Miss Congeniality (2000)

An FBI agent must go undercover in the Miss United States beauty pageant to prevent a group from bombing the event.

Director:

Donald Petrie

Writers:

Marc Lawrence, Katie Ford,

Stars:

Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandra Bullock	...	Gracie Hart
Michael Caine	...	Victor Melling
Benjamin Bratt	...	Eric Matthews
Candice Bergen	...	Kathy Morningside
William Shatner	...	Stan Fields
Ernie Hudson	...	Harry McDonald
John DiResta	...	Agent Clonsky
Heather Burns	...	Cheryl Frasier, Miss Rhode Island
Melissa De Sousa	...	Karen Krantz, Miss New York
Steve Monroe	...	Frank Tobin
Deirdre Quinn	...	Mary Jo Wright, Miss Texas
Wendy Raquel Robinson	...	Leslie Davis, Miss California
Asia De Marcos	...	Alana Krewson, Miss Hawaii
Ken Thomas	...	Agent Harris
Gabriel Folse	...	Agent Jerry Grant

Storyline

Undercover FBI agent Gracie Hart shows no signs of having any femininity in her demeanor or appearance. Generally a bright and capable agent, she is in trouble at work when she makes an error in judgment in a case which results in a near disaster. As such, one of her by-the-books colleagues, Eric Matthews, who has never shown any inclination of thinking outside the box, is assigned to lead the high profile case of a terrorist coined The Citizen instead of her, while she is facing possible disciplinary action. Gracie pieces together the evidence to determine that The Citizen's next target will be the Miss United States beauty pageant. The pageant represents everything that Gracie abhors. Despite Gracie's mannish demeanor, Eric, with no other undercover female agent remotely fitting the demographic, assigns her to go undercover as a pageant contestant to see if she can flush out The Citizen, who is perhaps one of the other contestants. Although the pageant administration, led by former ...

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Plot Keywords:

pageant | fbi | undercover | beauty pageant | female agent | 

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Taglines:

This Christmas, get ready for a little peace on earth and good will towards men

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual references and a scene of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Castle Rock Warner Bros. (UK)

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English Russian French Hawaiian Spanish

Release Date:

22 December 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Miss Undercover

Filming Locations:

Austin Studios - 1901 E. 51st Street, Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,873,246 (UK) (23 March 2001)

Gross:

ESP 720,275,127 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Shatner's character "Stan Fields" is a reference to the actor's Canadian heritage. "Stanfields" is a very famous brand of underwear (known for its long johns) sold in Canada. Also "Stan Fields" sounds remarkably similar to former "Miss America" host Bert Parks.

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Goofs

When the "top ten" finalists are announced, there are only seven names called.

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Quotes

Victor Melling: Don't pick your feet up. Why are you picking your feet up?
Gracie Hart: Because I'm preparing to run away!

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Connections

Referenced in 10 Things I Hate About You: Light My Fire (2009)

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Soundtracks

"She's A Lady"
Written by Paul Anka
Performed by Tom Jones
Remixed by BT
Courtesy of Chrysalis Copyrights Limited, a division of The Chrysalis Group PLC

User Reviews

The movie is hilarious, and Sandra is as lovable as ever

I have loved this movie from the very first time I saw it. Even taking into account that it was 10 years ago when this Rom-Com was released, and most Rom-Coms are forgotten throughout the sands of time by plenty of people for how many there are and how unremarkable most of them manage to be, this one has always managed to stick with me and uphold an excellent reputation, in my eyes, for how wonderful and fun it really is, and is truly one of my favorite movies in general.

The numerous upsides: I think the deliverance of all the lines and scenes in this film is just perfect for what it sets out to accomplish. Sandra Bullock was the perfect choice for the role, and all the other supporting actors and actresses are simply magnificent in their parts and bring to you a movie that is meant to be nothing but fun and laughter from the beginning. However, you get a little bit more than what you are in store for. I found myself being completely interested every time I have watched it over the years, because it captures your attention with the storyline and antics and does not let go. The performances, like I said, are amazing and the cast really knew how to work with what they were given. The jokes and antics are hysterical and though many when they hate or dislike a comedy will tell you that the movie was funny in a bad way, do not listen to any bad reception this may receive and view it for yourself with a clear conscience, because it really is enjoyable that way, in my honest opinion.

The very minuscule, few downsides: Yes, the movie does get a tad bit mediocre, at times, and at others of course they could have handled the material a little better, but aside from those two matters, I thought the film was, in a sense, perfect, and was completely astonishing and surprisingly hilarious and outstanding to every value it should have been hilarious and outstanding to.

I have enjoyed the film for a long time now, I still enjoy it and find it to be a fun and thrilling adventure from beginning to end that I can always watch for the simple pleasure of just viewing it, not to just pass the time. Guys, do not pass it off for just a chick flick, because a few are liable to find this a superbly well time. Though it is a Rom- Com, I consider it a near masterpiece for how much it gives to the audience and how incredibly satisfying it always is.