Connie (Nia Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are lifelong friends who share an obsession with musical theatre, but their careers are at a dead end. Despite this they continue performing with optimism, hosting a variety act at an airport lounge. After accidentally witnessing a mafia hit in Chicago, they go on the run, landing in LA. Initially working at a beauty salon, they wind up posing as drag queens and auditioning to host a drag review at a gay club.
Because they sing their own songs, rare for drag queens, they are hired, and their show becomes a hit. First it is called "What a Drag" then named "Connie and Carla and the Belles of the Balls" after they add a few friends to the act. Things are going smoothly and they vow not to let men interfere with their life. This creates a conflict when Connie falls for Jeff (Duchovny), the straight brother of Robert (Stephen Spinella), one of their drag queen friends. As the show gets bigger, they convince the club owner to convert it into a full dinner theater, and eventually their popularity threatens to expose them.
On the official opening night of the dinner theater, the mob killers catch up with them, but with the help of their drag queen friends, and to great applause from the audience (who think it is part of their act), Connie and Carla take them down. They confess their real identities to the audience and are accepted for who they are. Connie reveals herself to Jeff, who arrives after the chaos. He accepts her and becomes her lover.
This movie was filmed in Vancouver, Canada and features a number of local drag queens. The plot is unoriginal, but the lines and delivery are great--although some of the dialogue is saccharine. It has a well-written script with many very funny moments and touching scenes. It's fairly predictable, but enjoyable fun, warm, and very watchable. Randy Edelman composed the music score, Nia Vardalos wrote the screenplay, and Michael Lembeck directed.
