RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Miss Congeniality
Miss Congeniality

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Miss Congeniality (2000)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
27 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:7

Rotten:19

Average Rating:4.1/10

Consensus: Though critics say Bullock is funny and charming, she can't overcome a bad script that makes the movie feel too much like a fluffy, unoriginal sitcom.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual references and a scene of violence

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Dec 22, 2000 Wide

Box Office: $105,541,467

Synopsis: The Miss United States Pageant, hallowed and revered home of American beauty for the past fifty years, has received a threat from one of the country's most infamous criminals, the "Citizen." The... The Miss United States Pageant, hallowed and revered home of American beauty for the past fifty years, has received a threat from one of the country's most infamous criminals, the "Citizen." The F.B.I. has been tracking this psychopath forever as his rampage of bombings, shootings and arson terrorizes the nation. This may finally be their chance to nab him.

The plan? Simple. Get one of their agents into the pageant, undercover, as a contestant. Fix the judging so she's on stage right to the end, in the "top five." Equip her with a state of the art surveillance equipment. Finding that agent? Not so simple.

A computer search of all available female agents turns out a decidedly unphotogenic group, except for Special Agent Gracie Hart (SANDRA BULLOCK). She looks terrific on the computer in a bathing suit; she might even fool everyone in an evening gown, especially if she puts a brush to her hair. But Gracie doesn't own a brush. Or a dress. Or high heels. Or as her fellow agent and head of the undercover operation, Eric Matthews (BENJAMIN BRATT) puts it; she's a "car wreck." And Gracie has no desire to join the ranks of what she refers to as a "bunch of bikini stuffers who only want world peace."

Which is why the Bureau hires beauty pageant consultant Victor Melling (MICHAEL CAINE) to transform Gracie -- or as he re-names her, "Dirty Harriet" into Gracie Lou Freebush -- the perfect pageant contestant. Henry Higgins had a day at the beach compared to what Vic is up against in beautifying a woman "without a detectable smidgen of estrogen." But the fate of the pageant hangs in the balance, and considering that Gracie's refusal to follow orders has already placed her job in jeopardy, this may be her last chance to make it in her beloved Bureau. [More]

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, William Shatner

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, William Shatner, Benjamin Bratt, Ernie Hudson, Heather Burns, Steve Monroe, John DiResta, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Deirdre Quinn

Director: Donald Petrie

Director: Donald Petrie
Screenwriter: Marc Lawrence, Caryn Lucas, Katie Ford
Producer: Sandra Bullock
Composer: Edward Shearmur
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 7

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

May 1, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Miss Congeniality

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

No review available.

comment Comment
03/22/02
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unless you think it's a riot to watch Bullock fall over herself repeatedly in high heels, this Miss is a mess.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
06/04/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
02/07/01
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pro forma hilarity.

comment Comment
12/22/00
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A rinky-dink comedy.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/22/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

For Bullock fans, it's a delight, jolly junk in the season to be jolly.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
12/22/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bullock is just plain funny.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
12/22/00
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Caine's] performance is probably as deft as the one he gave last year in The Cider House Rules.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
12/22/00
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If, as has been much noted, lampooning beauty pageants is like shooting fish in barrel, why do all the movies that attempt it end up looking sadder than the third-place runner-up?

comment Comment
12/22/00
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Bullock] trips, we laugh, but we also hope she gets up -- so she can do it again.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
12/22/00
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bullock seems to be stuck in a rut of cookie-cutter roles in films with half-baked concepts.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
12/22/00
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Doesn't exactly turn things around for [Bullock], but it's funny enough and agreeable enough to at least start her on the road back.

comment Comment
12/22/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sad illustration of the decline in Hollywood screenwriting.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
12/22/00
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It isn't bad so much as it lacks any ambition to be more than it so obviously is.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
12/22/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Seems happily, deliberately second-rate, as if its ideal audience consisted of weary airline passengers.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/22/00
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is funny and knowing, detached enough to take a bemused stance toward its calculated tone.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/22/00
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's a whiff of desperation about Miss Congeniality.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
12/22/00
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A barrage of dangling plot strands, inconsistent characterizations, and suspense-free shootouts.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
12/21/00
Kevin Maynard
Kevin Maynard
Mr. Showbiz
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The screenplay lacks any sense of consistency, treating all the contestants derisively -- and then trying to convince us that, deep down, they're all really wonderful women.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
12/21/00
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The jokes are lame, the set-up is stupid and Bullock, occasionally a winsome comedienne and here a co-producer, is annoying as heck.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/21/00
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Miss Congeniality

July 18, 2005: In Other News: Marital Edition...Jude Law, Sandra Bullock, and Frankie Muniz
In Other News is back, with marital highs and lows alike to keep you gossip-mongers happy...starting with "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" star Jude Law, whose... More...

June 16, 2005: In Other News...Sandra Bullock, Kirsten Dunst, and Brangelina
"Crash" star Sandra Bullock is speeding along the way to wedded bliss -- US Weekly reports she has set a date with boyfriend Jesse James to marry next month. More...

March 26, 2005: Box Office: “Guess Who” Topped The Box Office?
Two comedies battled for box office supremacy this Easter weekend and the interracial romantic comedy “Guess Who,” starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac, handily defeated “Miss... More...

March 24, 2005: Critical Consensus: "Miss Congeniality" Armed, But Unfabulous
It’s been a while since Sandra Bullock’s last appearance on the big screen – 2002’s romantic comedy hit, “Two Weeks Notice,” co-starring Hugh Grant. She returns with “Miss... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
77% 77% The Hangover
88% 88% Inglourious Basterds
66% 66% Public Enemies
24% 24% G-Force
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
82% 82% Paranormal Activity
58% 58% 9
44% 44% Jennifer's Body
58% 58% A Perfect Getaway

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Best of the Decade

Best of the Decade

Find out what movies made our list!

Awards Tour

Awards Tour

Stay up on the latest awards and noms!

Sex and The City 2

Sex and The City 2

Friendship, fashion, and fun in one trailer!

Box Office

Box Office

See Sherlock? Rate and review it!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Star Trek Tops 2009's Most-Pirated Movies List Source: Hollywood Reporter
13
  • Weekly Ketchup: Peter Jackson's Secret Sci-Fi Project
108
  • New Toy Story 3 Clip, Photos Posted Source: Slashfilm
26
  • Danny Trejo Talks Machete, Possible Sequels Source: Collider.com
14
  • It's Official: Jackass 3-D Coming in 2010 Source: Collider.com
16
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar, Sherlock, and Alvin Team Up To Break Records
194
  • RT's Best of the Decade!
168
  • Total Recall: Jude Law's Best Movies
57
  • Weekly Ketchup: Peter Jackson's Secret Sci-Fi Project
36
  • Critics Consensus: Sherlock Holmes Is Worth Investigating
33
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: District 9 and (500) Days of Summer
32
  • Friday Harvest: Sherlock Holmes, Toy Story 3, and more!
10
  • What We're Watching on Blu-ray from Disney!
9
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
72
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
24
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Miss Congeniality at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Miss Congeniality at IGN
  • Miss Congeniality at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade
Best Dozen of the Decade External Link

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Top 50 of 2009
Top 50 of 2009 External Link

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Santa's Naughty List
Santa's Naughty List External Link

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.