We all love beauty pageants and we love everything that is associated with beauty pageants. Example would be a movie based on beauty pageants. I would watch movie based on it and watch it like I was watching the real one. Most of them tend to be comedy or romantic comedy or dark comedy movie. I try to watch every movie of it. Some were exceptionally good while some were really bad. Some of my favourite beauty pageant movies are:
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
The Hoover family — a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) — puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter (Abigail Breslin) in her bid to win the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched to the limit as the group’s quirks cause epic problems as they travel along their interstate route.
This dysfunctional family road trip is hilariously sad and so fresh and original. This movie is unlike any other beauty pageant movies. Each one performs to their best specially Abigail Breslin as the young Olive and Alan Arkin as Edwin are superb and brilliant. I love watching this movie and it does teach you about sticking for each other and finding that happiness even in times of difficulties and uplift you.
Smile (1975)
The time has come for the annual Young American Miss Pageant in California. Executive producer Brenda (Barbara Feldon) focuses maniacally on the event, ignoring any complaints. While her husband, Andy (Nicholas Pryor), sulks, choreographer Tommy French (Michael Kidd) looks after the safety of the contestants. With all the girls trying to outdo each other, tension increases as the pageant drags on and the skeptical contestant, Robin (Joan Prather), takes the lead despite her reservations. A true vintage comedy that revolves around a couple who try everything in their power to put-on a successful and scandal-free beauty-pageant in their small town. However, this pageant is anything but drama-free, rather it’s filled with hilarious mischief and of course, scandal!
I think every person who watches this movie will love it. I love classic movies. And this one is no exception. I love how the movie is blended with comedy and satirical. It does show the dark side of beauty pageants in a funny way but not going overboard about it. I would recommend this to everyone.
Miss Congeniality (2000)
When a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant, the FBI rushes to find a female agent to go undercover as a contestant. Unfortunately, Gracie is the only female FBI agent who can “look the part” despite her complete lack of refinement and femininity. She prides herself in being “just one of the boys” and is horrified at the idea of becoming a girly girl.
Imagine a slightly older woman competing with young girls for Miss America title. Does she look out of place? I think so. But the story is meant to be that way. I thought Sandra Bullock was hilarious and played her part funny perfectly. Her charming physical comedy skills and some scenes in the films made the movie a laugh-out-loud one. I wish the sequel was like the first one but sadly it didn’t make you laugh.
To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)
Elite Manhattan drag queens Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze) and Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) impress regional judges in competition, securing berths in the Nationals in Los Angeles. When the two meet pathetic drag novice Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) — one of the losers that evening — the charmed Vida and Noxeema agree to take the hopeless youngster under their joined wing. Soon the three set off on a madcap road trip across America and struggle to make it to Los Angeles in time.
The film succeeded in being fun, light hearted and touching despite its flaws and cliche. All the actors are amusingly lovable. And I love their fashion sense and humour something which drag queens are good at. I remember this movie more for their funny and hilarious lines. Some of them are:
“Lord grant me the serenity to accept that I’m just a boy in a dress and the courage to change with the fashions and the wisdom to know the difference”
“Vida, you know, you’re not a queen because you rule people, or you sit on a throne, baby. You’re a queen because you couldn’t cut it as a man so you had to put on a dress, that’s why”
“When a straight man puts on a dress and gets his sexual kicks, he is a transvestite. When a man is a woman trapped in a man’s body and has a little operation, he is a transsexual. When a gay man has WAY too much fashion sense for one gender, he is a drag queen. And when a tired little Latin boy puts on a dress, he is simply a boy in a dress!”
“We are three young career girls…”
“What in gay hell?”
”If you want to let them know that there is steak for dinner, you got to let them hear it sizzle!”
“I want you to believe in yourself, imagine good things, and moisturize”
Miss Firecracker (1989)
Carnelle Scott (Holly Hunter) is a restless Mississippi girl looking for a life change. She decides to enter a beauty pageant, which her cousin Elain (Mary Steenburgen) had won years before. Despite a lack of support from those close to her, including conniving cousin Delmount (Tim Robbins), Carnelle remains determined. She enlists the help of a seamstress (Alfre Woodard) to outfit her for the competition, while rebuffing the advances of predatory men, as she aims to bring home the crown.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
An annual beauty pageant in small-town Minnesota turns ridiculously competitive and ultimately chaotic in this biting comedy. Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst), the daughter of hard-drinking mom Annette (Ellen Barkin), and Becky Leeman (Denise Richards), who is motivated by her former beauty-queen mother, Gladys (Kirstie Alley), are among the top contenders in the event. As Amber, Becky, and other local girls prepare for the big day, bizarre incidents occur, leading up to an ending with a bang.
I read that Drop Dead Gorgeous wasn’t received well during it’s released and thought this couldn’t be true because I thought I really enjoyed it. Kristen Dunst as Amber Atkins is worth praising for her role as the diligent daughter. Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy and Amy Adams. – they all give strong, memorable, and funny performances.
Beautiful (2000)
Mona Hibbard steadily advances as an American beauty queen in spite of her less than congenial temperament. Her best friend from childhood, Ruby, has the patience of a saint, which is why she’s the one person who is willing to help Mona pursue her ambition. Ruby even helps her to hide the secret that would completely derail Mona’s plan to capture the “Miss American Miss” title: an illegitimate daughter, Vanessa. Her biggest obstacle is losing her killer instinct for her maternal instinct.
Beautiful might not be as great as Miss Congeniality but it does make you laugh and fall for Minnie Driver as Mona Hibbard. She gave up everything she had for winning the title, in the end she realized what’s inside is more important. Cliché, Isn’t it? But for me more than Mona competing for the pageant and making you laugh with her wicked nature, it’s the young Vanessa that won me over with her cute acting. Who can forget her loyal and supporter friend, Ruby.
No Contest (1994)
The hostess (Shannon Tweed) of a beauty pageant fights back against terrorists armed with explosives.
I thought the contestants would save themselves and one of the contestants will be their saviour when they were taken hostage. But turns out the hostess of the pageant (Shannon) became their saviour. Not the best movie but a watchable and good action movie.
The above movies were few of the movies I like among so many beauty pageant based movies. But there are some movies of the same genre which I want to see but haven’t been able to watch it because of their non availability. There are two such movies which I am eagerly waiting for. They are
Miss India America (2015)
Lily Prasad (Tiya Sircar) wants to win at all costs. She’s a high school valedictorian who arrogantly rubs her triumphs in the face of, well, everyone. But she soon loses her boyfriend, Karim (Kunal Sharma), to the reigning Miss India National Reshma (Sameera Eligeti), pulling a key block out of her Jenga-like tower of ambition. She vows victory and schemes to retake Karim by winning the Indian American beauty pageant with the help of her friend Seema (Kosha Patel). How will she get past the gorgeous and talented Sonia Nielson (Hannah Simone)? Lily is ugly in ego, like Frank Underwood in a dress — she’ll find a way. As women crack glass ceilings around the world, this film shows us girl-power gone hilariously bad. Hope comes the form of friendship and family. Lily rises and falls, and comes out a better person on the other side.
I read reviews of the movie and they are well praised which got me more excited and has already won awards.
Brave Miss World (2013)
Miss Israel Linor Abargil was abducted, stabbed, and raped in Milan, Italy, at age 18. She had to represent her country in the Miss World competition only six weeks later. When to her shock she was crowned the winner, she vowed to do something about rape. The film follows her from the rape, to her crowning and through her crusade to fight for justice and break the silence. During her travels to speak out and meet with other rape victims, her own trauma begins to resurface. Her serial rapist becomes eligible for parole, and she has to hunt down his previous victims in order to help keep him behind bars. The film explores the trauma of sexual assault through one young woman’s journey from teenage rape victim to Miss World to empowered lawyer and activist.
The trailer of this movie got me hook to this documentary film. I have also read a few transcripts of the documentary from online portal. The rape victims spoke about their ordeal and it was really disturbing and horrifying. But in the end you only want to applaud them for their courage and bravery. This is definitely a must watch. Definitely in my bucket list.
Films descriptions sources : Wikepedia, Imbd, rottentomatoes and other online portals.
Categories: OPINION
Indian and World Pageant 