The obvious temptation is to write off "Connie and Carla" as simply "Some Like It Lukewarm."
Or maybe "My Big Fat Rip-Off."
But that might be giving this mediocre, gender-bender comedy more credit than it deserves. And the script, by the writer and star of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," borrows heavily from many other comedies besides "Some Like It Hot." "Victor/Victoria," to name one.
That might be forgivable if "Connie and Carla" didn't have such a smug, self-satisfied gleam, as if the filmmakers, cast and crew think they've pulled one over on us.
Maybe Nia Vardalos was a one-trick pony after all.
The title characters (played by Vardalos and Toni Collette) are a pair of airport-lounge entertainers who accidentally witness their boss being murdered by a drug lord (Robert John Burke). So they flee from Chicago, hoping to find some place far away, where they can continue to perform.
They wind up in West Hollywood, which — horrors! — has no dinner theater. So Connie (Vardalos) comes up with a new idea: They'll pose as drag queens and perform their act in a nightclub. Naturally, they're trying to stay unnoticed, which becomes a problem when they find success. And when Connie falls for Jeff (David Duchovny), who is decidedly straight.
Things go as predictably as you'd expect, with the film simply meandering from one cabaret musical number to another before it finally gets around to the big showdown, which involves the mobsters and resolves the romantic subplot, as Jeff finally discovers the truth about Connie.
While Vardalos' overly derivative script is to blame for most of the problems, director Michael Lembeck doesn't help. He has a hard time restraining his stars, who are so frantic they become shrill.
And it doesn't help that Vardalos' character here isn't nearly as endearing as the one she played in "Greek Wedding." She's more than just a little pushy and self-righteous. (The same can be said of the film itself and its disingenuous plea for tolerance and acceptance.)
"Connie and Carla" is rated PG-13 for suggestive sexual humor and references, violence (gunplay and some slapstick), drug content (use and possession of cocaine, done for laughs), and scattered use of mild religious-based profanity. Running time: 98 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com