Miss Congeniality: Deluxe Edition

Studios are getting into the annoying habit of re-releasing films on DVD if a sequel is about to hit theatres. Therefore, because 2005 sees the release of Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, we get the deluxe edition of its predecessor, Miss Congeniality.

Dirty Harriet!

The always likeable Sandra Bullock stars as frumpish F.B.I. agent Gracie Hart. While usually an excellent agent, Gracie manages to mess up an undercover operation and is subsequently put on restricted duty. She only manages to get back on duty because one particular undercover assignment can only be conducted by a woman. Gracie is the only female agent under 35 not on maternity leave and so she unhappily takes the assignment: going undercover as a contestant in the Miss United States Beauty Pageant!

Gracie’s transformation into beauty contestant Gracie Lou Freebush is aided by derelict pageant stylist Victor Melling (Michael Caine), with her partner Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt) offering less helpful support.

"I am in a dress, I have gel in my hair, I haven't slept all night, I'm starved, AND I'm armed! Don't MESS with me! "

Gracie’s entrance into the Miss United States pageant is also not helped by the underhanded antics of the pageant director, Kathy Morningside (Candice Bergen), who seems unconcerned by the terrorist threats against the pageant.

Donut vs celery

Miss Congeniality is not Bullock’s best film, but she takes on the kind of role that has made her popular. Basically, she goes from drab to fab and lands the love interest. The film would have been complete fluff with any other actress in the lead role, but Bullock always manages to turn an ordinary film into a slightly less ordinary film. The adept performances from Caine, Bergen and the always loveable William Shatner round out an excellent cast in an ultimately pretty enjoyable film.

Gracie Hart, Beauty Queen!

The 'deluxe' edition of Miss Congeniality contains the same video transfer as the original 2001 release. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16.9 enhanced for widescreen displays. The only imperfection with this transfer is some instances of slight edge enhancement, otherwise it's a problem free video transfer.

Colours are vibrant, skin tones realistic and details sharp and clear. Miss Congeniality is a very brightly lit film and so shadow details are fine. Overall, this film simply shines of DVD.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 main feature audio package is also the same as was included on the original release and it’s a fairly ordinary 5.1 track. Dialogue is clear and audible and there are no audio sync problems.

The subwoofer gets a slight workout, but the audio track is a mainly centre channel affair. This is slightly disappointing as the crowd noise and musical selections could have been spread across the rear channels to create a more encompassing atmosphere.

Deluxe. adj. of special elegance, sumptuousness, or fineness.

Does the Miss Congeniality: Deluxe Edition DVD live up to the meaning of the word deluxe? Not even close!

This 'deluxe' edition contains all the same extras from the 2001 release, plus two additional extras that apparently make it 'deluxe'.

The "deluxe" menu

The first of these two extras is an interactive quiz, Do You Have What It Takes to be A Beauty Queen, hosted by Miss Congeniality co-star William Shatner. This is a long set of multiple choice questions asked by Shatner to determine whether you are vicious enough to be a beauty queen or whether your brain/conscious will get in the way and make you a runner-up. This is a semi-interesting extra, mainly due to the presence of Shatner, but is otherwise a pretty pointless extra that takes FOREVER to complete!

The second extra is obviously the sole reason this film has been given asecond DVD release. A Sneak Peek at Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous is an eight minute behind the scenes look at the sequel. It wouldn't be surprising if later in the year this 'sneak peek' is deemed a ‘featurette’ and included on the DVD release of Miss Congeniality 2.

The remaining extras all appear on the 2001 release.

The secret to bigger breasts? Chocolate donuts!

Two audio commentaries, one provided jointly by Sandra Bullock and screenwriter Marc Lawrence and another provided by director Donald Petrie. The Bullock and Lawrence commentary is an easy listen with both participants offering plenty of stories and no long silences. Petrie’s commentary is less successful as he tends to repeat a lot of what Bullock and Lawrence have already covered and somehow it all doesn’t sound as funny the second time around.

Preparing for the Pageant is an almost 10 minute making of featurette with the usual interviews and behind the scenes footage.

The Pageant is a slightly more substantial featurette that includes some funny bloopers and more behind the scenes footage.

A Theatrical Trailer that includes almost every funny moment from the film.

Additional Footage which consists of three deleted scenes that were originally available in the making of featurette, but can now be viewed separately on this 'deluxe' edition.

Taken from the Hollywood dictionary of the arts:
Deluxe. adj. of special importance to capitalise on revenue, post special edition and pre ultimate directors edition.

Hokey Pokey, NY style!

If you own the 2001 DVD release of Miss Congeniality, there is really no need to upgrade to this 'deluxe' edition. The video and audio tranfers are the same for both editions, so unless you desperately need to know whether you are beauty queen material, this DVD is not necessity.