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Special Features
- Two making-of documentaries: "Preparing for the Pageant" and "The Pageant"
- Three additional scenes
- William Shatner hosts "Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Beauty Queen?" quiz
- Theatrical trailer
- Sneak peek footage of Miss Congeniality 2
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Transforming Bullock from frumpy to stunning is a piece of cake (although she gives pageant coach Michael Caine a run for his money), so the movie's premise is trivial at best. More enjoyable is her character's uncouth disdain for pageant contestants and her mistaken perception that they're all a bunch of bimbos. The movie nicely charts Gracie's realization that her own pageant makeover provides a much-needed ego boost. In addition to Caine's effortless scene-stealing, pageant host William Shatner and organizer Candice Bergen are smart choices for comedic support (Shatner's a perfect Bert Parks wannabe), but the movie desperately needs a credible foundation for its comedy to really pay off. Bullock's bureau boss (Benjamin Bratt) is an unconvincing dimwit, and none of the plotting is as smart as say Beverly Hills Cop in combining procedure with laughs. That leaves Bullock to carry the burden of a comedy that just barely works in her favor. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Customer Reviews
Gracie Hart (Bullock) is a rough and tumble FBI agent who is both clumsy and skilled in self-defense, a woman who pounds her punching bag after a frustrating day at work. She is the unlikely candidate to go undercover at a beauty pageant, but she's the only one in the bureau office who looks good in a computerized bathing suit. Michael Caine is hilarious as the man in charge of making her over in two days, and Benjamin Bratt is convincingly clueless and charming as her friend and sudden supervisor. Candice Bergen and William Shatner, as the pageant's directors, are brilliant casting choices.
While Sandra Bullock goes overboard at times making her character uncouth and uncoordinated, she completely carries this movie with her on-screen presence. Her makeover is convincing because Bullock never allows us to forget what lies underneath the sheen.
The best part of the DVD is not the movie itself. It's the running commentary of Bullock and co-writer Marc Lawrence found in the special features menu. I almost watched this movie twice in one sitting as I listened to them joke and tell the background of the filming and writing from the beginning to the end of the movie. They were as entertaining as the movie itself. If you buy or rent the DVD, don't miss this feature!
This film is simply about brilliant humor and the joy of performance. Does anyone criticize the Marx Brothers films because Groucho makes an unlikely African explorer or dictator?
Sandra Bullock's performance is one of the finest comic performances in a generation or two. She deserved, at the very least, an Oscar nomination. Her timing is impeccable and her willingness to uglify herself goes far beyond the level of what most actresses would do. Also, her accent and her gestures are absolutely authentic Jersey City.
The other actors are also wonderful here especially Michael Caine, who is flat out brilliant. William Shatner and Candice Bergen are wonderful. You forget their previous roles as they are so perfectly cast. The other girls in the pageant are marvelous. Even the small part of a video technician is hilarious.
I disagree with the other reviewers about Benjamin Bratt. Of course he's not believable as an FBI agent and he's stiff as a board: he's supposed to be. He's a straight man, pure and simple and his performance is clever, his line readings always surprising.
Great comedy is not about believability or plot. It's about timing and acting. It is one of the most difficult challenges for actors, for writers, and for directors. Miss Congeniality is, in my opinion, one of the great comedies of the decade, up there with the Austin Powers films, albeit quite different. I've seen it five times, three times in the theater, twice at home. I could see it again at the drop of a hat.
I hope that the producer (Sandra Bullock) continues to make such marvelous films. Like Clint Eastwood, she may have to wait years for the critics to catch up, but they will. She is that great.
Good to watch with family or girlfriend.
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