Miss Congeniality - A Movie Review

Tell me what you’re doing for the talent competition! I promise I’m not going to steal it.

Twenty years ago, Miss Congeniality hit theaters. The Miss United States Beauty Pageant is under threat. An F.B.I agent has to go undercover to solve this case before it is too late. Along the way, Gracie learns a very different meaning behind beauty pageants than what she thought before.

The first time I ever watched Miss Congeniality I could not stop laughing. Like Gracie, I also had a different opinion about beauty pageants until this movie turned my whole perspective around. Miss Congeniality exposes the world of beauty pageants and how one must always believe in themselves.

Gracie has become one of my favorite roles of Sandra Bullock. It’s different. She is the biggest clutz with a hilarious snort when she chuckles. At the premiere of the film, Bullock actually tripped out of her car making people believe that it was for publicity! Bullock always plays women who are strong-willed. However, Bullock’s performance as Gracie explores a new frontier.

For all women who have been fighting in Gracie’s position to stand out, Bullock persistently defends herself never falling victim to cruel words. That is inspiring. Gracie goes through a transformation based on her own experience, instead of what people have commented about regarding her personality. Only you can change.

Whether you love him or dislike him for his constant judgment about Gracie, Michael Caine is superb. I could watch a marathon of Gracie and Victor shooting each other down. His scenes of beauty pageant preparation are fun. I was somewhat turned off by his character because he’d go too far on the insults.

Other talents include Benjamin Bratt, Candice Bergin, William Shatner, John DiResta, Ken Thomas and an ensemble of actors to represent the police force, audience members, and memorable one-liners. The woman in the broadcasting room of the beauty pageant includes one of my favorite one-liners.

Each actress who performed as one of the women running for the beauty pageant did an excellent job creating their own characters. Heather Burns, Melissa De Sousa, Deirdra Quinn, Wendy Raquel Robinson, and Asia De Marcos were outstanding. They each had an equal share of scenes to shine their talent.

Oftentimes, beauty pageants are viewed in a negative light. In this film, they are shown in a more positive format, detailing that it’s not just a competition. Beauty pageants reflect confidence, passion, and representation.

Miss Congeniality is all about representation. That’s what I like about this film. It does not hold back from showing the positives and negatives of what a career is like. Just because you have found your dream job does not mean that every day is going to be the best day ever. You’re going to hit rocks in the road, people you don’t like, and a project that you don’t want to work on, but that is all part of life. It’s all about learning.

Donald Petrie’s direction brought out a film for female audiences to relate to. I admired his close-attention to major themes, including the finale at the beauty pageant. The movie ends on a touching note, dedicated to a speech delivered by Gracie. Trying something new is better than debunking it as an unnecessary matter to the world.

If you have not seen Miss Congeniality I recommend that you do. No matter how many times I have seen it, the jokes always get me. Sandra Bullock’s strong performance is the highlight. Defense is an important lesson to take away from this film, and not just for women.