• Rating:
• Genre: Comedy
• Movie Type: Police Comedy
• Themes: Fish Out of Water, Going Undercover, Cinderella Stories
• Director: Donald Petrie
• Main Cast: Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt, William Shatner, Ernie Hudson, John DiResta, Candice Bergen
• Release Year: 2000
• Country: US
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• MPAA Rating: PG13

Plot

Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is an FBI agent with a reputation for being aggressive and hard-nosed, who has long wanted to duplicate the career of her deceased mother, also an FBI agent, who died in the line of duty. Her cantankerous nature, though, has made her few friends, excepting her trusting, sensitive partner Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt). However, her true abilities are put to the test when she is called upon to infiltrate a Miss United States pageant after a terrorist threatens to bomb it. Gracie, who prides herself on her toughness, must now feminize her behavior to effectively participate in the pageant with the aid of Victor Melling (Michael Caine), a pompous consultant who dreams of whisking away Gracie's past self and creating "Gracie Lou Freebush" for an appreciative, all-American audience. After her arduous conversion, Gracie must play the role of beauty queen and FBI agent, and try not to blow her undercover outfit. Miss Congeniality, which was produced by star Bullock, features television stalwarts William Shatner and Candice Bergen in supporting roles. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Review

Following a long string of financially disappointing films, Sandra Bullock attempted a return to star status with this glossy, effective action comedy that she also produced through her company Fortis Films. If the script for Miss Congeniality is too by-the-numbers, predictable, and preprogrammed, it also makes exuberantly satirical use of its main idea of a butch FBI agent undercover at a beauty pageant, sending up that world's participants with relish. Particularly noteworthy are vigorous, funny supporting performances from Michael Caine and William Shatner as longtime pageant veterans suffering the vagaries of their profession with good humor and wit. When Bullock turns on her high-wattage charm, as she does here, she earns her status as an alternative Julia Roberts. (Indeed, her vibrant acting quickly earned her a Golden Globe nomination.) With a smidgen more edge and a dash of extra attitude -- perhaps casting her as a lesbian instead of a red-blooded heterosexual -- Bullock's film might truly have been a classic comedy. But in the hands of director Donald Petrie, who's overly friendly with the lowest common denominator, the watered-down final product is too eager to please. At its core, however, Miss Congeniality is an entertaining farce that prevails in its chief effort -- putting Bullock back on the mainstream map. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Sandra Bullock - Gracie Hart
• Michael Caine - Victor Melling
• Benjamin Bratt - Eric Matthews
• William Shatner - Stan Fields
• Ernie Hudson - McDonald
• John DiResta - Agent Clonsky
• Candice Bergen - Kathy Morningside

Heather Burns - Cheryl "Rhode Island"; Melissa DeSousa - Karen "New York"; Steve Monroe - Frank Tobin

Credit

Sandra Bullock - Producer; Scott Grossman - Choreography; John Pritchett - Sound/Sound Designer; Susie de Santo - Costume Designer; David Hankins - Supervising Sound Editor; Laszlo Kovacs - Cinematographer; Peter Larkin - Production Designer; Donald Petrie - Director; Billy Weber - Editor; Ellen H. Schwartz - First Assistant Director; Denise Chamian - Casting; Ed Shearmur - Composer (Music Score); Ginger Sledge - Executive Producer; Raymond Prado - Second Unit Director Of Photography; Raymond Prado - Additional Cinematography; Raymond Kluga - Art Director; Bruce Berman - Executive Producer; Barbara Haberecht - Set Designer; Barbara Haberecht - Set Decorator; Katie Ford - Co-producer; Katie Ford - Screenwriter; Caryn Lucas - Short Story Author; Steve Schnur - Musical Direction/Supervision; Randy Smith Huke - Set Decorator; Steffan Olsson - Songwriter; Marc Lawrence - Executive Producer; Marc Lawrence - Screen Story; Marc Lawrence - Screenwriter

Similar Movies

Born Yesterday; Educating Rita; Smile; B.A.P.S.; Drop Dead Gorgeous; Beautiful; The Princess Diaries

• Artist: Movie Soundtrack
• Flags: Soundtrack
• Type: Soundtrack
• Rating:
• Styles: Soundtracks, Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop
• Track Picks: "Dancing Queen," "She's a Lady"

Review

The original soundtrack to the action-comedy Miss Congeniality features an eclectic array of songs from artists like the A Teens, P.Y.T., Los Lobos, and Red Venom. The album veers from Groove Armada's "If Everybody Looked the Same" to Southern Culture on the Skids' "Liquored Up and Laquered Down" to the Baha Men's "Get Ya Party On," and throws in BT's remix of Tom Jones' "She's a Lady" and a remix of William Shatner's version of "Miss America" for an extra dose of kitsch. Salt-N-Pepa's "None of Your Business" and Bosson's "One in a Million" round out this scattered but entertaining collection. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	iTunes	Composers	Performers	Time
One in a Million	...		Bosson	(3:30)
If Everybody Looked the Same	...	M. Taylor, Andy Cato, Kamaal Fareed, Tom Findlay	Groove Armada	(3:40)
She's a Lady [The BT Remix]	...	Paul Anka	Joe Jones	(4:21)
Anywhere USA	...	Shaun Fisher	P.Y.T.	(4:06)
Dancing Queen	...	Björn Ulvaeus, B.J. Anderson, S. A. Anderson	The A-Teens	(3:50)
Let's Get It On	...		Red Venom	(3:26)
Get Ya Party On	...	Jeffrey Chea, Anthony Flowers, Herschel Small, C. Grant, Marvin Prosper, Cedric Poitier, Mike Mangini	Baha Men	(3:20)
None of Your Business	...	Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor		(3:34)
Mustang Sally	...	Bonny "Mack" Rice	Los Lobos	(4:59)
Bullets	...	Bob Schneider	Bob Schneider	(4:26)
Liquored Up and Lacquered Down	...	R. Miller	Southern Culture on the Skids	(2:26)
Miss United States [Berman Brothers Mix]	...		William Shatner	(3:38)
One in a Million [Bostrom Mix]	...	Bosson	Bosson	(3:33)

Credits

Baha Men (Performer), Southern Culture on the Skids (Performer), William Shatner (Performer), Los Lobos (Performer), Phil Klum (Mastering), Patricia Joseph (Executive), Groove Armada (Performer), The A-Teens (Performer), Benjamin Wheelock (Art Direction), Red Venom (Performer), Bosson (Performer), Steve Schnur (Music Supervisor)

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