After penning the biggest grossing independent feature film ever, the pressure was on for Nia Vardalos to deliver the goods with her next project. The surprise success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding left Vardalos in an enviable position most scriptwriters would chop off their writing hand for. Her little movie tapped into the neuroses and fantasies of every bridesmaid who thought she'd never be a bride and said 'Fantasies can come true. Look at me'.

In the same vein, Vardalos's follow-up Connie and Carla advocates Sisyphean perseverance and self-belief - even if you do have to wear drag to get to the top of the mountain!

Performing musical theatre classics in an airport lounge for weary travellers more concerned with a snooze than a sing-a-long has so far been the pinnacle of Connie (Vardalos) and Carla's (Toni Collette) stage career. But when they witness the murder of their boss by drug-dealing gangster Mr. Rudy (Robert John Burke), they dump their unsupportive boyfriends and high tail it to LA where they think Mr Rudy will never find them.

Shocked by LA's body conscious inhabitants and gay men openly snogging, they figure the only way to make it in the crazy city is to be as outrageous as everybody else. What better way to elude their pursuers and be able to continue performing than by disguising themselves as guys dressed as girls? They're soon headlining a small gay club and swapping make-up tips with the gender bending clientele.

Connie and Carla is a lot of fun and from a distance Vardalos and Collette make enviable drag queens, especially Collette whose naturally masculine features are more convincing than Vardalos's plumper, more feminine face.

Even Danny La Rue would be envious of Connie and Carla's wardrobe. Ruth Myers's costume designs are a delight and the girls have a splendid assortment of high-tower wigs and bat-wing eyelashes to complement their glamorous frocks. But the main reason to see Connie and Carla is the songs. The girls really can belt out a good tune and perform them with chutzpah and pizzazz. Highlights include fabulous old classics like ‘Don't Cry for Me, Argentina’ and ‘I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No’. And as a bonus there's a cameo from Debbie Reynolds at the end. Fabulous!!

Find out more at the film's great website.

Connie and Carla is released in the UK on 11 June 2004

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