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A beauty of a film for Bullock
[Photo: Castle Rock Entertainment]
William Shatner plays the pageant host and Sandra Bullock is an FBI agent working undercover as a beauty contestant trying to quell a terrorist threat in Miss Congeniality. |
By STEVE PERSALL
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 21, 2000
Sandra Bullock is engaging as a tomboy FBI agent who must transform herself into a beauty pageant contestant in Miss Congeniality.
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What a surprise: Sandra Bullock experimenting with femininity is funnier than Mel Gibson doing the same.
Bullock's comedy, Miss Congeniality, shares several jokes with What Women Want, usually handling them better. The difference is the gender of the actor clumsily embracing feminine ways.
It isn't a shock that a man's man like Gibson would be uncomfortable with hot-wax hair removal and "girl talk." But, place a woman's woman like Bullock in that position and the jokes adopt an entirely new dynamic. Miss Congeniality follows the path of least expectation, a vital element in making audiences laugh.
Bullock plays FBI agent Gracie Hart, a grown-up tomboy whose tenuous footing in the agency is revealed after a mistaken shootout. She's competent, but just a little too eager. Male colleagues, especially preening agent Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt) ridicule her. But, a terrorism case requires a woman's touch and Gracie comes closest -- not very close -- to fitting their needs.
The terrorist, dubbed "The Citizen," is apparently targeting the Miss United States beauty pageant. Excuse me: The Miss United States scholarship program, as the event's stuffy coordinator (Candice Bergen) reminds everyone. Swimsuits, cleavage and vapid wishes for "world peace" are just part of the tuition.
Gracie goes undercover as a contestant, a ruse tougher than Shaquille O'Neal passing as a Munchkin. Gracie isn't graceful, she's a gym rat working off her pizza-and-beer binges, with a snorting laugh, no manners and a snippy demeanor. In short, a masculine stereotype bending Bullock's original appeal to men as "the girl next door." This time, she could be their sloppy roommate.
This not-so-fair lady needs a Pygmalion makeover. Enter Mr. Vic, played with droll delight by Michael Caine in his movie of this week. I don't care how much he works. Michael Caine is always a pleasure to watch. He plays Mr. Vic with an elitist flair, hissing makeup tips like "Eyebrows: There should be two," with such deadpan authority, very aware of laughs to come months after filming.
Director Donald Petrie (Grumpy Old Men) takes the usual swipes at beauty pageants, an easy target in films ranging from Michael Ritchie's Smile (1975) to Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999). Yet, there's nothing snide about the script. Miss Congeniality isn't a cheap shot at the mentality of the contestants. The dizziest ones are still the sweetest. Between Gracie's maleness and the contestants' prom-queen prissiness, some odd balance of feminism emerges.
Jokes focus on tactics, such as using hemorrhoid ointment on baggy eyes and hairspray to keep bathing suits in place. Bergen snaps off a few good lines, and William Shatner continues his profitable self-parody as the Bert Parks-style host. Bratt (NBC's Law and Order) makes his best impression yet in movies, at ease with his one-liners and Bullock.
Miss Congeniality won't win any Oscars, but it deserves its title, at least. Bullock hasn't enjoyed a role suiting her gift like this in years. That she has solo credit as producer may be the reason. Other people tried to make her into Julia Roberts, a knockout who can emote, too soon. Roberts has made her own poor choices, trying to be Jodie Foster. But look at her now.
Bullock is shaping the same sort of comeback. Miss Congeniality is a solid move, beating the pants off Mel Gibson.
Miss Congeniality
- Grade: B
- Director: Donald Petrie
- Cast: Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine, Candice Bergen, William Shatner, Ernie Hudson
- Screenplay: Marc Lawrence, Katie Ford, Caryn Lucas
- Rating: PG-13; violence, profanity, sexual situations
- Running time: 110 min.
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