Simply Perfect

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Miss Congeniality (2000): Dir: Donald Petrie / Cast: Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Cain, William Shatner, Candice Bergen: Comedy about divert personality with F.B.I. agent Sandra Bullock. She is assigned to go undercover as Miss New Jersey due to a bomb threat. Enter Michael Caine as an image consultant set to get her ready. Major flaw regards predicting the villain, which the screenwriter makes no attempt to conceal. Pointless action opener hits formula full force. Director Donald Petrie is backed by colorful sets but he is dealing with material that has been done to death. The pageant theme was done far better and funnier in the underrated Drop Dead Gorgeous. Petrie previously made The Associate as well as the low grade My Favorite Martian crap fest. Bullock is funny and certainly present humour but she is introduced in a standard opening then we are suppose to believe that she is hot or not due too her outfit. Caine is also a capable actor but his role as the consultant is pretty standard. Benjamin Bratt plays a moron cop who couldn't see past the makeup. He will notice Bullock in the aftermath, which is pretty typical of these films. William Shatner is featured to overact and he does so non stop, as well as Candice Bergen as a former pageant winner who is less of a winner here. Satire of pageants bludgeoned in blatant contrivance. Score: 4 / 10

Fitfully funny romp that suffers from slack direction, sloppy script, and transparent female lead. Sharper editing might have made up for director's lack of comic timing, but there is no finesse for Sandra Bullock's ham-fisted attempt at comedy. It's one of those feel-good-about- everyone movies that first offends and then takes it all back in predictably lumpy finale. Should have been a lot funnier than it is, and compares badly with similarly themed Legally Blonde, a feminist movie with real charm and wit. For genuinely amusing and incisive look at beauty pageant industry, check out Michael Ritchie's 1975 film: Smile.

Miss Congeniality finds Sandra Bullock as FBI Agent Gracie Hart, who must go undercover in the Miss United States beauty pageant to prevent a psychopath from committing untold homicide.The premise is simple, it's a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady scenario that transforms the rough and tough Gracie into a viable contestant for the pageant. Thus we have all the comedy that comes with her literally battling everyone, including her own opinions on pageants, as she is being asked to be something she doesn't believe is in her make up. The mystery of who the killer is who's on the loose is strong for a good portion of film, and even once it's known and drama takes centre stage, it's still hard to get the smile off of your face. The jokes are plentiful, with Bullock finding chemistry with all of her co-stars. She's a very under valued comedy actress, and her ability to bond with an entire cast is marvellous to observe. Reference sexual tension with Benjamin Bratt, the jousting hostilities with Ernie Hudson, the way she bounces off of the other beautiful girls, and best of all the by-play with Michael Caine, who is playing a camp stylist and walks in to lift the laughter roof off the rafters in every scene he is in.It doesn't push the boundaries of comedy, but it's thankfully a consistently funny piece of work, aided by a super cast on form who make a better comedy out of what the screenplay suggested it had any right to be. 7/10

"Miss Congeniality" is easily my favourite movie with Sandra Bullock in a leading rolePlot In A Paragraph: Disgraced FBI agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) goes undercover at the Miss USA Beauty Pagent to prevent a bombing.Bullock proves she is more than capable of carrying a movie, and re-teaming after the "Demolition Man" Bullock and Benjamin Bratt are a lot of fun and have genuine on screen chemistry. Candice Bergman is always a lot of fun (though this is the first time I have seen her in anything since the Burt Reynolds movie "Stick" in 1985. I can't decide who actually stole the movie Michael Caine or William Shatner as both are brilliant, and steal every scene they are in, and that is not said lightly as Bullock is excellent.