2008 Woodie Awards
Back to the Beauty Pageant: Miss Congeniality 2
Katie Pederson
Issue date: 4/22/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Miss Congeniality 2 picks up with the life of FBI Agent Gracie Hart, played by Sandra Bullock (Two Weeks Notice, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood), a few months following her becoming an overnight media sensation when she successfully disarmed a bomb threat at the Miss United States Pageant. Making headline news working as an undercover agent, Gracie's New Jersey contestant made it all the way to the semi finals to help stop the psychotic and vengeful beauty queen, only to be crowned the pageant's Miss Congeniality (thus the name of the original movie).
But when Miss Congeniality 2 starts, things haven't been great for Gracie. She finds herself heartbroken after a romance fails with her old FBI partner (who was played in the first film by the luscious Benjamin Bratt, who fails to make an appearance in this film) and frustrated to find that her beauty pageant celebrity could be jeopardizing her work as an undercover agent. Hoping to revamp the image of the bureau after several public mishaps, Gracie's boss pressures her into returning to the public media scene as the televised "face of the FBI." Swamped with photos ops and talk show appearances, Gracie is asked to constantly relive her glory days in front of an adoring public audience.
But things go terribly wrong when a vindictive viewer kidnaps the crowned Miss United States, Gracie's best friend Cheryl Frasier, played by Heather Burns (Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality) and announcer Stan Fields, played by William Shatner of Star Trek fame. Gracie is then forced to partner up with her bureau nemesis Sam Fuller, played by the comical Regina King (Legally Blonde 2, Ray), and go undercover in Las Vegas to find and save them. In the end, Gracie will find that it takes a little bit of poise, a lot of muscle, and some good friends to accomplish the biggest assignment of her life.
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, for all its open and outward cheesiness, makes a pretty good first impression. The plot gets right to the point, slowing for only a minor lull in the middle of the film. Not usually a fan of sequels, but a huge admirer of the original picture, I found myself pleasantly surprised and entertained by Bullock's crazy antics and the great rapport between her and King throughout the film. If nothing else, this movie is worth seeing for all the fancy costumes and fast paced running in high heels even though it lacks the luscious Bratt.
So take a chance on a sequel and let the real girly-girl out with Miss Congeniality 2, you might just find that kicking butt and wearing pearls make a great combination.