Miss Congeniality
by Hank Yuloff

Sandra Bullock stars in this fish out of water comedy that may actually break her recent losing streak.

The story is based on a Unibomber-type bad guy who has been setting off explosions without being caught, sending a cryptic message in advance of each attack. The FBI in New York receives a fax that seems to indicate he will be attacking the upcoming Miss United States pageant. The plan: have a female agent on the inside to protect the women and catch the criminal.

The hardest part of the movie is believing that Bullock (as Agent Gracie Hart) could be an unattractive, unappealing woman. If the part had been cast to a newcomer it may have been easier to believe, but here, the make-up and clothing designers had a hard time with the radiant Bullock.

Miss Congeniality is filled with excellent acting performances, beginning with Bullock. It is so good to once-again see her in a role that shows off her talents. She is funny, bright and utilizes a nasal laugh that never let's us forget that she is a TC (tough chick) from Brooklyn.

The best acting is provided by Michael Caine (Victor Melling), fulfilling the role as a "handler" of pageant hopefuls who has been scorned by the "community" because one of his charges froze in the middle of her talent performance a few years earlier. Thus, he is available to work for the FBI in turning Bullock into a prom queen in 48-hours. Melling is a consultant who truly believes in his work and is proud of winning 9 out of 10 Miss United States pageants, the only loss to a woman who could not hear or speak. "You can not beat a deaf-mute," says Melling with disgust. You will enjoy every scene featuring Caine.

Ernie Hudson plays a small but defining role as her commander and Heather Burns is lots of fun as Miss Rhode Island, a complete ditz at the pageant whom we are told is majoring in nuclear fission. The setup to the movie is a 3-minute playground scene of Bullock as a child, and Mary Ashleigh Green does a wonderful job showing us that Gracie Hart's future occupation decisions were made very early.

There weren't a lot of holes in the plot which helped make this a good movie. I think the 48-hour window to get Bullock ready was a little short. And the scene in which the FBI agents are shown working on the bomber case makes them look like idiots and was especially weak. But these are soon forgotten the moment Bullock comes out of an aircraft hanger after her makeover. I'm not one to remember the costumes very often but that light blue dress is....oops, this one is rated PG-13.

There are a couple of disappointing performances. Candice Bergen plays the director of the pageant but whenever she displayed anger at the way things were going with Bullock, all I heard was Murphy Brown. Not a lot of background work was needed here. And why they wasted their money on putting William Shatner in this movie I have no idea. There must have been tons of actors who would have made better "too old for the room" characters. Or maybe not. Will SOMEBODY write another Star Trek. It's what he does.

I laughed a lot during Miss Congeniality. I think you will too. In spite of a predictable ending, I predict you'll have a fun time getting there.

Hank Yuloff is an entertainment industry entrepreneur living in Hollywood.

Got a problem? Email Hank at filmmonthly@hotmail.com