In 2004, Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette starred in the comedy film, Connie and Carla. The film – directed by Michael Lembeck and written by Vardalos – featured performances by David Duchovny, Stephen Spinella, Boris McGiver, and Debbie Reynolds, and followed the story of two women who go undercover as drag queens after they witness a murder.
In the movie, Connie and Carla are lifelong friends who are obsessed with musical theater. The pair are performers, but unfortunately unsuccessful ones, and they don’t appear to be getting anywhere with their careers.
If this wasn’t bad enough, one night Connie and Carla witness their boss murdered in a mafia hit. This in turn puts their lives in danger and they go on the run, travelling from Chicago to Los Angeles.
In order to remain under cover, the pair pose as gay men who dress in drag, and take a job at a gay club called The Handlebar. Here they host a variety show, which quickly becomes successful and they finally find the fame they’ve been searching for.
However, with a crime boss and his henchman on their trail, Connie and Carla must keep as low a profile as possible, even though they want to enjoy their newfound success. But this is something which is further complicated when Connie starts to develop feelings for a straight man and is unable to tell him the truth about who she is.
If you think the above premise has a whiff of Some Like It Hot (1959) about it, or perhaps Sister Act (1992), then of course you’d be right. Connie and Carla shares similarities with both of these movies, mixing crime and comedy for some humorous hijinks.
However, Connie and Carla is nowhere near as well known as either of the aforementioned films, nor was it as successful at the box-office. In fact, when Connie and Carla hit cinema screens back in 2004, the film flopped during its theatrical release.
Produced on a budget of $27 million, Connie and Carla only managed to take $11.3 million. I say ‘only’ $11.3 million, but this is a considerable shortfall in investment.
As a result of the poor theatrical response to Connie and Carla, the movie (like the title characters themselves) has mostly flown under the radar. Those who remember it the first time around know of its existence, but those who missed it probably don’t even know what it is.
To add to this, the film is not easy to come by these days. Following its theatrical run, Connie and Carla did receive a DVD release, but this has long since been deleted and there has been nothing since – no Blu-ray, no 4K, and if you can find it on digital then well done, as it’s certainly nowhere to be seen over here in the UK.
So, why am I bringing this all up? Well, it’s because 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Connie and Carla.
Sure, the film may be currently MIA, which seems odd when drag queens are at their height of popularity right now, but it’s certainly not forgotten. The film is an absolute gem, ripe for rediscovery, especially during an anniversary year.
First and foremost, Connie and Carla is very funny. The movie is loaded with gags, which are evenly spaced throughout the picture, and the humour hit rate is pretty high.
A great deal of the comedy revolves around Connie and Carla’s attempts to stay undercover. Whenever they are in the company of new friends and colleagues from the club, they have to remain in disguise and this means improvising with whatever is to hand (face masks, face creams, etc).
As they build up their drag show, they spend even more time in make-up and wigs, and they spend more time with gay guys. This allows for lots of camp comedy, as they expand their circle of friends and lean further into queer culture.
And this is where Connie and Carla hits its second home run. The film understands gay bars, gay culture, and gay references very well and has lots of fun with them.
Some of the material is stereotypical, but as a card-carrying friend of Dorothy myself, I can confirm the stereotypes do exist, and many of the characters in the movie can be seen at your average gay bar. This film is filled with divas, but so is life, and the divas in Connie and Carla fill out this movie fabulously – especially when it comes to the song and dance routines.
Speaking of music and show tunes, Connie and Carla has a ball working its way through the playbook of all the musical greats. Songs from Jesus Christ Superstar and Yentl, to South Pacific and Gypsy are featured in the movie.
Approximately five seconds of ‘Memory‘ from Cats is also featured, and this whole five seconds is much better than anything seen in the 2019 Cats movie. Apologies for bringing up Cats, I know some people are still in therapy after watching the film, I promise I won’t bring it up again.
My point is, there are lots of tunes in this movie, and while most are short snippets rather than full-length numbers, they all add to the enjoyment. The song rate is high, and if you’re a fan of musicals and show tunes, the references come thick and fast.
Outside of the above, Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette are fantastic as Connie and Carla, respectively. They lean into the slapstick aspects of the film when needed, but know exactly when to play it straight too.
The duo benefit from some great support from the likes of Stephen Spinella and Boris McGiver, and even David Duchovny looks switched on and awake playing Connie’s sort-of love interest, Jeff. Adore Duchovny as I do, he often seems half asleep in performances these days, but here he’s fully committed.
Chuck in some great direction, good set design and costuming, and a fun cameo from Debbie Reynolds, and Connie and Carla has much to offer. The movie also manages to squeeze in an important side-plot about coming out and no longer fitting in with the family, and this is nice to see too.
If you’ve never watched Connie and Carla, probably because you’ve never heard of it, then now is the perfect time to rectify that oversight. If you can find the film, whack it on your playlist, get the drinks in, and enjoy.
Some movies get overlooked or lost in the mix (2001’s superb Josie and the Pussycats is another example of this), but they don’t have to be overlooked forever. So, chins up, boobs out, film on, it’s showtime!
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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