My wife and I watched Miss Congeniality last Saturday night, and though it was brainless fluff, it was great fun. We chuckled and laughed from beginning to end. This is definitely a fabulous movie to help unwind and have a good time after a hard day at work.
I was going to write my comments along those lines, but as I looked back upon the movie, I noticed a shadow underneath it. Intrigued, I studied it, and this veil of darkness grew as I looked closer. Though most reviewers are pouncing on the obvious "ugly duckling" transformation into "beautiful swan" plot, some shadowy wisps suggest a dark satire underneath the glare of the obvious.
As I looked back from a distance, almost all of the characters were deranged, deviant, or bimbos. The only characters not in this class were Gracie (Sandra Bulluck) and the FBI chief. The latter was a bit part and not strongly highlighted. The rest of the FBI team appeared as bimbos with voyeuristic tendencies. Meanwhile, all of the pageant folks were bimbos, weirdos, or "two-faced," and everyone seemed caught in obsessions. I suddenly realized, "What a wretched portrayal of humanity!"
It was then I also realized that the rough-hewn, but gutsy and savvy character of Gracie was the only one whom most of the audience would empathize. Compared to the others, Gracie was already a "swan" at the start of the movie. Only outwardly was she "ugly."
As the movie progressed, not only did Gracie get sucked into the pageant physically, but there were hints that she might be getting sucked into the mind-set as well. Was Gracie becoming a bimbo? Also, near the movie's climax Gracie made a venomous threat toward the movie's villain which bordered on being maniacal. Was Gracie becoming deranged, too?? Was Gracie's character becoming corrupted and degraded like the other characters? Would she become "ugly"? Or would she finally extricate herself from this twisted mass of humanity and retain her "gutsy and savvy" persona?
Is Miss Congeniality a light comedy, built of Pollyana fluff, describing an ugly duckling's transformation into a beautiful swan?
Or is that just a façade for a dark comedy, with hints of A Clockwork Orange, describing a swan's degradation into an ugly duckling?
Intriguing questions ... Unfortunately, I cannot spend anymore time on this because I've decided to devote my life to world peace ... ;-)
I was going to write my comments along those lines, but as I looked back upon the movie, I noticed a shadow underneath it. Intrigued, I studied it, and this veil of darkness grew as I looked closer. Though most reviewers are pouncing on the obvious "ugly duckling" transformation into "beautiful swan" plot, some shadowy wisps suggest a dark satire underneath the glare of the obvious.
As I looked back from a distance, almost all of the characters were deranged, deviant, or bimbos. The only characters not in this class were Gracie (Sandra Bulluck) and the FBI chief. The latter was a bit part and not strongly highlighted. The rest of the FBI team appeared as bimbos with voyeuristic tendencies. Meanwhile, all of the pageant folks were bimbos, weirdos, or "two-faced," and everyone seemed caught in obsessions. I suddenly realized, "What a wretched portrayal of humanity!"
It was then I also realized that the rough-hewn, but gutsy and savvy character of Gracie was the only one whom most of the audience would empathize. Compared to the others, Gracie was already a "swan" at the start of the movie. Only outwardly was she "ugly."
As the movie progressed, not only did Gracie get sucked into the pageant physically, but there were hints that she might be getting sucked into the mind-set as well. Was Gracie becoming a bimbo? Also, near the movie's climax Gracie made a venomous threat toward the movie's villain which bordered on being maniacal. Was Gracie becoming deranged, too?? Was Gracie's character becoming corrupted and degraded like the other characters? Would she become "ugly"? Or would she finally extricate herself from this twisted mass of humanity and retain her "gutsy and savvy" persona?
Is Miss Congeniality a light comedy, built of Pollyana fluff, describing an ugly duckling's transformation into a beautiful swan?
Or is that just a façade for a dark comedy, with hints of A Clockwork Orange, describing a swan's degradation into an ugly duckling?
Intriguing questions ... Unfortunately, I cannot spend anymore time on this because I've decided to devote my life to world peace ... ;-)