Product Description

Sandra Bullock stars as a bumbling female FBI agent assigned to go undercover as a participant in the Miss United States beauty pageant when it is discovered that one of the contestants is being targeted for murder. Benjamin Bratt leads the undercover team, while also playing the reluctant love interest. Candice Bergen and William Shatner manage the pageant and hire Michael Caine to turn Bullock from rough and tumble agent to stunning beauty queen. The physical transformation is impressive, although the klutzy personality remains. Everything seems to be fine once the killer is suddenly caught, but Bullock suspects there is more to this story, and the truth eventually unfolds with an unexpected twist. For her part, Bullock received a Golden Globe nomination for best actress, and heads the star-studded cast in the year's most hilarious comedy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2846 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-03-15
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Russian, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 109 minutes

Features

• Sandra Bullock stars as a bumbling female FBI agent assigned to go undercover as a participant in the Miss United States beauty pageant when it is discovered that one of the contestants is being targeted for murder. Benjamin Bratt leads the undercover team, while also playing the reluctant love interest. Candice Bergen and William Shatner manage the pageant and hire Michael Caine to turn Bullock f

Amazon.com
It's a good thing Sandra Bullock knows her strengths and weaknesses, because without Bullock as star and producer, Miss Congeniality would be an insufferable mess as opposed to being a mildly enjoyable trifle that is custom-made for Bullock's established screen persona. Only Bullock's fans could really appreciate this fluff (even then they'll wish its ripe premise had been more intelligently handled), but it's not without some highlights to accompany Bullock's reliable charms. Here she plays clumsy, nerdy FBI agent Gracie Hart, who is given the horrific pseudonym Gracie Lou Freebush (one example of the movie's juvenile tendencies) when assigned to infiltrate a beauty pageant to investigate threats of a terrorist attack.

Transforming Bullock from frumpy to stunning is a piece of cake (although she gives pageant coach Michael Caine a run for his money), so the movie's premise is trivial at best. More enjoyable is her character's uncouth disdain for pageant contestants and her mistaken perception that they're all a bunch of bimbos. The movie nicely charts Gracie's realization that her own pageant makeover provides a much-needed ego boost. In addition to Caine's effortless scene-stealing, pageant host William Shatner and organizer Candice Bergen are smart choices for comedic support (Shatner's a perfect Bert Parks wannabe), but the movie desperately needs a credible foundation for its comedy to really pay off. Bullock's bureau boss (Benjamin Bratt) is an unconvincing dimwit, and none of the plotting is as smart as say Beverly Hills Cop in combining procedure with laughs. That leaves Bullock to carry the burden of a comedy that just barely works in her favor. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
The deluxe edition of Miss Congeniality is yet another DVD rerelease timed to coincide with the theatrical opening of the movie's sequel, in this case Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. The best features--two commentary tracks, one by Sandra Bullock and executive producer-writer Marc Lawrence and the other by director Donald Petrie, plus two seven-minute featurettes--are retained from the original DVD. New to this edition are five minutes of deleted scenes, which are all worth watching, but Petrie introduces each one with an explanation of how it wasn't needed in the final cut. There's also an eight-minute preview of Miss Congeniality 2 and an overlong and unfunny quiz called "Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Beauty Queen?" introduced and read by William Shatner. If you want Miss Congeniality on DVD, the deluxe edition is a good choice. But if you already have the first DVD, there's no compelling reason to upgrade. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Hilarious movie!
I am sorry but I get so tired of the poor reviews so many critics write about films such as this movie that are pure enjoyment and entertainment. This movie is just that kind of movie...there is never a dull moment and isn't that part of what movies are all about. Sandra Bullock is perfect for this role and while the premise sounds a little lame before you see the movie after seeing it I think anyone will be pleasantly surprised. If you are expecting an Oscar style movie...no you won't get it. If you are expecting to laugh alot and be entertained...you will be. This movie is totally delightful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is funny, light, laughable. I loved it and I think anyone else will too if you allow yourself to jsut be entertained. Bullock is so funny and so great at this type of movie and she learns allot about herself throughout the film so there is character growth too. It will also give you a new appreciation for what the women in beauty pageants put themselves through. Bottom line...THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE!!

A Joy, Beginning to End
This is not a movie about an FBI agent who goes underocover at a beauty pageant. Nor is this a movie about a frumpy girl who finds some self esteem. The plot is only there to create the flimsiest of excuses for some world class comic and ensemble acting.

This film is simply about brilliant humor and the joy of performance. Does anyone criticize the Marx Brothers films because Groucho makes an unlikely African explorer or dictator?

Sandra Bullock's performance is one of the finest comic performances in a generation or two. She deserved, at the very least, an Oscar nomination. Her timing is impeccable and her willingness to uglify herself goes far beyond the level of what most actresses would do. Also, her accent and her gestures are absolutely authentic Jersey City.

The other actors are also wonderful here especially Michael Caine, who is flat out brilliant. William Shatner and Candice Bergen are wonderful. You forget their previous roles as they are so perfectly cast. The other girls in the pageant are marvelous. Even the small part of a video technician is hilarious.

I disagree with the other reviewers about Benjamin Bratt. Of course he's not believable as an FBI agent and he's stiff as a board: he's supposed to be. He's a straight man, pure and simple and his performance is clever, his line readings always surprising.

Great comedy is not about believability or plot. It's about timing and acting. It is one of the most difficult challenges for actors, for writers, and for directors. Miss Congeniality is, in my opinion, one of the great comedies of the decade, up there with the Austin Powers films, albeit quite different. I've seen it five times, three times in the theater, twice at home. I could see it again at the drop of a hat.

I hope that the producer (Sandra Bullock) continues to make such marvelous films. Like Clint Eastwood, she may have to wait years for the critics to catch up, but they will. She is that great.

Light, fun - and all Sandra Bullock
Let's not be confused: this movie is not intended to be more than it is, a light comedy that highlights Sandra Bullock's considerable talents. It succeeds admirably with its goal. "Miss Congeniality" is funny and well-paced, slapstick in parts, but all Sandra Bullock.

Gracie Hart (Bullock) is a rough and tumble FBI agent who is both clumsy and skilled in self-defense, a woman who pounds her punching bag after a frustrating day at work. She is the unlikely candidate to go undercover at a beauty pageant, but she's the only one in the bureau office who looks good in a computerized bathing suit. Michael Caine is hilarious as the man in charge of making her over in two days, and Benjamin Bratt is convincingly clueless and charming as her friend and sudden supervisor. Candice Bergen and William Shatner, as the pageant's directors, are brilliant casting choices.

While Sandra Bullock goes overboard at times making her character uncouth and uncoordinated, she completely carries this movie with her on-screen presence. Her makeover is convincing because Bullock never allows us to forget what lies underneath the sheen.

The best part of the DVD is not the movie itself. It's the running commentary of Bullock and co-writer Marc Lawrence found in the special features menu. I almost watched this movie twice in one sitting as I listened to them joke and tell the background of the filming and writing from the beginning to the end of the movie. They were as entertaining as the movie itself. If you buy or rent the DVD, don't miss this feature!