Are You With Us? Miss Congeniality
By Ryan Mazie
June 24, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Truly America’s Sweetheart, Bullock plays an FBI agent in The Heat, so I decided to look at the last time Sandy wore a badge in one of her most famous roles – FBI Agent Gracie Hart in Miss Congeniality (the synonym of "nice" is even in the title!).
A happy-go-lucky movie built around sunshine and rainbows and “world peace," Miss Congeniality stars Bullock as a Dirty Harriet agent who is relegated to Starbucks runs instead of shooting guns. In a plot that reads like a TV sitcom, her character is given the opportunity to be put into the field as an undercover agent at the Miss United States beauty pageant to stop a bombing at the event. Given the job since she is the only female in the entire FBI, the overly-stereotypical gender-based comedy relies on the predicament that Gracie is too manly to fit in amongst the airhead beauty queens, yet has boobs, so no way can she fit in with the FBI. But with the legendary Michael Caine given the role of her gay guardian angel, she sure does prove them all wrong.
Played so much on TV that you’d think the movie is a classic, I would be lying to you if I said that I haven’t seen this before. While I would classify this comedy as brain dead, it sure does have a heart beating on overtime to make up for the lack of, say... logic.
The mysterious bomber is given away all too soon and the FBI’s incompetency would sure make me worry for our national security if even a tenth of the film was accurate. However, that doesn’t really matter. All that matters about this high-concept yet low-range executed comedy is that the situation is crazy enough to make the slapstick seem natural and there, Miss Congeniality wins the crown.
While beauty pageants outside of child ones on TLC rarely generate viewership (did you know Miss USA was on just last week?), 2000 was a year filled with pageant flicks, including the Minnie Driver-starrer Beautiful and the Kirsten Dunst-led Drop Dead Gorgeous. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of them, either. Their total grosses combined barely topped the opening weekend of Miss Congeniality, and that’s not saying much.
Released on the weekend of December 22nd - 24th, Miss Congeniality barely made $10 million, debuting in fifth place. While seemingly pitiful against a $45 million budget, the Christmas holiday pumped up the grosses with the film making nearly $50 million by the time the New Year struck. Good legs and word-of-mouth kept the registers going, with the movie topping out at $106.8 million ($157.7 million today).
A sequel was released in 2005 that no one was asking for and generated less than half of the original gross with almost assuredly a much bigger budget.
Miss Congeniality is a junk food film. I know a cupcake and Diet Coke isn’t a good lunch, but damn it, I will have it anyway. While there are thousands of movies that one could recommend over this one, the overwhelming niceness and sure-to-bring-a-smile factor of Bullock flick is guaranteed to make this movie hard to pass up.
Critics seem to agree with my assessment. Charmed by Bullock’s persona, a plot that is even fluffier than cotton candy kneecapped high marks, ranking at 42% on Rottentomatoes (31% amongst Top Critics, aka the critics that you have actually heard of).
I am not surprised by the harsh words. None of the jokes are very original and the movie meanders rather than having movement. Understandably, the film only focuses on four out of the 50 beauty contestants as a part of the comedic ensemble, yet never dares to have the scope to expand for a major set piece until the end. You’d think for a script concocted by three credited writers (whose names you won’t recognize on any other films outside of Bullock ones), a bit more originality could be found. Director Donald Petrie, who “gifted” us with movies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Grumpy Old Men, and Just My Luck, adds zero flavor to the vanilla mix.
Montages practically drive the plot and an overbearing soundtrack to set up the emotional cues. However, Bullock and crew (including Benjamin Bratt as the co-worker/unexpected-but-totally-predictable love interest and Candice Bergen as the bitchy alpha female) manage to charm their way through the nearly two hour running time.
Caine’s pageant coach character could have used the editing room to teach the filmmakers how to make the pace of Miss Congeniality “glide” rather than “thump” from beat to beat.
I will be interested to see how Bullock does as a foul-mouthed agent in The Heat compared to her PG-13 bordering on PG-rated Gracie Hart. I am not quite sure how this role became one of Bullock’s more iconic characters among her Speed bus driver, racist wife in Crash, and tough-as-nails Southern Belle Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side, but this seems to be a quintessential part to her filmography among fans.
Bullock has an interesting career. Even though she is arguably a talented actress, her movie roles seem to be driven by her marketable personality rather than risky challenges. While there is a rare opportunity to see a deeper side to Sandra in movies like Crash and the upcoming Gravity (have you seen the amazing trailer for it yet? If not, then see it now!), she seems to know what her sizable audience wants and keeps giving it to them film after film.
As I stated earlier, being nice pays off, to the tune of nearly $107 million to be exact. Certainly no runner-up or even top 10 contestants for best film, Miss Congeniality, like the winner of the titular award, possesses friendliness and grace. And in an age where darkness is trendy for film, a little lightness and poise isn’t too much to ask for.
Verdict: With Us
6 out of 10