Miss Congeniality (2000)--A Movie Review

Title: Miss Congeniality
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt, Candice Bergen, William Shatner, Ernie Hudson
Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

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Special Agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is a bit of a loner. Her propensity for not entirely following orders gets her in a bit of trouble. In fact, her boss (Ernie Hudson) has sidelined her from a high profile case due to her messing up in the field on a previous take down. However, fellow agent Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt) feels as if Gracie will be an asset in figuring out what the Citizen's (a domestic terrorist) next target is. A cryptic note is sent to the FBI and the objective is to figure out the target and fast, especially considering the Citizen's track record.

The target is deciphered as the Miss United States Pageant. However, when Matthews and Hart take this news to pageant director Kathy Morningside (Candice Bergen), she just doesn't buy it. Kathy doesn't believe someone undercover is necessary--or even heightened security--but that is the FBI's next plan of action. To have the best access, someone has to go undercover and a computer says Gracie would be the best person for the job.

However, Gracie Hart could be the homeliest and sloppiest the FBI has ever produced--with an annoying snort-laugh to boot. It's going to take the work of a great beauty pageant coach, Victor Melling (Michael Caine) to straighten the hair, teach her to walk, how to talk, and make her undercover job realistic. Because as it stands right now, Gracie Hart wouldn't be chosen in a state pageant, let alone get to the top 10 of the national pageant.

But Gracie Lou Frebush of New Jersey is born and into the world of pageantry and dresses, hair spray and enhancements she goes. However, along the way she meets gals from the other forty-nine states who are unlike what she thought beauty queens to be. She actually becomes friends with one of them. But it isn't all fun and games--who is the Citizen? And why is he choosing to attack a pageant of all things?

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I have never had any desire to be in the world of beauty pageants. The idea of parading around in a bikini, answering politically correct questions, and being judged on how tall I am or how perfect a body I have doesn't exactly appeal to me =) I know you get scholarship money and everything, but still...I will stick to watching "Miss Congeniality" when I need my pageant fix.

I think this is one of the movies that endeared Sandra Bullock to a lot of people. She absolutely is the star of this film. She plays the "ugly" duckling and her transition to being a pretty princess in such a realistic and comical way. I just love her in this film. However, I think Michael Caine is the scene stealer. His beauty times, his annoyances with Gracie, his giving her celery instead of letting her eat doughnuts--it's all brilliant. Candice Bergen plays a villain quite convincingly (I am yet to see this woman in a nice role) I also love all of the contestants that we get "to know." That being said, Texas is so stereotyped with that accent. Goodness.

The content does consist of some sexual humor and/or comments. No scenes, thank goodness, but I could do without the jokes about enhancing chest sizes. However, while there are problems with the sexual dialogue and bad language (including one usage of the Lord's name in vain quite badly), the content is not as bad as I thought upon watching it when I was younger. Could be because I just "accept" certain elements or it could be because I watched it during the height of some legalism....who knows.

It's not a movie that is going to win any awards, but still, it is an enjoyable way to spend two hours of a day. It's the kind of film where I want to have a facial and some popcorn and some girlfriends around. "Miss Congeniality" also has some good qualities to impart--the biggest being how Gracie learns to accept and show love to all types of people--even those who come in model size packages. And it doesn't hurt for you to wear heels or do your hair every once and a while either. And always, it is "yes", never "yeah." ;-)