First and foremost, the movie teaches us to love those who are different from us. Connie and Carla are the first ones to heed this lesson, as they learn to look past the eccentricities of their cross-dressing fellow performers and develop genuine friendships with them. This lesson is later learned by Jeff, the brother of one of Connie and Carla's co-performers. As the film progresses, Jeff learns to love and be a part of his brother's life, even though he can't help but feel uncomfortable about his brother's homosexuality and transvestitism.

Jeff's transformation in particular reminds us how important it is to befriend the outcast, to reach out to those who have been scorned by society. One of the greatest exemplars of this principle was Jesus of Nazareth, who associated with all types of people--men and women, Jews and Gentiles, those accepted by religious authorities and those whom religious authorities had condemned and cast aside. While many religious leaders condemned Jesus for socializing with people whose lifestyles they disapproved of, Jesus knew that God's love had no boundaries and he was determined to share this love with everyone he could (Matthew 9.9-13).

Unfortunately, the movie goes too far and mistakenly equates loving others with approving of their behavior. For instance, the film hints that Jeff's transformation is not complete until he comes to sanction his brother's lifestyle. The truth of the matter is that people can be friends even if they have moral disagreements. Just because I might not agree with all your views or actions, it doesn't follow that I can't truly love you.

Connie and Carla also reminds us of the many similarities that we all share. It's so easy for us to focus on our differences and to condemn those who aren't like us. Yet the movie illustrates that, despite our differences, we all have much in common. For example, in Jeff's brother, Robert, we see a man who, when you get down to it, isn't that different from the rest of us. As we get to know Robert, we see that he's a man who longs to be loved and accepted, who hurts when people treat him cruelly, who cares about his friends and wants to help them.

The film also touches on the virtue of self-sacrifice. Just as the mob seems close to finding the girls, they decide to risk their lives and give one more performance at the cabaret. The girls are partially motivated by their love for song and their desire to perform just one more time. But they are also motivated by their love for their newly made friends, as they believe that one last stellar performance might enable the cabaret to be a real success. "Greater love," we are reminded, "has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15.13).

Despite some of the very serious messages it contains, Connie and Carla is, at bottom, a very goofy movie. But mostly goofy in a good way. Vardalos is likable and funny in her role as a woman-posing-as-a-man-posing-as-a-woman. And the script serves most of the characters well, providing them with a number of creative and at times hilarious one-liners. The movie does have its flaws, however -- the main one being that it is often far too formulaic.

One of the movie's best scenes shows the mob's hitman, Tibor, passionately singing along to a show tune in a St. Louis dinner theater. Tibor begins the movie as a hardened killer, but his exposure to music (he's assigned to visit numerous dinner theaters in an effort to find the girls) softens and humanizes him, at least temporarily. This scene, as humorous as it is, beautifully illustrates the transformative power of art. For all forms of art -- even corny show tunes and goofy comedies -- are capable of expressing profound truths and impacting our lives.
—Forum