Review of Connie and Carla (2004) by Alison O — 11 Aug 2006

Best in Show: Toni Collette.

One for the future: Toni Collette.

Stand-out scene: Reveal.

Brainer or no-brainer: No brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: Repeated.

DVD commentary any good?: Hilarious and insightful.

Nia Vardalos set out her comedy stall with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. As that movie cleaned up at the box office it's not surprising that the same formula is followed; safe, gentle humour based around the foibles of a minority group (in this instance Greeks are replaced with drag queens). At cinemas it failed to make the 10 million mark, while its predecessor had made 240 million. Perhaps that's part of the fallout from the failure of the cancelled TV series My Big Fat Greek Life, or maybe the cross-dressing put off some of those who went to see Greek Wedding, because this is of similar tone to that movie. Toni Collette is always excellent (making even clunkers such as Shaft or Velvet Goldmine worth watching) and here she relishes the light and frothy material, clearly revelling in the chance to belt out a few show tunes. Comedies are often seen as the poor relation to dramas, and while she has proven herself in serious roles over the years why shouldn't she become involved in less 'highbrow' (or as she's Australian should that be a Kath & Kim 'eyebrow') projects if it allows her to utilise a talent she rarely gets to show in movies; her singing. From the day I saw Grease back in '78 I've had a liking for musicals (There are Worse Things.. gets an airing here courtesy of Debbie Reynolds) and there were a few songs here I am unfamiliar with (Yentl and Mame being two of the movies I haven't seen) and there's musical numbers galore in this comedy that harks back to the days of dinner theatre. As a kind of a mishmash of Some Like it Hot, SIster Act, Victor/Victoria and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert there's little here to propel this movie into the territory of a ground-breaking movie but it's certainly watchable (thanks, David Duchovny) and easy on the ear/eye. The devil's in the detail and the chokers the duo perform in in their opening number are soon dispensed with (meaning that the tell-tale Adam's apple of drag queens are missing) but you're already being asked to suspend your disbelief that Vardalos and Collette could pass as drag queens anyway. Worth watching for the origin of the term drag queen alone which dates back to the shorthand of Shakespeare's stage direction dressed as girl).