by Universal Studios
| Average Rating: |
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| Sales Rank: | 29774 (lower is better) |
| Price Used: | $1.11 |
| Shipping: | Free Shipping on most orders over $25* |
| Availability: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Director: | Michael Lembeck |
| Release Date: | 2004-08-17 |
| Label: | Universal Studios |
| UPC: | 025192580024 |
| Binding: | DVD |
| Published By: | Universal Studios |
| ASIN: | B00029U9DC |
| Category: | DVD |
Actors and Actresses
Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions
Product Description
Best friends connie & carla have always dreamed of fame & fortune but their careers in show business are going nowhere fast. After witnessing a crime theyre forced to go on the run & keep their true identities secret. The dazzling duo stumble on an ingenious way to let their many talents shine. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 02/08/2005 Starring: Nia Varalos David Duchovny Run time: 108 minutes Rating: Pg13
Amazon.com
Some Like It Hot gets a queer makeover in Connie and Carla, a lightweight comedy from the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. In Billy Wilder's classic, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis teamed up in a male-as-female drag comedy, whereas here, writer-star Nia Vardalos goes a step further (and several derivative steps backwards), teaming up with Toni Collette as the titular heroines, playing women posing as men posing as women--kind of like Victor/Victoria with excess mascara. They witness a murder, and the killer knows it, so they hightail it out to West Hollywood, where (with the help of poodle wigs and garish cosmetics) they blend in with the performing drag queens at the Handlebar club, where queer makeovers are fabulously mandatory. Connie (that's Vardalos, to Collette's ditzy Carla) gets the hots for a drag queen's straight brother (David Duchovny), and even Debbie Reynolds pitches in to give a show that any gay crowd would love. There are some well-earned laughs along the way, but the whole thing feels like a sitcom we've seen before, which pretty much summarizes Vardalos's career to date. Vardalos has genuine comedic talent (and so does Collette), but it's adrift in this hash of old ideas. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Not quite hot enough... - Reviewed on 2008-09-12
It's apparent when one sits down to watch `Connie and Carla' that there are serious `Some Like it Hot' inspired moments here. In fact, the entire key plot is ripped straight from the Oscar nominated film. While `Connie and Carla' has its funny moments and can at times come off genuine and entertaining, sadly it never manages to reach the heights of its inspiration.
So, following the formula for `Some Like it Hot', `Connie and Carla' introduces us to two aspiring singers who find themselves cornered into performing at an airport lounge. When they witness a mob hit (their boss is murdered) they flee the city and seek refuge by posing as men posing as woman in a drag-nightclub, becoming the headlining acts and garnering a huge following. Their newfound fame may cost them their cover though, as they being to attain phenomenon status and their faces are plastered all over the television. Their worried boyfriends are looking anxiously for them and unwittingly aid the mobsters in ultimately finding them.
I'm sure you have already guessed how this is going to end, but it's all the stuff in the middle of the film that we're here for, right?
From a comedic standpoint `Connie and Carla' delivers the goods. The laughs are not always consistent, but they are there. Nia Vardalos is talented, but she is no Tina Fey, and here she is trying to be. She is completely overshadowed by Toni Collette (a comedic force in this movie) instead of playing off of her like Tina would Amy Poehler. I found her character to be kind of dull at times and this took away from the fluidity of the films comedic timing. Collette is a dream in this movie, sinking into her ditzy character with brilliant control and her `drag' voice is priceless.
The side plot involving Jeff, the straight brother to Robert, is nice and sweet and serves to be the catalyst for the films `moral' message but it can also feel a little out of place when surrounded by the rest of the film. It has its sincere moments but it doesn't completely work.
In the end I can say that I would watch this again, no doubt about it. It's funny and entertaining. I wish that it was a little tighter, sure, but not everything is going to be perfect and not everything has to be either. This one made me laugh, and Collette alone is enough reason to watch this movie over and over. I can't help but think how much better it would have been if Tina Fey had written and starred in it, but hey, you got to take what you can get, and Collette more than makes up for Vardalos' missteps.
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Book Subjects
- Adult Humor
- Adult Language
- Adult Situations
- Assumed Identities
- Buddy Film
- Campy
- Color
- Comedies
- Comedy
- Comedy Video
- Comedy of Errors
- Crime
- Drug Content
- English
- Feature
- Feature Film-comedy
- Gender-Bending
- Goofy
- Light
- Madcap