|
Connie
and Carla
So I
bet you're wondering why, of all the movies that are out right
now, why in the world would Fanboy Planet review Connie
and Carla?
Well,
the logical reason would be for David Duchovny, one of the
co-stars. He's a well known actor from a realm that we're
interested in, having played Mulder in The
X-Files for so long. So anything he's in, we're a
little interested in.
But to
be honest, we needed a good dose of girl comedy and show tunes.
And Connie and Carla provided both in decent amounts.
Written
and starring Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding
fame, Connie (Vardalos) and Carla (played by the toothy but
exuberant Toni Collette) are two Chicago girls looking for
their big break in the dinner theater circuit, when they witness
a mafia hit. Fearing for their lives, they make a break for
the last place anyone would look for theater culture: Los
Angeles. When they get there, they find their dream jobs,
not to mention love, in a place they never would have thought
it would be. They become drag queens, performing show tunes
in a gay bar, and become the talk of the town. And that makes
hiding a bit harder, and ends up getting them into trouble.
The story
is actually three stories rolled into one, with one main storyline,
and two smaller subplots. You'd think the mafia hit and subsequent
hiding would be the main thread here, but it is actually quickly
overpowered by the girls discovery of how much fun it is to
double cross dress, and how good they are at it. A love story
is also part and parcel to the plot, and interweaves with
our transvestite tomboys in very humorous ways.
 |
The story
of "how do we keep the fact that we're women dressed
as men dressed as woman" is by far the most entertaining
and funny part of the movie, in part because of the "fabulous"
way the girls start dressing. Their makeup and clothing are
stunningly gaudy and their ploy for hiding the fact that their
breasts are the real thing is quite funny. Watching Vardalos
get fondled by a bunch of gay men to see how "real"
her fake breasts is terribly funny, in a very wrong way. The
few near misses for when their fellow drag queens almost find
out that they're not really men are amusing, but a little
overplayed.
The songs
that they perform for their show are quite good though, and
turns the movie into something like a short revue of some
of the best Broadway musicals have to offer. Vardalos and
Collette are both good singers, and they sing the numbers
with a lot of joy, showing that they truly loved what they
were doing, not to mention know what they're doing. There
was a bit of dancing, and Collette shined at that, while Vardalos
just managed to look stiff. Dancing isn't her specialty, I
don't think. But the two of them pulled off ludicrous and
glamorous with a great deal of humor, and I enjoyed it.
The mob
hit is only really major in the beginning and end of the film,
with occasional snippets speckled here and there to remind
you that Connie and Carla are actually hiding while they belt
out show tunes.
The love
story is where our dear Mr. Duchovny gets involved, as Jeff
the Romantic Interest. From the beginning when he makes his
first appearance holding the door open for Connie, you know
there's going to be something there later, and they actually
have some chemistry together. It really gets entertaining
when Connie starts dressing in drag, and realizing she's falling
in love with Jeff, but having to maintain that she's a guy.
It turns into a sort of male bonding, on a whole different
level.
Overall,
I found it to be a pretty fun movie, satisfyingly girly in
its use of makeup, romance, and humor, and with enough show
tunes to make Michael Goodson sing along happily. It's a bit
stiff, and works too hard sometimes, but otherwise it's pretty
fun afternoon popcorn fare.
Rating:
|
