Miss Congeniality

Miss Congeniality

Starring Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt, Candice Bergen

Directed by Donald Petrie

Sandra Bullock is one of Hollywood's most versatile, sought-after leading ladies, and she really exploded in the 90s with films like "Speed," "Demolition Man," "While You Were Sleeping," and "Practical Magic," and she entered the oughts with "Miss Congenality," a film that would've fallen apart with a different actress, but in Bullock's highly capable hands became something more than what it would've been otherwise.

Bullock stars as FBI Agent Grace Hart, a no-nonsense woman who has no fashion sense or even acts like a lady, and she's fine with that.  When a case arises of a terrorist planning an attack at the Miss United States pageant, she's assigned to go undercover at the behest of her friend Agent Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), and she's totally out of her element.  Famed fashion consultant Victor Melling (Michael Caine) is brought in to make Grace a lady, which is no easy task - but as the days go by and Grace begins to feel comfortable in her own skin, she begins to realize that there's more to a beauty pageant than fake boobs and airhead contestants, as she tries to find who's behind the incoming attack.

Sandra Bullock always captivates the screen, whether she's trying to keep a busload of innocent citizens alive, floating helplessly through outer space, or keeping her eyes covered with blindfolds to avoid alien beings.  Here, she totally sells the outlandish plotline of a tomboy pretending to be a high class lady in the most humorous, heartfelt way.  She starts the film beating up boys and not caring about her physical appearance, and by the end she's embraced the new, elegant side of her while still maintaining her tough facade while also learning important lessons about friendship and comradere.

The film's maintained a sense of cult following since its release, most notably the meme that comes out  every April 26th:

That's just one of the several laugh-out-loud moments this action-comedy delivers, and there's numerous moments where the film does exactly what it wants to do.  Not just Sandra Bullock, but the whole supporting cast have brilliant moments of comedy, especially from Michael Caine who plays Grace's fashion expert who's obviously in over his head, but still manages to transform Grace from an ugly duckling to beautiful swan in time for the pageant. 

The film also offers heartfelt moments as Grace struggles with her own identity and misconceptions of how beautiful people act, offering deep insight into her own life and how she faces adversity.  Again, only Bullock could manage to pull off both the comedic aspects and deeply dramatic moments to deliver a compelling whole.

While re-watching "Miss Congeniality," I've realized that a film like this would never pass today, as there's several moments where the men in the film objectify the women (especially when Grace wears a camera in the dressing room), and there's a lot of men touching women in very inappropriate places for the sake of comedy, and in this era of #metoo that would never stand, along with the fact that after Grace dolls up she becomes attractive to her fellow co-workers, which only enhances the stereotype that men are only interested in looks.  Still, for its time, it provided some innocent laughs and comedy, but definitely would never be allowed in today's day and age - and that's just 20 years ago.

Offering some light-hearted comedy and fun action, "Miss Congeniality" is a fantastic example of early 2000s comedy delivered with pitch perfection by Sandra Bullock.

The Score: A