It took me a long time to see this movie. I first wanted to see it when it came out in the summer of '99 but it was only in theaters for a couple weeks and I rarely see movies in the theater. So when it came out on video I almost picked it up a few times but put it back in favor of something else or because it was vetoed by various family members. But recently I heard that Allison Janney was really hilarious in it from some of my fellow West Wing freaks online. So I decided that I needed to see this movie. After a few attempts that were thwarted by the video being checked out and the store saying that I couldn't use my mother's card, I finally rented it this week.

And I am glad I did.

First off, let me state that I am not going to give you a summary of the movie because you can find that in pretty much all of the other reviews of the movie and quite frankly, it bores me. Well, I'll give you this: This movie is a mockumentary about a Minnesota Beauty Pageant filled with plenty of dark humor.

Now that that's out of the way, let me say that Allison Janney is hilarious in this movie. Not that this should come as any great surprise considering that she is an amazing actress. (Is that a complete sentence? Let's just say it was.) She plays this wonderfully campy trailer-trash floozy who becomes like a substitute mother for Amber (Kirsten Dunst). Dunst is the real star of the movie, playing her part with just the right amount of innocence, not enough that her character could be seen as stupid. In the hands of a lesser actress that could be a problem.

Kirstie Alley and Denise Richards are also in this and amazingly don't annoy me nearly as much as I thought they would. Maybe because they are the "villains" in the movie and Alley's Minn-e-soh-tah accent makes her more endearing. By the way, be aware of the many Minnesota accents. Some are more toned down like Dunst's, and some are over the top like Alley's.
Another thing that's great about the movie is the portrayals of the other contestants. They are all pretty one dimensional but funny nonetheless.

Just a warning, though. If you take things like Christianity and death real seriously, you might not like this. A lot of the dark humor comes from those two aspects. My favorite example is how they have a Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club 'cause "Jesus loves winners".

Overall, if you ever get a chance to see this movie, jump on it!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older