Miss Congeniality

This is an excellent comedy which kept me laughing all the way through consistently without the flat patches you often get in longer comedies.

The premise is not so unusual with Sandra Bullock playing an ugly duckling/Pygmalion turning into a swan, however, the performances, especially by Bullock, Caine, Shatner and Bergen make the film.

Bullock stars as the never been loved tomboy of the FBI who has to dump her coarse manners and unkempt appearance in order to go undercover at a beauty pageant. Michael Caine is the Dr Higgins figure grooming her for stardom. Shatner plays Shatner, and Bergen is the matron of the Pageant. Benjamin Bratt plays the love interest !

Bullock is excellent all the way through from uncouth to gorgeous, and is particularly stunning in her transformed self. Caine is also excellent and the interplay between these 2 and the cast in general makes for a lively pace all the way through, til the final crowning ceremony.

A thoroughly entertaining film and well worth seeing.

Sandra Bullock's facial expressions, physical comedy, comedic timing, and great lines: Ditto for Michael Caine. Not a great movie, but very good, and those two performances, plus Shatner's as the emcee, make it a very worthwhile movie. When movies like Anchorman get a 7.2 by comparison, I feel like I'm somewhat alien to this planet......Keep forgetting that being concise on this website is not an attribute, so I'll digress. Humor is subjective, so everyone has their own, equally valid opinion, but IMHO Sandra nailed it, was at the height of her comedic prowess in this movie, and it will stand up over time not so much as a great movie (not), but a great performance by Bullock.

67/100. Okay, it is a stupid movie with a far fetched and ridiculous plot, and it's predictable. But for whatever reason, it is very entertaining. Sandra Bullock has such a winning and likable personality, she has this way of making the films she is in appear better than they actually are. She also has a gift for comedy and a screen presence that is undeniable. I can't think of any other actress that could pull off this role.

The characters in the film do develop well, and you actually begin to care about them. The performances aren't bad, Michael Caine is great and has a field day in his role. I thought it was a fun film, what can I say.

There are some actresses who produce weighty or worthy pieces of work and there are those who produce popular movies. Sandra Bullock is an actress who falls into the latter category. Yet, in this category, she is at the top of the tree and it is in films such as Miss Congeniality that she proves this.

For a fish out of water comedy, this is a film that plays to Bullock's qualities - her tomboy image from Speed, her warm humour and her ability to play for laughs and be deadpan. As such, Bullock is allowed to shine from a castlist containing Michael Caine and Ben Bratt. However, if I had one criticism, it would be that there are occasions when Caine just appears to be shamelessly mugging and camping it up for the camera to no real effect.

There are some genuinely funny moments, mostly centred around the pageant and it is nice to see such a movie which doesn't take itself or its setting too seriously. Many of the contestants give good supporting performances and as such, it is hard to pick one out.

Overall, it is a bit slight but anyone renting/buying this movie would surely know what to expect - familiar, funny and essentially sweet-natured - just like Sandra Bullock herself.

8/10 - A good example of the genre.

I know this movie is not for everyone, and I have seen the low scores on it... but this movie is great. Could it be because I had a crush on Sandra since I was a kid watching Speed? Probably. Michael Caine and William Shatner playing very different roles is definitely a plus, and Benjamin Bratt is also fun to watch.