Smile (1975)

100% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(1,012 ratings)

The American beauty-contest ritual is skewered by screenwriter Jerry Belson and director Michael Ritchie in Smile. The film takes place during an annual pageant in Santa Rosa, CA. The event is supervised by local mover and shaker Brenda DiCarlo (Barbara Feldon), to whom the contest is the most… More The American beauty-contest ritual is skewered by screenwriter Jerry Belson and director Michael Ritchie in Smile. The film takes place during an annual pageant in Santa Rosa, CA. The event is supervised by local mover and shaker Brenda DiCarlo (Barbara Feldon), to whom the contest is the most important thing on earth. Nothing -- not even the violent backlash of her neglected husband, Andy (Nicholas Pryor) -- is allowed to interfere with her pet project. Choreographer Tommy French (Michael Kidd), outwardly nasty and cynical, takes money out of his own pocket to insure the safety of the contestants as they parade down a rickety stage runway; chief judge "Big Bob" Freelander (Bruce Dern) discovers that his son is a budding voyeur, information which leads to a silly "politically correct" consequence; and the various contestants scheme to upstage one another through a variety of means (one girl puts Vaseline on her teeth to assure a gleaming smile). Among the contestants are such stars-to-be as Colleen Camp, Denise Nickerson, Annette O'Toole, and Melanie Griffith. Though not a hit itself, Smile has developed a fervent cult following, which led to a Broadway musical version of the property in 1986, with songs by Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Michael Ritchie
Written By: Jerry Belson
Genres: Drama, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1975 Wide
On DVD: Aug 24, 2004

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A poignant satire dissecting American beauty pageants
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Ritchie holds it together with rapid technique and a glancing eye
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly
Great spoof of beauty pageants
Jake Euker, Filmcritic.com
like a season of I Love the '70s condensed into two hours, and in its intimation that this is a uniquely disposable culture it's decades ahead of VH-1
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
One of those inimitable small films that squares with human experience in genuine, funny and memorable ways
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Effective satire on beauty pageants.
Fred Topel, About.com
Fun spoof of the beauty pageant industry. The kid with his sexual metaphors is the best.
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews
The kind of film that immediately attracts the phrase 'wickedly funny'

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Eric B

Released the same year as Robert Altman's "Nashville," "Smile" takes a similar satirical look at lowbrow American culture. What's most wonderful is that this Michael Ritchie film not only paints a ruthless picture of a vapid "Young American… More
Released the same year as Robert Altman's "Nashville," "Smile" takes a similar satirical look at lowbrow American culture. What's most wonderful is that this Michael Ritchie film not only paints a ruthless picture of a vapid "Young American Miss" pageant, steadily refusing to grant the audience any note of reassuring sentimentality, but that its gags are often laugh-out-loud funny (particularly during the talent competition). Not all satires manage to operate on that more visceral level. The cast is full of faces who became much more familiar later -- Melanie Griffith, Annette O'Toole, Dennis Dugan, George Wyner, Colleen Camp -- but Bruce Dern stands out as the dim but well-meaning head judge (a car salesman during the rest of the year) who always tries to put an upbeat spin on life.
Leo L

Hilarious!