Character Analysis
Connie is a woman with a purpose…and she has the massive '90s shoulder pads to prove it. She's the President's communications director, and so she's in a good spot to make a difference in the world. She is a seemingly kind, smart woman who has dedicated her life to her career.
In fact, that dedication created some serious tensions in her marriage to David (who wasn't nearly as ambitious).
When she and David chat about their issues midway through the movie, she tries to get him to understand that her career wasn't just any old job. Instead, she really was trying to do and be part of something special.
CONNIE: You know, it wasn't just my career. It was the biggest opportunity of my life. I wanted my life to make a difference. I wanted my life to mean something.
DAVID: And I wasn't ambitious enough for you?
CONNIE: David! David, you could have done anything that you wanted. Research, development
DAVID: Oh! Honey, I was happy where I was.
CONNIE: Haven't you ever wanted to be part of something special?
However, Connie and David manage to find their way back to each other, thanks to those pesky aliens. When the aliens arrive, David eventually realizes that the alien signal is a kind of countdown clock, and because of his relationship with Connie and her relationship with the President, he manages to get the White House's ear.
Unfortunately, he doesn't really do it in time to prevent the first wave of attacks, but once he's embedded with Team White House, he starts helping out in a big way, and even ends up going into space to help disable the aliens' shields.
We know, we know—this is Connie's profile, not David's, so why are we only talking so much about him? Well, all his smarty-pants behavior and hard work finally put them on the same page, since they are both working for the super special and important goal of, you know, saving the world.
Unfortunately, this means that David ends up heading into serious danger, which Connie does not want. It's super ironic, actually: now that David is actually saving the world, she's kind of peeved about it because she doesn't want him to, you know, die.
CONNIE: I don't understand why you can't show someone else how to plant the virus. Someone who is trained…
DAVID: No, no. Something may go wrong. I may have to think quickly, adjust the signal. Who knows? Hey, you know how, like, I'm always trying to save the planet? Here's my chance.
CONNIE: Now he gets ambitious.
Luckily, "Ambitious David" and "Alive David" end up being one and the same, since he comes home safe. Finally, Connie doesn't have to choose between her feelings and her professional goals, and so she gets a happy ending with David.