I finally saw Miss Congeniality a couple weeks ago with my mom and a good friend of mine. She had wanted to see it ever since we saw the previews for it on Unbreakable,
and we finally got our chance. I wasn't sure going into it what to
expect, but when the movie ended I could say with conviction that the
movie had been well worth watching.
Miss Congeniality begins much like Sister Act,
with a moment from our heroine's past. She is sitting on the
playground, reading a mystery, when she spies a boy of whom she is fond
being beaten up by a bully. She springs to the rescue and the bully
flees, but instead of being grateful, the boy she saved is angry because
now everyone will think he had to be rescued by a girl. Furious, she
then proceeds to punch him in the nose.
Fast forward to a
small restaurant, where Sandra Bullock plays the still-tomboy Gracie
Hart, now all grown up and working for the FBI. When her compassionate
side kicks in while trying to apprehend a Russian criminal, one of her
comrades is injured and she faces disciplinary action for her
insubordination. This comes at a most inconvenient time, for the Bureau
has just gotten its hands on the latest in a string of letters written
by the serial killer "the Citizen". Ordered not to participate in the
investigation, she gets a reprieve in a most unwanted form when Eric
Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), the agent in charge of the case, assigns her
to go undercover in the Miss United States Pageant, where the Citizen is
expected to strike.
Unfortunately for the uncouth Hart, that
means undergoing an incredible transformation to become a lady worthy of
the pageant's honored tradition. Candace Bergen plays the pageant
administrator, Kathy Morningside, a woman you love to hate. She is
horrified at the thought of having Gracie (re-dubbed Gracie Lou
Freebush) contaminating her beautiful event, and she only agrees to
consider the idea if Gracie agrees to undergo instruction by Victor
Melling (Michael Caine), a fallen giant who trained several past pageant
winners.
Stan Fields (William Shatner), meanwhile, is the
lovable but clueless host of the pageant who will be hosting for the
final time this year. He is much more receptive to Gracie, who will be
taking over Miss New Jersey's slot. (She explains that they discovered
the winner was in a porno flick called "Armaget-it-on," to which a
shocked Fields replies, "That was her??!")
Michael Caine is
charming as always in his role as the unwilling Mr. Higgins trying to
find a proper lady in the Eliza Doolittle he has been given. The snooty
but ultimately kindly man accomplishes the miraculous by readying Gracie
for the walkway in just three days.
At the pageant, Gracie is
immediately befriended by Cheryl (Heather Burns), the slightly ditzy
but extremely friendly Miss Rhode Island. She is kind, caring, and
genuine, and she also has a very low opinion of herself. The two of them
quickly bond, and slowly Gracie grows to have more and more respect for
the women who participate in pageants such as this one.
She
still feels terribly out of place, though, and her talent displays are
unconventional to say the least. She frequently has outbursts which she
only narrowly manages to cover up, but she does so with wit and
hilarity. But the main concern still hangs over her head. When the
Citizen is apprehended, her boss thinks the pageant is safe. Gracie,
however, believes that the bomb threat for the pageant is from a Citizen
imitator and is still in effect. She gives up her badge to go on her
instincts, and the final segment of the film is both exciting and
riotous, culminating in Gracie's teary-eyed acceptance of the Miss
Congeniality award.
This movie is absolutely hilarious from
start to finish, and it's got a little bit of action, romance, and warm
fuzziness to round out the experience. Each actor does a fantastic job;
my favorites were Caine, Shatner, and Burns. Burns is just so genuinely
sugary sweet, it's impossible not to love her. Caine is a kindly
curmudgeon, a softie who shines through his mask of sternness. And
Shatner is just plain goofy. As a huge Star Trek fan, I love a good
Shatner parody, and here he parodies himself. (He even "sings" at one
point, and anyone familiar with his Priceline commercials will recognize
the tuneless droning.)
Rent the movie. You'll laugh yourself silly. I know I did.
No comments:
Post a Comment