I loved the Big, Fat Greek Wedding and was looking forward to this movie since it stars Nia Vardalos and she helped write it as she did for the Greek Wedding and I was not disappointed.
Connie (Nia Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are two small town girls whose dreams of stardom have taken them nowhere. From their debut in the school cafeteria when they were young to their current gig slinging drinks and belting out tunes at a Midwestern airport lounge, the singing and dancing duo simply refust to let their less-than-enthusiastic crowd dampen or slow them down. For them everything is coming up roses.
They have few supporters but their boss, Frank, is one until he ends up on the wrong end of a crime scene which they have witnessed. The girls gather up all their wigs and costumes and run for their lives but in doing so they left their contact booking agenda and the criminals try to use this to find them. When Connie and Carla realize this they know they will have to go somewhere new and thus end up in LA and Hollywood.
After unsuccessfully trying several jobs, an opportunity happens where they can dress up as drag queens and keep undercover. This is where the fun starts. They make friends of other cross-dressers (men) and learn new routines which eventually include these friends. The crowds come to the lounge which is owned by Stephen, played by Nia Vardalos' real life husband and who was also in the Greek Wedding.
We get an insight into the cross-dressing lives of these people, one of which, Robert (Stephen Spinella) is the brother of David Duchovney's character.
David who has been trying to find his brother to mend their relationship prior to his coming marriage bumps into Connie and though an attraction develops he believes her to be a man. She is attracted to him but knows better than to tell him her circumstances for fear of the criminals finding her and Carla. Well, you can guess what happens but along the way the lounge enlarges, the group of performers headed by Connie and Carla become a hit and we are surprised by the appearance of their idol as they were growing up, Debbie Reynolds.
I thought this was a fun movie, yet with some heart wrenching scenes between the brothers, David and Robert. Stephen Spinella who played Robert did an excellent job and Duchovney did so-so, but, of course, the stars were the girls, Connie and Carla.
-Barbara Higdon
