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liked it
Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, Allison Janney, Kirstie Alley, Ellen Barkin
Subtle is not the word to describe Drop Dead Gorgeous, a mock documentary purporting to cover the Sarah Rose Cosmetics Teen America Beauty Pageant in Mount Rose, Minnesota. Ellen Barkin (Sea...( read more
)) and Kirsten Dunst (Interview with a Vampire, Dick) are perfectly cast as a mother and daughter whose only ambition is to use the pageant to get out of their claustrophobic small-town lives. Opposing them are Denise Richards (Wild Things, Starship Troopers) and her mother, Kirstie Alley (Look Who's Talking), who just happens to be the pageant's organizer. The plot, which centers on contestants being murdered (mostly by flaming explosions), is clearly secondary to the backstage shenanigans and satirical portrayals of vanity, small-town corruption, and family dysfunction. There's not much suspense to the pageant itself, but Dunst is an endearing protagonist and along with the broad jokes are some excellent acting turns from the cast, particularly Barkin, Brittany Murphy (Clueless), Nora Dunn (a Saturday Night Live alumna), and the great character actress Allison Janney, who's played small roles in countless movies but finally gets a chance to shine as the supportive neighbor of Barkin and Dunst. In fact, for all the jokes and satirical jabs, in the end it's the characters' relationships that stay in your mind. A bonus: the soundtrack features a hard-rocking version of the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, performed with cool aplomb by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. --Bret Fetzer
Id: 9756654
An enjoyable comedy about a beauty pageant in the style of a documentary. Has a great cast in their earlier years here. Has some very funny moments, quite a dark comedy overall not afraid to make fun of its self. Glad I got round to watching it.
Hilarious satire in American Teen Princess language. Everyone delivers the FUNNIEST lines!
This movie is absolutely genius. Some brilliant performances from up-and-coming actresses such as Dunst, Richards, Adams and Murphy and fantastic comedic performances by established actresses including Barkin, Janney and Alley, this is a wonderful mockumentary really digging into...( read more)
This fucking funny mockumentary about the freakshow that is the American Beauty Pageant is a real must-see and consistently surprising. And, I've never rated Brittany Murphy before but she's brilliant in this and almost steals the film - though Richards' dance with Jesus takes so...( read more)
