I love movies, but I don’t currently live near a movie theater so I rarely go anymore. Rather I wait for DVDs and evaluate which movies I want to see enough to buy, or, if I’m lucky, I catch them on television.
A few months ago I was shipped to Columbus, Ohio for a week for work. There was a large mall across from our hotel with a movie theater. Over the course of the week I was able to see two movies including Miss Congeniality.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I always like Sandra Bullock, and Miss Congeniality sounded somewhat interesting, but I wasn’t dying to see it. It took me a long time to decide which movie to see because none of them pulled me in. I made the right decision.
Miss Congeniality is not War and Peace. It isn’t even Finding Forrester (the excellent movie I saw earlier that week). It is fun, likeable, and a good time. Sandra Bullock is delightful as Gracie Hart, the tomboy turned beauty queen FBI agent. Benjamin Bratt was nice eye candy, an added plus in a fun movie. Michael Caine was hilarious as the out of favor pageant consultant charged with turning Gracie into a competent contestant. The various pageant contestants were both somewhat stereotypical and yet likeable.
There are moments of brilliance here, moments that in of themselves would have made the movie worthwhile. The fact that as a whole it was a decent enjoyable movie is an added bonus. I would recommend Miss Congeniality for those looking to have a good time at the movies. Just don’t expect Shakespeare.