Movie Review: Miss Congeniality @ UGC Cinema, Ipswich After a few flops, Sandra Bullock needed a blockbuster hit and along it came, as this one cleaned up at the American box-office. But did  it deserve it? We took a look. Miss Congeniality @ UGC Cinema, Ipswich STARRING: Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Benjamen Bratt, William Shatner, Candice Bergen, Ernie Hudson CERTIFICATE:   LINE ON THE POSTER: Unpolished. Unkempt. Unleashed. Undercover.
WHAT HAPPENS: A Unabomber style serial killer decides he will make the Miss USA beauty pageant his next target and all hell brakes loose at the headquarters of an apparently incompetent FBI. They decide that they'll have to send an FBI agent undercover as one of the contestants. However the only person that they think will  fit is accident-prone loser Gracie Heart (Bullock), who refuses. However trying to make amends for a bungled bust she agrees and top beautician Victor Melling (Caine) is brought in to transform dowdy Gracie Hart into a stunning Miss New Jersey called Gracie Lou Freebush. Not surprisingly she's absolutely beautiful and is allowed to enter. However will she catch the killer before it's too late whilst trying to win the contest and understand the true meaning of beauty Contests? No prizes if you guess the answer to this.  ANY GOOD?: Although it's nowhere near contender for film of the year this, surprisingly, is a really entertaining rom-com that can't fail in making everybody, apart from hardened cynic, laugh. It's a bit unbelievable that Sandra Bullock is an unattractive tom-boy before she's transformed into a beauty queen, as all she's done is not brushed or washed her hair for a couple of days, worn some blokes clothes and used a snorting-laugh, but that's a minor quibble. Top performances by Michael Caine as the camp make-over king and,  Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner as the contest host, add fine and subtle elements to the humour of the film, which mostly whacks you in the face with the jokes on offer. This is one of those movies that was invented for Saturday Night at the cinema and although you won't rush to see it again, you'll be really glad you went and saw it.
 BEST BIT: There are a lot of funny moments in this funny film, but the finale to the talent contest is an absolute riot, if you don't laugh then you've not got a pulse.
INTERESTING FACT: Sandra Bullock is the daughter of a German opera singer and an American voice coach. LIKED IT, TRY: Drop Dead Gorgeous, Speed or Police Academy RATING:
by ChrisM
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