefully written by Nia Vardalos (Connie), equally tastefully directed (Michael Lembeck) and acted by all concerned.The soundtrack, although quite reasonable was not so good that it will be remembered but was catchy and enjoyable.
But in Connie and Carla, the latest film from My Big Fat Greek Wedding scriptwriter/actress Nia Vardalos, half the cast are queens.
And there's a cameo from Debbie Reynolds.Dorky duo Connie (Vardalos) and Carla (an underused Toni Collette) are dinner theatre performers who waitress between show tunes as they perform to bored patrons.
Ironically they find their audience, until Connie falls for Jeff (David Duchovny), the estranged brother of her drag pal Peaches (Steven Spinella, who recently won a Tony for Angels in America).Directed by comic actor Michael Lembeck, Connie and Carla is a cornball, feel-good date flick.
Campy, silly, and corny it is just plain enjoyable (if you enjoy light drag-queen humor however - I suppose those who find men dressing badly as women non-entertaining would not enjoy this movie).
I wasn't aware of her singing ability, although it's doubtful she will ever be considered the next Streisand (she and Toni Colette do a passable version of "Don't Rain On My Parade") she can certainly belt out a tune when necessary.While "Connie and Carla" is not brain-food it definitely does a good job of keeping you smiling and laughing, all the while making a positive statement about drag-culture and the gay community.
In my opinion, she and Toni Colette, a great actress in her own right, sang and vamped better than Catherine and Renee in "Chicago." I have seen this movie 3 times now, and I am going to purchase it for my home library to share with friends and family..
My friend and I were in stitches at the costume changes in the opening adult Connie and Carla number, and I have to say, we continued laughing throughout.Sadly, though most people won't have noticed, the film was slightly politically incorrect, because if is had been PC, Jeff would have fallen in love with Connie even when she was in drag.
You realize they are pretty good singing talents, and they looked like they had a lot of fun making this movie.
I think if they had gotten a more versatile actor, this character could've been much funnier in the movie, as much of the supporting cast does a good job in adding to the laughs.
In other words, there are very few moments in which there isn't something active going on.Overall, however, I'd say that if you liked Nia Vardalos's previous movie (aside from the Greek stereotypes), and it is likely that a big portion of those fans are female, then you'd probably enjoy this light-hearted comedy.
Instead of Whoopi as a nun in an earlier Some Like it Hot rip off, we've got Nia and Toni as mock drag queens trying to hide out by starting up a dinner theater revue, doing covers of Camp 101 standards like "Papa, Can You Hear Me." I was hoping I'd at least see Toni do an ABBA cover worthy of her "Muriel's Wedding;" no such luck.While the movie's cutest during the musical numbers, there's really not much to them, and it doesn't help the movie recover from the overall hyperbolic directing style - complete with that awful comedy music they're always playing over every scene in mainstream comedies - because, evidently, otherwise we wouldn't know the movie's funny.
Only Madonna in "Shanghai Surprise" brings less life to a role than he does.Nia brings back the same stereotypes she used in 'Greek Wedding' - to the flamboyant drag queens and the provincial WASPS that persecute them.Anyhow, a few cute moments can't save this mess.
And as for me, and as for me - I made my mind up back in Chelsea, when I go, I'm going like Elsie...Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you and anoint you...And, let's not forget: I always say come on, let's go - just when I ought to say Don't cry for me Argentina - the truth is I never left you...Which drives my husband nuts - but the kids love it, so, y'know, what you gain at the hot dog stand, you lose on the roller-coaster...Watch this, sing along, dance a bit, and remember - worship that body, it's the only one you're getting!
It's supposed to be the selling point, and it ends up being detrimental to "Connie and Carla."Yes, the portrayal of gay men in the film is one-dimensional, stereotypical and worst of all boring.
Nia Vardalos as Connie and Toni Collette as Carla are remarkable having to portray women being men being women.
Suddenly you're hooked on a whirlwind adventure into world of drag queens and comedy, with surprising stars like David Duchovny stepping outside their normal roles for a little fun.Full of the best show tunes, outrageous costumes, drag-city make up and an appearance by Debbie Reynolds, a more charming, funny movie I couldn't have asked for.
He could not have chosen a better cast for Connie and Carla as Nia Vardalos (born around the same time in Winnipeg, Manitoba as my oldest son) and Toni Collette.
The only area this movie succeeds in is making Nia Vardolos and Toni Collette look like men...which really is just a factor of genetics.
If Nia Vardalos does a sequel to Connie and Carla, she should use the same original actors and of course, Toni Collette, who did a fabulous job in performing.
I would be interested to know what would happen after they finished their performance at the end of the movie, does Nia Vardalos (Connie) wind up with Jeff (David Duchovny).
One of the most delightful movies I seen this year, Connie and Carla is a delightful comedy with an excellent talent-filled cast.
The entire cast gives this movie their all with convincing, down-to-earth performances that never miss a beat.Packed full of show tunes and hilarious moments, Connie and Carla is wonderfully entertaining.
If you liked "Too Wong Fu...," "Pricilla, Queen of the Desert," "Victor Victoria," and "In & Out," you will enjoy this movie!Bring out the popcorn, plop down on your couch, sit back and let the fun begin!.
I was therefore pleasantly surprised at how entertaining and enjoyable this movie was and the high quality acting of both the main characters and the supporting cast.Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette are excellent in their roles as Connie and Carla.
Although the previews I saw of "Connie and Carla" looked good, when the reviews came out -- many of which were negative -- I suckered myself into believing the critics and avoided the film.
I was less thrilled than most with "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", so I didn't expect too much from another Nia Vardalos movie.
Connie and Carla is pretty much a rip-off of Some Like it Hot, with a little bit of Victor/Victoria thrown in there for good measure.
Forget the critics views or you will miss a very entertaining and funny film.It offers a good time with lots of laughs.
Then, in 1998's VELVET GOLDMINE, a leering COLLETTE portrays a LIZA MINNELLI-like character with such tantalizing, lip-licking verve she became known --  among those who know -- as TONI with a "Z." In CONNIE & CARLA's outrageous musical numbers, COLLETTE fills out that zesty caricature, kicking and gesticulating all the way to the bank, THE BETTY FORD CLINIC, and beyond.With DAVID DUCHOVNY, who acts, DEBBIE REYNOLDS (special effects), and a gaggle of stock drag queens proffering repetitively unoriginal gender issues as too-much-infotainment.
Don't be fooled by the first scenes of the adult Connie and Carla fool you; it's a well acted film with lots of heart, lots of camp, and delightful all the way.There are moments that only people in touch with their feminine side will get, and those that you'll enjoy more if you're either into theatre or involved with the gay community.
I also think Nia Vardalos is pretty cool, and finding out she was Canadian was all the motivation, coupled with being a Duchovny fan, I needed to go see the movie.Apparently it's somewhat of a remake of an old Jack Lemmon/Marylin Monroe film, Some Like it Hot, and while I've heard of it, I've never seen it.
She's just a little too over the top at times, even in the atmosphere that the movie creates.I liked the subplot about Duchovny's character reuniting with his estranged brother, who is a drag queen.
While those don't do too well critically either, most doofus movie goers enjoy them.Many are saying that Connie and Carla is same-old-same-old, but because it isn't like most of those other comedies, I don't think it is.
Nia Vardalos did not quite get up the the laughs in GREEK WEDDING, but she and Toni Collette had nice voices and the picture was entertaining.
this movie isn't for me,but i could see how people would like it.it has two very likable leads in Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette.both are great actresses and work well off each other very well here.they both have great comedic timing.and their are some great witty moments here.but for me,there's just too many musicals,and i'm not really a musical fan.plus,i kinda found the film quite slow.i'm not really into the drag queen scene in movies either.i knew what the movie was about before watching it but i still thought id' give it a shot.if you're a musical fan and you have a bit of patience,this movie might work for,and you might really enjoy it.
The premise was good, the acting talent was outstanding--what the movie lacked was a script, and so the actors could basically go nowhere.The film tended to sneer at dinner theatre, yet this script would probably be a big hit on the dinner theatre circuit, since it seems to present a dinner-theatre notion of drag queens..
Like a broken bookcase, "Connie and Carla" doesn't work on so many levels.To sum up the dumbed down "Victor/Victoria"-esque plot, Connie (Nia Valdaros, of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding Fame"--dangerously close to becoming a screen version of the one hit wonder) and Carla (Toni Collette--how on earth did she get mixed up in this nightmare?) are two Chicago girls that love performing showtunes in Cabaret, but, witness a mob murder, so go into hiding in LA--resurfacing in a Drag Club Cabaret bar as the hottest drag queens in town.If that summary seemed a little brief, you're welcome.
I really wanted to love this movie as a family flick, but the drag queen situations are a little beyond my 5 year old's comprehension.
But, other than writing a great script, Nia Vardalos(Connie) and Toni Colette(Carla) did a fantastic job of acting their corny, cute characters.
Connie and Carla is a wonderful movie, about two girls that want to be famous.
*may contain spoilers*Connie and Carla is an enjoyable movie to watch.