Comedy film Connie and Carla celebrates its anniversary today.
Released in 2004, the film was not a huge success at the box office, and critics largely panned it. Over the years, though, it has found an audience and developed a loyal fan base.
Directed by Michael Lembeck and starring Nia Vardalos and Australian actor Toni Collette, the film follows Connie and Carla, two friends and aspiring performers who witness a murder and go on the run to avoid the mob.
They end up hiding out by disguising themselves as drag queens and joining a drag revue.
As they immerse themselves in the world of drag, they find acceptance and success, but they must also navigate the challenges of keeping their true identities hidden.
Along the way, they form deep bonds with their newfound drag queen friends and learn important lessons about friendship, authenticity and self‑acceptance.
Connie and Carla received mixed reviews from critics but has gained a cult following over the years for its light‑hearted and entertaining portrayal of friendship and acceptance.
In 2002, writer and actor Nia Vardalos scored a huge hit with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Vardalos wrote the script for the film based on a 45‑minute monologue she had performed on stage.
Off the massive success of that film, studios were eager to make more films with Vardalos, and she penned this gender‑switch comedy, which is based on the classic Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot.
Wilder’s 1959 film starred Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as two musicians on the run from gangsters who disguise themselves as women. Marilyn Monroe played the love interest.
For the gender‑swapped retelling, producers cast X‑Files star David Duchovny to play Jeff, the straight brother of one of the drag performers in the revue.
On paper, it must have seemed like a dream cast. Vardalos was coming off the success of one of the biggest films of 2002, which had been a smash in cinemas and on home video.
Collette had a string of diverse performances under her belt, with The Sixth Sense, Shaft, About a Boy, The Hours and Japanese Story among her recent works.
Duchovny had just finished the initial nine‑season run of The X‑Files and was eager to establish himself as a leading man in films.
Upon release, the film was a flop. With a budget of USD$27 million, it recouped just USD$11.3 million internationally at the box office. Over the last two decades, though, it has earned the status of a “cult classic”.
Fans of musical theatre can find a lot of joy in the movie. It references a wide range of works, including Oklahoma!, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Yentl, The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret, Evita, Mame, South Pacific, Funny Girl, Gypsy, Hair, The Music Man, Grease, A Chorus Line and Guys and Dolls, all of which are performed during the film.
There’s even a cameo from the great Debbie Reynolds.
Singer Dusty Springfield was born on this day in 1939
She was born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien, but found fame under the stage name Dusty Springfield.
In the 1960s she became a massive pop star with a string of hits including Son of a Preacher Man, I Only Want to Be With You, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, The Look of Love, Goin’ Back, I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself, Wishin’ and Hopin’ and many others.
Her Dusty in Memphis album, released in 1968, is often heralded as one of the best albums of all time and is included in the US Library of Congress sound archive.
While her career went through a difficult patch in the 1970s, she found a second wave of success in the 1980s after teaming up with British pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Together they scored a major hit with What Have I Done to Deserve This?, and the duo produced more tracks for her comeback solo album.
During her career there was speculation that Springfield was a lesbian, and she addressed the rumours in interviews in the 1970s. At the time, it was a bold statement to make.
“Many other people say I’m bent and I’ve heard it so many times that I’ve almost learned to accept it … I know I’m perfectly as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy. More and more people feel that way and I don’t see why I shouldn’t,” she told The Evening Standard in 1970.
Throughout her life Springfield had several relationships with women. She also struggled with mental health and addiction.
In 1994 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatment. A year later she was in remission. Sadly, her cancer returned, and despite further treatment over the next three years, she passed away on 2 March 1999.
