Sandra Bullock shines as an FBI agent forced to go undercover in a beauty pageant in Miss Congeniality, which marks the 25th anniversary of its release today.

“I’d have to say April 25th. Because it’s not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.” – Cheryl Frasier (Heather Burns), Miss Rhode Island, on her idea for the perfect date.

The story begins in 1982, when 10-year-old Gracie Hart (Mary Ashleigh Green) breaks up a playground fight, only to be rejected by the boy she likes—prompting her to punch him. Eighteen years later, Gracie (Sandra Bullock) is an abrasive but talented FBI agent. During a sting on Russian mobsters, she breaks protocol to save a choking mob boss, which leads to another agent being shot. Her actions frustrate FBI Assistant Director Harry McDonald (Ernie Hudson), who removes her from field duty and assigns her to desk work.

When the FBI receives a threat from domestic terrorist “the Citizen,” Gracie’s partner Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt) heads the case, often claiming credit for her insights. Gracie proposes placing an undercover agent among the Miss United States finalists. After every candidate fails, Eric pushes her to replace Miss New Jersey, who is being disqualified for appearing in a pornographic film.

To prepare her, pageant consultant Victor Melling (Michael Caine) teaches Gracie how to walk, dress, and behave like a contestant. Entering as “Gracie Lou Freebush,” she bonds with Cheryl Frasier, Miss Rhode Island, and impresses judges with her glass-harp talent. Meanwhile, several figures emerge as suspects: pageant director Kathy Morningside (Candice Bergen), her assistant Frank Tobin (Steve Monroe), longtime MC Stan Fields (William Shatner), and even Cheryl due to her activist past. Gracie remains suspicious of Kathy, even after “the Citizen” is unexpectedly arrested.

After learning Frank is Kathy’s son, Eric returns to assist Gracie. During the final, Cheryl is crowned Miss United States—until Gracie realizes the tiara contains a bomb. She wrestles Cheryl for the crown as Eric tackles Frank, preventing him from detonating it. Gracie hurls the tiara into the set, where it explodes. Kathy and Frank are arrested for plotting revenge over Kathy’s firing. In the aftermath, Eric asks Gracie out, and at the pageant’s farewell breakfast, Victor and Eric coax her into attending as Cheryl names her “Miss Congeniality,” a title she accepts with genuine emotion.

While Miss Congeniality is an action comedy, it more or less forces Gracie into a romance—an element that thankfully disappears in its 2005 sequel, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. Women are equally capable of doing the same things as men without having a love interest pushed onto them. The film works best when Gracie is focused on her job, not when she’s being shoehorned into a romantic subplot. I get why studios do this, but not every film needs to have a romance forced into the story.

As much as I love what Sandra Bullock does in the role, the big surprise here is Michael Caine. He’s genuinely delightful as Victor Melling, the fashion consultant who reshapes Gracie for the pageant. In recent years, I’ve grown so used to Caine appearing or making voice cameos in Christopher Nolan’s films that I sometimes forget he’s starred in comedies, whether Miss Congeniality or Austin Powers in Goldmember. There’s definitely a universe where he would have at least been in the conversation for Best Supporting Actor, but comedies just don’t get the same respect as prestige dramas come awards season. It speaks to the remarkable range he’s shown through the years as a character actor.

Comedies generally get a bad rap during awards season. They aren’t traditionally seen as contenders, but sometimes you watch a performance that just blows you away. That’s exactly what the Speed star does as Gracie Hart, and it’s part of why Miss Congeniality is so rewatchable. She absolutely should have been considered for a Best Actress nomination, even though Julia Roberts was the clear frontrunner for Erin Brockovich.

Of course, awards aren’t the only reason these films are made. Still, Miss Congeniality is endlessly rewatchable. Sometimes you’re simply in the mood to watch Sandra Bullock play a tomboy FBI agent who has no business being anywhere near a beauty pageant—sorry, scholarship program—and transforms herself in the process. Had Miss Congeniality 2 performed better, maybe a third film would have happened. I’m still curious what Gracie Hart and Sam Fuller (Regina King) are up to these days. Alas, we’ll never know.

Twenty-five years later, Miss Congeniality still holds up because it knows exactly what it is: a smart, funny showcase for Sandra Bullock’s charisma, supported by a delightful ensemble and Michael Caine’s scene-stealing turn. It may follow familiar studio formulas, but it does so with enough heart and humor to make it endlessly rewatchable. For all its flaws, it remains a comedy that understands its audience—and Gracie Hart continues to be one of Bullock’s most memorable roles.

DIRECTOR: Donald Petrie
SCREENWRITERS: Marc Lawrence & Katie Ford & Caryn Lucas
CAST: Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt, William Shatner, Ernie Hudson, John DiResta, and Candice Bergen, Heather Burns, Melissa De Sousa, Steve Monroe, Deirdre Quinn, Wendy Raquel Robinson

Warner Bros. Pictures released Miss Congeniality in theaters on December 22, 2000. Grade: 4/5

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