December 14, 2000 (United States)
December 22, 2000
Miss Congeniality is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by Donald Petrie, written by Marc Lawrence, Katie Ford, and Caryn Lucas, and produced by and starring Sandra Bullock as Gracie Hart, a tomboy agent who is asked by the FBI to go undercover as a contestant when a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant. Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt, Candice Bergen, William Shatner, and Ernie Hudson star in supporting roles.
Miss Congeniality was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 22, 2000. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $212 million worldwide against its $45 million budget. The film earned Bullock a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. It was followed by the sequel Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous in 2005.
Storyline
In 1982, 10-year-old Gracie Hart breaks up a school fight between two boys, one of whom is a bully and the other, her crush. The boy she likes is humiliated, as he was saved by a girl. He rudely rejects her, so she punches him before he leaves.
18 years later, 28-year-old Gracie is a tough but uncouth special agent for the FBI. During a sting against Russian mobsters, she ignores protocol to save a mob boss who appears to be choking, causing one of her fellow FBI agents to be shot; Gracie is then demoted to a desk job.
Soon, the agency receives news of a bomb threat from notorious domestic terrorist "the Citizen", alluding to an act of terrorism at the upcoming Miss United States beauty pageant in San Antonio, Texas. Gracie's partner, Eric Matthews, is put in charge of the mission; he relies on Gracie's suggestions, only to take credit for them himself.
One of Gracie's ideas is to plant an agent undercover at the event who becomes one of the top five contestants so they have access to everything in the pageant. When all possible candidates are deemed unfit, Eric suggests that Gracie take on the role, replacing Miss New Jersey, who was to be disqualified for acting in a pornographic film.
Beauty pageant coach Victor Melling teaches Gracie how to dress, walk, and behave in a conventionally ladylike manner. Although she is initially appalled, she comes to appreciate Victor's thoroughness. Gracie enters the pageant as "Gracie Lou Freebush", representing New Jersey, and becomes friends with Cheryl Frasier, Miss Rhode Island. As the competition begins, she impresses the judges during the talent competition with her glass harp skills.
Several suspects are identified as possible to be "the Citizen". These include: the current competition director and former pageant winner Kathy Morningside, her assistant Frank Tobin, veteran MC Stan Fields, and even Cheryl, who has a history of involvement with a radical animal rights activist group.
Gracie convinces Cheryl and the other contestants to go out one night and drink. She uses the chance to try prying into Cheryl's past, and learns from the others that Kathy's past as a pageant contestant is truly suspicious, including the fact that the year she won, the original winner came down with food poisoning.
Gracie deduces Kathy is a "Citizen" copycat. However, when she reports this to Eric and the team, she learns that "the Citizen" has been arrested on an unrelated charge. As there is no perceived threat, their superior, Harry McDonald, pulls the mission. Gracie insists that something is off, but Eric and the team leave, unconvinced.
While on their way home, Victor mentions to Eric that Frank is actually Kathy's son, a fact they had tried to hide from the FBI because of his criminal record. Eric returns to Texas to help continue the investigation, against FBI orders.
In the final round of the pageant, Gracie is stunned when she is named first runner-up. Cheryl is named Miss United States, but as she goes to accept the tiara, Gracie realizes that "the Citizen" was impersonated to make the pageant bomb threat, and that the bomb is in the crown. She fights Cheryl for the crown as Eric wrestles with Frank, who is about to detonate the bomb. Finally, Gracie throws the tiara up at the stage scenery, where it explodes, setting the stage on fire.
As Kathy and Frank are arrested, Gracie determines that the two wanted to kill the pageant winner on stage as revenge for Kathy's own termination from the pageant organization. Afterwards, Eric asks Gracie out on a date, and they kiss. Soon thereafter, he and Victor trick Gracie into attending the pageant's farewell breakfast, where Cheryl names her "Miss Congeniality". Gracie tearfully accepts the honor, finally understanding the true spirit of pageantry.
Also See
Movie Trailer
- Miss Congeniality (2000) (Trailers)
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Crowd 50 WWhistlesA LCA013801
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140401
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140501
- Sound Ideas, CAMERA - 35 MM SLR WITH AUTO WINDER: SINGLE SHOT
- Sound Ideas, SIREN - 'WAIL' SIREN, POLICE, AMBULANCE, FIRE TRUCK 01
- Sound Ideas, TELEMETRY - COMPUTER TELEMETRY: FUNCTION BEEP, SCI FI, ELECTRONIC 10/Sound Ideas, TELEMETRY - SHORT ELECTRONIC COMPUTER FUNCTION BEEP 32