Leave It To Me To Enjoy The Only Teen Flick That Bombed In The Theaters
Written: May 28 '01
Product Rating:
Action Factor:
Pros: funny, decent acting, good plot, somewhat original
Cons: obvious tobacco company influence
The Bottom Line: This isn't the most brilliant movie ever made. It's funny, it makes fun of people, makes fun of beauty competitions, and it makes fun of white trash. I like that.
Kristen Dunst hasn't exactly made the wisest acting decisions recently. Most of the movies she has had a role in, including Drop Dead Gorgeous, have bombed. However, Drop Dead Gorgeous isn't half bad. Don't dismiss this movie as another beauty pageant spoof. This is no Miss Congeniality. A talented cast and a solid comedic plot support drop Dead Gorgeous. Although created to entice the teen scene, I left this movie feeling rolling on the floor with laughter.
Basically what we've got is a movie about the Mount Rose American Teen Princess competition in Mount Rose, Minnesota. Mt. Rose is full of hicks, white trash, and pedophiles. Rebecca Leeman (Denise Richards) is the daughter of the richest family in town and has also entered the pageant. Her mother is Gladys (Kristie Alley), who is also the pageant coordinator. Before the competition gets going, one of Rebecca's competitors is killed in a huge tractor explosion. Since she has been killed off, the competition is predicted to come down between Rebecca and Amber Atkins (Kristen Dunst). The crazy happenings before, during, and after the competition are what make up the movie.
What makes movies like Drop Dead Gorgeous good is that you don't have to be a great actor to make the movie work. Drop Dead Gorgeous is one of those satire comedies that doesn't require good acting to work. Kristen Dunst and Kristie Alley are very good actors. So are Ellen Barkin and Brittany Murphey(Girl Interrupted, a very cool actor). In fact, the only actor in the film I don't particularly care for is Denise Richards. For goodness sake, she can't act! Fortunately, her character doesn't require much talent.
Drop Dead Gorgeous does make some low blows though. Will Sasso (Mad TV) plays a mentally disabled adult being raised by his father. His character does all sort of stupid things through out the movie. One of the beauty pageant judges is a pedophile and almost everyone in the movie smokes. The smoking part of the movie just doesn’t make sense. Everyone smokes in almost every scene. A cigarette here or there would be fine, but to this extreme it is obvious the tobacco companies had some major influence.
At PG-13 you can't get away with much, well actually you can, but this movie doesn't do much with it. There's a bit of violence, some swearing here and there, and a scene full of vomit. Other than that there really isn't much to say about the rating.
I enjoyed Drop Dead Gorgeous. In fact, I laughed by butt off. I have and will watch it again. Good acting isn't a requirement, political correctness isn't a requirement, and decency isn't even a requirement. Drop Dead Gorgeous is just a move about white trash, in a white trash town, entering a white trash beauty competition.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: VHS Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older
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