Michael Lembeck
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Connections, in both directions
Its plot is "Some Like It Hot" meets "Victor/Victoria" and it's not half as clever as either, but "Connie and Carla" -- Nia Vardalos' writing-starring follow-up to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" -- earns its share of amused grins for campy show tunes and cross-dressing gags.
The parallels with both Some Like It Hot and Victor/Victoria are obvious; Vardalos gleefully refers to both of these (and of course Yentl) while building a predictable farce.
I was able to sit back and enjoy the situation-inspired laughs without getting sidetracked by writer Nia Vardalos' occasionally clumsy script turns, or its derivative nature ("Some Like It Hot", "Tootsie" and every previous male impersonator story according to some critics), or its performers' inclination to milk a gag and exaggerate a nuance.
The only supporting performance that does stand out is by Alec Mapa (2004's " Connie and Carla "), charmingly making the most of his screen time as a fellow male hairdresser at the salon.
It's a terrible role for Dwayne Johnson, something he seems well aware of, putting very little effort into it and barely mustering the enthusiasm of Adam Sandler when forced to down his humor to reach younger audiences with "Bedtime Stories" and "Click."
Having broken Dominic (Vin Diesel, all previous Fasts) out of custody, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker, all previous except Tokyo) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) flee with him to Rio de Janeiro where they hunker in and assemble a crack team from all their previous adventures to pull off a $100 million heist with a new cop, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, "Tooth Fairy," "The Other Guys") and his team on the tail of the "Fast Five."