‘Miss Congeniality’: Pageant Contestants and FBI Share a Stage

January 21, 2013 Rissi JC 13 Comments

In the business of Hollywood, the name that sticks out as one of the most versatile actresses – in her extensive career, is Sandra Bullock. Among my most favorite stars, she is one of them; this film being one of the big reasons why.  

Miss Congeniality (2000) Film Review

Ever since she was a freckled-faced little girl on the playground Gracie Hart has been one tough cookie. Instead of her grade school crush defending her from bullies, she stands up for him and is resented for it. Today, she is a special FBI agent who’s just “one of the guys.” Skilled at her job, it’s the following orders part that sometimes get her in trouble – and that is the situation Gracie (Bullock) finds herself in now. On a sting operation, she bungles an operation that sends a colleague to the hospital, which puts her on desk duty until further notice. The biggest case occupying the FBI’s time is one of threatening letters that speak in riddles but never leave a clue that authorities can pursue. Then Gracie works on the letters. She decodes the location, a beauty pageant. Now, all the FBI needs is to find a suitable female agent to go undercover. The database reveals only one candidate: Gracie Hart.  

Sandra Bullock co-stars alongside Michael Caine and Benjamin Bratt in the 2000 comedy Miss Congeniality.

Oblivious to social graces, Gracie feels she needs nothing but her wit, badge and gun, and a diet that most women wouldn’t touch. Along with her team leader, Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), Gracie is put in touch with a pageant consultant, Victor Melling (Michael Caine) whose long history transforming contestants is well-documented but then he’s never come up against Gracie Hart.  

As is always true of anything Sandra Bullock stars in, this is a gem. True, it’s one I don’t watch often enough though it never ceases to bring a smile. Fabulous scripting leads into a great premise and the acting is, of course, brilliantly characterized. Every part of the movie is really fun.

Some of the situations writer’s place Gracie in makes it hard to take her seriously yet I sympathize with their dilemma of contrasting the transformation she undergoes – one that is obvious but doesn’t mess with the “heart” of her personality. Watching the physical makeover is amusing (in a laugh out loud kind of way) but it’s the inner workings of her character that makes us love her. Similarly, the bonding between Vic and Gracie is touching inspiring us hope his lessons will stick. Rounding out a fabulous cast is Heather Burns (in an adorable role!), William Shatner and Candice Bergen – it’s one that maintains great chemistry. 

FILM REVIEW | ‘13 Going on 30’ is “Sweet Sixteen” and Just as Fun!

Just a few of the memorable scenes include the “fake-cry,” and the talent portion of Gracie’s competition or her attempts at being a girly-girl; and no one can forget the “perfect date” meme. The former scenes clearly demonstrate Bullock’s great capabilities as a physical actress, and the latter are fun just because of Gracie’s character being anything but feminine. Miss Congeniality has sass, humor and most of all, “hart.” It’s a piece of girl-power fluff that was as popular at its premiere as it is fondly thought of today.  

(This post does contain affiliate links, which means – at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through a link. Read the disclosure page for details.) You can purchase Miss Congeniality on Amazon Video.

‘Miss Congeniality’: Pageant Contestants and FBI Share a Stage. A review of the Sandra Bullock 2000 #comedy! #funny #movies #sandrabullock Click To Tweet
PINTEREST PIN!

‘Miss Congeniality’: Pageant Contestants and FBI Share a Stage. A review of the Sandra Bullock 2000 comedy! Text © Rissi JC

CONTENT: Profanity numbers into the dozen mark, including misuse of God’s name and some crude comments about anatomy. Sexual remarks involving the pageant contestants are made, including remarks about various body parts and references to casual sex [one girl is a virgin but later non-graphically recounts being assaulted]. Two characters are homosexual; one instance is subtle [we see him ogle other men] the other announces it to a crowd. While in surveillance vans, men ogle the women they are watching. Clothing is form-fitting with plunging necklines. Out for a night on the town, several girls get drunk. Violence is limited to a few threats and an explosion meant for a person. MPAA rating is PG13.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

All posts

13 Comments

  • Rosie January 21, 2013 at 12:51 PM

    Oh I love this movie!! This is one of the movies I pop in on a rainy day just for the laughs. :-D Glad you liked it, Rissi!

    • Rissi January 22, 2013 at 12:41 AM

      My thoughts on this movie are nearly the exact same, Rosie – it's the perfect movie to watch on a Saturday afternoon or rainy day. It's so cute and amusing. :)

  • Charity January 21, 2013 at 2:27 PM

    I love this movie.

    • Rissi January 22, 2013 at 12:41 AM

      Agreed 100%. :)

  • Tessa Emily Hall ~ Christ is Write January 21, 2013 at 4:45 PM

    I love Sandra Bullock, as well as this movie. =) My favorite movies of her are probably The Proposal and The Blind Side. I was actually an extra in The Blind Side, so I was able to be just a few feet from her in the graduation scene, which was pretty cool. =) She did a really good job portraying Leigh Anne Tuohy's character; I loved it.

    Tessa
    http://www.christiswrite.blogspot.com

    • Rissi January 22, 2013 at 12:44 AM

      You and I both, Tessa. It's just one of those cute movies that's addicting. The Proposal is probably my all-time favorite rom-com – or close to it! Love that film. Makes me laugh every time.

      Cool! That is really neat about you being an extra in The Blind Side. It was a great movie and Sandra turned in a terrific performance to be sure!

  • Jennifer Blair January 21, 2013 at 8:57 PM

    Oh, this is one of my favorites too! I always get so excited when it comes on TV!

    • Rissi January 22, 2013 at 12:44 AM

      I can totally understand that, Jennifer. It's one of those feel-good movies that almost "demands" you enjoy it. :)

  • Lianne January 24, 2013 at 4:00 AM

    I love this movie! I would pop it in sometimes when I'm in the mood for something fun. And I agree, Sandra Bullock really is such a diverse actress, and I love that whenever she does comedies or romantic comedies her characters are really fleshed out, they're not wholly predictable and yeah, she's good at the physical comedy =)

    Hmm, I think I'm going to re-watch this movie this weekend or something…=D

    • Rissi January 24, 2013 at 4:47 AM

      You and I both, Lianne! This is such a blueprint for a great comedy. If I've not seen most of Sandra's movies likely I will at some point. I've watched an older murder mystery she did not long ago as well as the dated Ben Affleck one she co-starred in. All of her characters are either really fun (she has a knack for comedy) or interesting (like The Blind Side or Premonition).

      Just re-watched this myself – it was still fantastic fun. :) Enjoy!

  • […] Miss Congeniality (2000)! Really, what more can we say for the movie thatmade Sandy the star that she is today!? Here, […]

  • […] could writes something cleverer.) Then there are the comparisons that can be drawn to movies like Miss Congeniality or Revenge of the Bridesmaids. Especially if you like the latter title, then this is a fun piece of […]

  • […] you liked something such as Miss Congeniality, you’ll may enjoy this film. The heroine isn’t as plucky or likeable, but again, […]

  • Leave a Reply

    (Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

    Bonjour and Welcome!

    Welcome | thank you for visiting and reading. if you like, you are invited to join our conversations and follow along – join us.  You’re most welcome.
    Read more about us

    Find Us Elsewhere

    Culture Characteristics in your Inbox!

    Subscribe! Have our new content sent to your inbox; sign up for our once (or twice) monthly round up of new content. If you'd like to have this newsletter sent to your inbox, you can enter your email address here. Please note, this does require a sign-up confirmation via email, and that email may be sent to a junk or spam folder.

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Archives

    Disclosures

    Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive (a small) compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you.

    Rissi JC (RissiWrites.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    All written content (unless noted) is © Copyright Rissi JC and RissiWrites.com.

    Categories

    ×
    %d bloggers like this: