Hard-featured Nia Vardalos and goofy, goggle-eyed Toni Collette look a bit too much like real drag queens for their own good. Vardalos is the epitome of a homely, “handsome” woman, and in many of her roles, Collette has convincingly played quite masculine, stern and independent characters. In Japanese Story her trannie-esque style was especially obvious. Both Vardalos and Collette are fine comediennes and able actresses, but in Connie and Carla, where they play women who pretend to be drag queens, you have to remind yourself at times that the pair are also actually female.

Connie (Vardalos) and Carla (Collette) are musical theatre buffs who perform a strange act to mostly empty houses at an airport lounge. Their manager is mixed up in the drug trade, and when Connie and Carla find a kilo of cocaine stashed in their bags and a gang of killer hoods on their tail, they escape to West Hollywood, and pose as drag queens to both find employment and stay undercover. Trouble is, they keep their original names, and, as mentioned, don’t look much different in exaggerated drag make up.

Also, both are so ambitious and have such glary stars in their eyes, they jump at the chance to grab some kind of fame. Their show becomes a huge hit, and they quickly make good friends out of a group of lonely, mediocre drag entertainers. Jeff, the brother of one of these drag queens turns up in the form of David Duchovny, who Connie immediately falls in love with. But he thinks she’s a man in a dress, and is horrified by her advances. Jeff's brother, Peaches (Stephen Spinella) is determined to be accepted by his family on his own terms, make-up and wig included.

Not a lot else happens, but the movie is surprisingly fun and always enjoyable despite it’s numerous shortcomings. Debbie Reynolds pops up in some very awkwardly filmed cameos, and Collette’s Carla suddenly becomes a minor character after Duchovny arrives, and his wacky romance with Connie begins. A few too many scenes are actually skits, and the episodic, forgetful story could have done with a little more thought.

Inescapable gay pride palaver has to be endured, and the movie never seems to work out why the audience would empathise with characters it laughs at and presents as losers. When Peaches turns up to meet Jeff at a restaurant having not seen him for around a decade, he wears man’s clothes but carries a garish handbag and has overdone the bronze foundation. I laughed out loud, but I think I was supposed to find the scene touching and seriously political. As far as madcap comedies featuring lovable klutzes, some kind of mixed-up romance and a gang of hopeless criminals go, though, Connie and Carla is definitely above average.