New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

2. Gravity (2013)

I think someone could write a thesis about Bullock’s filmography, and they would be able to conclude that she makes three types of movies. Serious, thoughtful roles (The Blind Side, Crash, A Time to Kill), bad-ass action movies (The Net, Speed, and now, Gravity), and rom-coms (mostly of the “tough woman who doesn’t have time for a man” variety - The Proposal, Two Weeks Notice). (Perhaps most women in Hollywood are forced into these boxes but with Bullock it seems clearer).

In any event, of the action genre, there is no doubt that Gravity comes out on top, and today occupies the #2 slot on the list. The movie itself is, as we know, fantastically made, and a former Best Picture winner at the Calvins here at BOP. But one can really say a lot about Bullock’s performance that does not even involve Cuaron’s genius. Bullock, essentially, is the film.

The story is about a woman with a sad past who finds herself with a renewed will to live when she is marooned in space by a serious of catastrophes. Bullock displays a full panoply of complex emotions - fear, resignation, sadness, and a renewed passion to live. Essentially, Bullock proved that she deserved her The Blind Side Oscar. (Spoiler alert) The scene where she communicates with a man on Earth whom she cannot understand, and later when she awakens from her George Clooney-dream and shuttles on back to Earth, is spine-tingling. The fact that she did all of this in an uncomfortable, heavy suit, being spun-around in front of a blue screen for hours in front of Alfonso Cuaron’s camera is also quite impressive.

In truth, Gravity is likely the best performance of Bullock’s career. But it is a different role that is my personal favorite…

1. Miss Congeniality (2000)

To me, Miss Congeniality is by far the best of the best, and the most representative of the Bullock movies. Indeed, every single one of her other movies is in a way derivative from this one (yes, even those that preceded it, somehow). Too-busy-for-love but independent woman? Check. Strong-willed? Check. Witty, lovable, and even intelligent? Check. On top of all of that, you have Bullock in a moment of danger (Gravity), chase sequences (Speed), police fire (The Heat), serious murder plot (A Time To Kill), and adorable, signature Bullock laughter.

In other words, Miss Congeniality is Bullock redux, and it is fair to wonder whether the title of the movie was simply meant to be an eponymous reference to the lead actress in the movie itself. Bullock, in other words, has come to embody most of the aspects of Gracie Hart, the character. She is not necessarily the epitome of the archetypical beauty you see in a pageant, but she is undoubtedly attractive if dressed up well. She can be rough around the edges at times, in her roles and in her demeanor, but she has a debonair smile that melts most. And she may be difficult to crack but is ultimately endearing enough to keep them coming back for more and more of her movies. But most fundamentally, it is in a popularity contest that she shines the brightest, even if she’s purposefully or actually aloof about it.

She is a true Miss Congeniality (but let’s forget about the god-awful sequel).

Continued:       1       2       3