Miss Congeniality (2000)
September 20, 2018 1:58 PM - Subscribe

An F.B.I. agent must go undercover in the Miss United States beauty pageant to prevent a known terrorist from bombing the event. There's a lot of falling down in high heels.

[Trailer] [IMDB] [Wikipedia] [Rotten Tomatoes] [TV Tropes] 
some pro
A genuine crowdpleaser boasting a charming star turn, Miss Congeniality is indeed difficult to dislike, but hey, sometimes it's worth the effort. Empire

...its story is far from logical, let alone realistic, yet we laugh and completely buy into the fun. The Movie Report 
some con
...happily, deliberately second-rate, as if its ideal audience consisted of weary airline passengers. (It's the kind of movie that would seem like a pleasant surprise in a cramped coach at 35,000 feet.) New York Times

No no no. This film should carry a health warning. It doesn't know what it wants to be and ends up complete drivel. Approach with extreme caution. BBC Nottingham 
miscellany
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs (6 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Why does Sandra Bullock, a hot woman of note, require dozens of hours and dozens of people to transform into someone worthy of winning a Miss United States pageant and Benjamin Bratt’s affection?

Because that's in every movie? And we all know no woman is good enough to be hot as is, even Sandra at 8 a.m.

Hrm, more later...
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:44 PM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]


So many problems with this movie, but I think this is basically Sandra Bullock.

Her assets are non-threatening (?) (audience centric) beauty and the apparent ability to keep it as she ages past her teens/ early 20s, 30s - and into her 40's and 50s (she's 54).

She's basically the only actor in that timeframe who could make that movie and have it have a 6+ rating on IMDB 18 years after it hit the theaters.

I recall enjoying the movie, which maybe is the most important thing.
posted by porpoise at 8:34 PM on September 20, 2018 [2 favorites]


"Harsher penalties for parole violators, Stan!"

"Once I stole a pair of red underwear from the department store. My mom wouldn't buy them for me. She said they were Satan's panties."

I thought it was the supporting roles that made this movie fun. Candice Bergen, William Shatner, and Michael Caine were all a complete riot, as were a number of the other beauty contestants
posted by orange swan at 9:48 PM on September 20, 2018 [4 favorites]


Yeah...I always enjoyed her "I would take them OUT" speech, and the ending. Sandra Bullock does have a knack of pulling off some plots at times.

Wasn't too thrilled with Benjamin Bratt's character though.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:50 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


My favorite part is when she goes to a bar, orders a pint, and gets Ben & Jerry’s. I think Bullock is sort of cringe-inducing when she’s supposed to be amusing, but she’s very real in the action stuff—she looks authentic with a gun, even in a Tryolean dirndl costume.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:15 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


I remember enjoying this quite a bit for the most part, but pointing a gun at someone to get a doughnut just seemed so beyond the pale that it took me right out of the movie. You don't do that! Even as a joke!

My eldest daughter daughter was born on April 25th, which is the "perfect date", so this movie bubbles up into my memory at least once a year.
posted by ODiV at 11:14 AM on September 23, 2018 [1 favorite]


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