Miss Congeniality

"Unpolished. Unkempt. Unleashed. Undercover."

2000 1h 50m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 4,374

ComedyCrimeAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When the local FBI office receives a letter from a terrorist known only as 'The Citizen', it's quickly determined that he's planning his next act at the Miss America beauty pageant. Because tough-as-nails Gracie Hart is the only female agent at the office, she's chosen to go undercover as the contestant from New Jersey.

“Unpolished. Unkempt. Unleashed. Undercover.”

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Cast

Sandra Bullock
Gracie Hart
Michael Caine
Victor Melling
Benjamin Bratt
Eric Matthews
Candice Bergen
Kathy Morningside
William Shatner
Stan Fields
Ernie Hudson
McDonald
John DiResta
Agent Clonsky
Heather Burns
Cheryl 'New York'

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Donald Petrie
Writers: Marc Lawrence, Katie Ford, Caryn Lucas
Languages: English, Spanish, French, Russian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Spanish, French, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Miss Congeniality Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Donald Petrie, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Edward Shearmur. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Billy Weber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sandra Bullock and Michael Caine and Benjamin Bratt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Donald Petrie directs. László Kovács behind the camera. Edward Shearmur scores. Billy Weber cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish, French, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.
226 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Spanish, French, Russian.
4Part of the "Miss Congeniality Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Donald Petrie, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Edward Shearmur. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Billy Weber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Sandra Bullock and Michael Caine and Benjamin Bratt carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Unpolished. Unkempt. Unleashed. Undercover.".
10IMDB entry: tt0212346 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "undercover agent", "investigation", "beauty contest", "talent show".

The technical file

Cinematography: László Kovács
Original score: Edward Shearmur
Editing: Billy Weber
Production design: Peter S. Larkin
Costume design: Susie DeSanto
Makeup / hair: Pamela S. Westmore
Sound: Anna Behlmer
Stunt coordinator: Jack Gill
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $45,000,000
Box office: $212,000,000
Return: 471% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Miss Congeniality (2000)

Part of

Miss Congeniality Collection

The Miss Congeniality movie franchise currently consists of two films: Miss Congeniality (2000) and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005). The first film was directed by Donald Petrie and stars Sandra Bullock as FBI agent Gracie Hart, who goes undercover at a beauty pageant. The sequel continues Gracie's story as she transitions from pageant contestant to celebrity spokesperson and eventually back into undercover work.

Also by

Donald Petrie

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-07-01
★ 7/10
The last time I was this naked in public I was coming out of a uterus! Miss Congeniality finds Sandra Bullock as FBI Agent Gracie Hart, who must go undercover in the Miss United States beauty pageant to prevent a psychopath from committing untold homicide. The premise is simple, it's a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady scenario that transforms the rough and tough Gracie into a viable contestant for the pageant. Thus we have all the comedy that comes with her literally battling everyone, including her own opinions on pageants, as she is being asked to be something she doesn't believe is in her make up. The mystery of who the killer is who's on the loose is strong for a good portion of film, and even once it's known and drama takes centre stage, it's still hard to get the smile off of your face. The jokes are plentiful, with Bullock finding chemistry with all of her co-stars. She's a very under valued comedy actress, and her ability to bond with an entire cast is marvellous to observe. Reference sexual tension with Benjamin Bratt, the jousting hostilities with Ernie Hudson, the way she bounces off of the other beautiful girls, and best of all the by-play with Michael Caine, who is playing a camp stylist and walks in to lift the laughter roof off the rafters in every scene he is in. It doesn't push the boundaries of comedy, but it's thankfully a consistently funny piece of work, aided by a super cast on form who make a better comedy out of what the screenplay suggested it had any right to be. 7/10
Filipe Manuel Neto2022-07-26
★ 6/10
A good comedy, albeit with an exaggerated and unbelievable story. This is perhaps one of the most enjoyable and endearing comedies of the 2000s. It's not a perfect film, it's far from it, but it manages to deliver on its promises and offers us an hour and a half of warm and friendly fun. It's one of those films that, while not being perfect, is ideal to watch as a family and doesn't make us waste our time. The script has a very promising basic premise: faced with a credible threat to the security of the Miss United States of America beauty pageant, the FBI decides to infiltrate a female agent there. The problem is everything else that develops from here: the script exaggerates so much that it becomes unbelievable, even if funny. Gracie Hart, the main character, is not just an FBI agent with a tough profile and strong personality. She's basically an almost masculinized woman with the manners and demeans of a troll, who is then transformed into a model (basically) in a very, very short time! It's unbelievable and absurd. Of course, from there, the film unfolds more harmoniously, with excellent dialogues loaded with witty jokes and good material given to the actors. Sandra Bullock is the main actress and, in this film, she achieves one of her most popular works. In addition to being excellent at what she does and giving us an impeccable job, she had the joy of playing a friendly character, worthy of the public's affection, who captures our sympathy with ease. Next to her, we can still see Michael Caine, in excellent shape and in a character full of humor. The film also has a good performance by Benjamin Bratt, Heather Burns, Candice Bergen and the participation of William Shatner. Being a rather light humor film, it doesn't make a very strong bet on the technical aspects. Even so, I would like to leave a few notes: first of all, I believe that the special and sound effects did an excellent job throughout the film, and the same can be said of the design of the sets, costumes (with an obvious emphasis on the costumes of Bullock) and props. On the other side of the coin, I found the cinematography too uninteresting, and the editing didn't seem very inspired to me. The soundtrack does its job, highlighting almost only the song “One in a Million”, in the voice of Bosson.
The Movie Mob2022-09-17
★ 8/10
Miss Congeniality easily wins anyone over with Bullock's captivating and uproarious performance. Sandra Bullock's comedy brilliance permeates every part of this movie. The supporting cast also delivers excellent performances, with Michael Caine, William Shatner, and Heather Burns shining in their roles. But this movie delights and rises above an average forgetful comedy because of Bullock's hilarious and singular portrayal of awkward and endearing Gracie Hart. Her physical comedy and tangible discomfort with all the beauty routines and dresses make almost every moment humorous and entertaining. The character development, goofy cast, and satisfying conclusion all support Bullock in winning big. Miss Congeniality is one of my wife's go-to favorites, and it's one I'm always willing to watch with her.