Austin Found

Linda Cardellini plays Leanne a scheming pageant mom who wants fame and money. She enters her 11 year old daughter Patty to various beauty pageants but her daughter has not time with the focus on people's outward appearance.

Leanne hatches a plan with her former high school boyfriend, Billy (Skeet Ulrich) to safely kidnap Patty and hopes the resultant publicity will lead to media appearances and book deals.

Billy is hoping that this will bring him and Leanne together but he gets jealous to see Leanne and her husband, Donald on television playing the perfect couple, the husband is unaware of Leanne's conniving.

A local news reporter who was a victim of Leanne's bullying at school is suspicious of the story and follows Leanne meeting up with Billy. Meanwhile Patty bonds with Billy's simple friend JT (Craig Robinson) who becomes protective of Patty.

The film is stuck as to whether it is a dumb comedy, a biteless satire or a drama. Only JT and Patty generate some warmth, empathy and a moral outlook.