In 10 Words of Less
Girls will be boys who are girls, who like boys.

The Movie
I have a five-DVD changer. So as I watched Connie and Carla, I wondered, did my changer mix up Some Like It Hot and Victor/Victoria? Nope. It was Nia Vardalos, the creator of My Big, Fat Greek Wedding, who did the mixing. In the follow-up to her smash big-screen star turn, she decided to dig through the shelves of her local video store, and smush a few proven hits together to create a brand-new one. While it's not the gem her first big movie was, it was certainly not the worst sophomore effort for a woman who is very funny. Especially on the heels of her crash-and-burn TV series.

The story starts with Connie (Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette, The Sixth Sense, About A Boy) working as singers/waitresses in an airport lounge in Chicago. They're a film stereotype, the talent that's unappreciated and just waiting for its chance. Their chance arrives when they witness a mob rub-out. Sent on the run, they head out West, to Los Angeles. Thus, the Some Like it Hot portion is covered.

Up to this point, reality is still somewhat in control of the plot. But no longer. In an effort to hide, the girls decide to act as drag queens. So now we've got girls who dress like guys who dress like girls. And no one can tell, not even Jeff (David Duchovny), the straight guy brother of one of the real drag queens. If you're going to get into this movie, you'll just have to look past this slice of unreality (though I guess maybe Collette could pass for a drag queen.)

If it wasn't for the Vardalos' adorable personality and Collette's pure acting ability, this movie would be hard to get through at times. But they carry the show and even end up creating some truly funny moments. Attempts are made to attempt touching moments as well, but these don't work quite well, because they seem tacked-on and shoehorned into the pauses between laughs.

Anyone with Nick-at-Nite and a Blockbuster membership could have scraped together a film like this. But it's TV veteran Michael Lembeck ("Friends", "Everybody Loves Raymond") who gets to guide Connie and Carla, and, appropriately, it comes off as an extended sitcom. Punchlines are telegraphed, and character motivations are manufactured as needed. And like most sitcoms, the comedy is hit-or-miss. People may tolerate these kinds of flaws in 22 minutes of TV, but a 108-minute movie is another story. And I haven't even touched on the terribly stereotyped portrayals of gay culture, the leaps in logic and an ending that's ridiculous no matter how much you suspend reality.

Despite the problems, there's a fun attitude to this movie, and the actors turn in quality performances. As such, this is a low-risk time investment for most. If you loved ...Wedding, there's a chance you might find yourself disappointed by Connie and Carla, as it's not nearly as focused or universal as Vardalos' first star turn. But if you really liked her, and are looking for a film you just want to escape into, and especially if you really enjoyed The Birdcage, this is a good one for you.

The DVD
Four months and a day after its theatrical release, Connie and Carla is available on DVD in two flavors, anamorphic widescreen and full-screen. This review was done viewing the widescreen edition. Both come in a keep case, with a spate of extras. There are two English soundtracks, 5.1 and DTS, as well as a French 5.1 track. English captions are available, along with French and Spanish subtitles. A main animated menu points you to static menus for the scene selections, bonus features and the language options.

The Quality
This movie is loaded with color, as expected for a film about drag queens, and this disc brings it all across nicely without shimmering or halos. The video is clear and crisp, with excellent shadows and little to no grain.

The soundtrack isn't going to give your home theater a workout, but the audio is mixed well, especially the major musical moments. A few gun shots and some ambient sound find their way to the surrounds, but it's mostly a dialogue-driven track with musical highlights. I couldn't find much of a difference between the Dolby and DTS tracks, but the inclusion is welcome.

The Extras
Universal put together a nice DVD package for a film that fared so poorly at the box office. A commentary track with Vardalos and Lembeck does just about everything that a good commentary does, covering technical factors, acting methods, behind the scenes gossip, things you wouldn't notice, making-of stories and a healthy dash of reminiscing and "isn't that great?" The track is very conversational, informative and fun.

Lembeck shot plenty of footage for this movie, and it feels like most of it is available in the special features section. A reel of deleted scenes (from what looks like a workprint) is up first, five in all. Each scene is preceded by an on-screen introduction by Lembeck, in which he sets it up, and explains why it was deleted. This is the kind of presentation every deleted-scene package should receieve, as it shows how editing decisions are made. Providing a scene selection menu would have been a nice touch though.

Lembeck is back to introduce complete versions of three of the film's musical sequences. Again, Lembeck does a good job talking about why they were edited down. In addition to the actual deleted scenes, there's also an extensive outtakes reel that has some fun moments, including another look at Mr. Duchovny's now well-filmed behind. Three more featurettes round out the package, including a very well-done making-of featurette (much better than the usual EPK material), an interesting look at the real drag queens in the film and a bit on Debbie Reynolds that features a filthy little moment with the screen legend. Considering some of the discs that gets labelled special edition these days, this "standard" release is very impressive. (Note: None of the bonus material is in anamorphic widescreen)

The Bottom Line
There are worse ways to spend two hours than watching Vardalos work her way through a movie and her ability to be cute without being cloying is once again on full display here. Unfortunately, in creating her big hit "Wedding" film, she may have given her all as far as original material is concerned. That doesn't mean you won't enjoy this film. With all its silliness and insanity, the movie is simply fun. Plus, Universal's presentation goes above and beyond the call of DVD duty. If you saw Connie and Carla in the theatre, and enjoyed it, purchase this disc without reservation. If you're new to this movie, rent it first.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.