Soundtracking: Connie and Carla
Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 8:42AM by Chris Feil
These days, the act and art of fandom is self-reverentially chasing its own tail. But tell that to quietly minted cult classic Connie and Carla, one of our few musicals ABOUT musicals. Or at least about the love of the art form. In this jukebox musical repurposing other musicals, Broadway fandom shines because of its capacity for endless streams of references and ouroboros devotion.
It’s flop status ensured that the film got buried fast but it is primed for a revival to a new generation of musical lovers...
Whereas contemporary “cult” films come prepackaged as such and sold to ironically minded audiences, this one’s growing status is an organic one, and rooted primarily in the heart of musical obsession that unites its heroines. If nothing else, it briefly gives us the Toni Collette Sally Bowles that we’ve otherwise been deprived.
The film opens on Nia Vardalos and Collette’s wannabe stage sirens performing a medley of standards to an empty airport lounge. It’s for no one but themselves, a sincere hodgepodge of wig-revealing mashups. It’s corniness and earnestness are exactly the point, its unpretentious joy recognizable to every theatre kid among us as a reflection of a part of our psyches. They’ve been doing this number for years, their passion undiminished, their self-awareness perhaps just as preciously tempered.
What’s missing is the cheering crowd that’s as much of the fantasy as the melody. Thus they flee violent mobsters and stumble into the film’s unabashed Victor/Victoria rip-off and the heart of musical theatre fandom: gay people.
So when Connie and Carla take the stage for their drag bar audition, their “Maybe This Time” isn’t just one of the most underrated versions of the legendary anthem, it’s a realization of their stage dreams and ours. The quintessential melancholy ballad about overcoming past setbacks and finding adoration has earned its place in musical theatre history because (just like any lingering pop song) we can graft our own struggles and hopes onto its chords. As narratively precise as “Maybe This Time” is for Sally Bowles, it’s taken on a life outside Cabaret’s walls.
And, most importantly, they do so together. The passion of musical theatre, and its transformative uniting force, is not an island. Where some fandoms feel exclusionary or elitist, Connie and Carla represent how collaboration is integral to this particular appreciation. Note how powerfully they turn eleven o’clock solos into tightly harmonized duets flawlessly.
Connie and Carla essentially laughs in the face of those who are snobs to its genre, laughing in the flames of cliche as text and offering up Broadway classics both inarguable and grating to their maximum jubilation. It’s less a reinvention of the songbooks of Rogers and Hammerstein or Andrew Lloyd Webber than it us maximizing their cumulative power to glitter bomb a condescending audience. It’s about combining decades of collective passion in one convincing (yes, even silly) package that represents all the things an art form means to us. It’s fan service, but also a manifesto of sorts.
All Soundtracking installments can be found here!
Reader Comments (8)
I saw this in the theater when it came out, lol...
I'd forgotten all about it. I'd love to go back and revisit it, I remember liking it more than I should at the time. :)
I haven't thought of this movie in ages. But now I want to revisit, thank you.
More movies with the glorious Toni Collette singing, please!
I revisited this about five years ago as my Toni fandom has grown. The movie is ridiculous and over the top. Once you embrace that, there is a lot to enjoy.
Having been meaning to see this to fill in some gaps of my Collette appreciation. Thank you for the reminder!
I remember this getting terrible reviews when it came out-- but most seemed motivated by irrational hatred for Nia Vardalos ... which I never understood. She's friends with Tom Hanks. How bad could she be?.
While it's not high art it is highly enjoyable with a sincere story about friendship and being true to who you are with great music well performed by both leads.....plus Debbie Reynolds having a ball being Debbie Reynolds at her cabaret best.
It not great but a fun movie