History Film / MissCongeniality

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miss_congeniality_poster.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:The most beautiful klutz in the USA...]]

* ImprobableAge: Miss USA contestants have to be between 18 and 27. Sandra Bullock was 35 when the first film was made (an in-universe case of DawsonCasting, since Gracie mentions in an off-hand remark that she's at least thirty, but the FBI are still trying to pass her off as being in her twenties).

%%* BeautifulAllAlong: Gracie.

* BrainlessBeauty: Gracie starts the film thinking all beauty-conscious women are this. She's later proven wrong.

* HiddenDepths: The Miss America finalists, probably intentionally. Far from the air-headed bimbos Grace originally thought they'd be, they're revealed to all be very intelligent, accomplished women in their own right. For instance, Miss New York plays the clarinet, Miss California is a music major who sings opera, Miss Texas does charity work for children, Miss Rhode Island is a science major with a minor in particle physics, etc.

* TheLadette: Gracie is blunt and crude and the first scenes of the movie involve her drinking, kickboxing, eating like a slob, and talking crap to her male coworkers while disdaining traditionally feminine interests, even claiming she doesn't own a dress. Most of the movie's humor derives from her having to suppress this personality to go undercover in a role that requires to act like everything she is not.

%%* TallDarkAndSnarky: Eric, to match with [[DeadpanSnarker Gracie]].

* TheLadette: Gracie is blunt and crude and the first scenes of the movie involve her drinking, kickboxing, eating like a slob, and talking crap to her male coworkers while disdaining traditionally feminine interests, even claiming she doesn't own a dress. The humor of the movie's premise derives from her having to suppress this personality to go undercover in a role that requires to act like everything she is not.

** That she's [[HiddenDepths much smarter than she comes across]] is actually [[EstablishingCharacterMoment made clear right away]] - despite her ditzy way of introducing herself, she immediately deduces Gracie's identity because she memorized the names and faces of all the other contestants from the pageant orientation pamphlet and Gracie (whose picture wasn't in it) is the only other contestant she doesn't recognize.

%%* SheCleansUpNicely: Gracie.

%%* {{Tomboy}}: Gracie.

* TheLadette: Gracie is blunt and crude and the first scenes of the movie involve her drinking, kickboxing, and talking crap to her male coworkers while disdaining traditionally feminine interests, even claiming she doesn't own a dress. The humor of the movie's premise derives from her having to suppress this personality to go undercover in a role that requires to act like everything she is not.

%%* BeautyContest: The central premise.

* GroinAttack: The "G" in Gracie's impromptu "SING" self-defense course.

* TeamPowerWalk: PlayedForLaughs in ''2''. Gracie and Sam are dramatically walking side-by-side and in sync, [[BadassInANiceSuit dressed in business suits]] and wearing CoolShades while crossing the streets... then the moment gets ruined when a car horns at them because they're walking too slow.

* PowerWalk: Gracie and Sam get one after reverting to their grey FBI suits.

* BackgroundHalo: Kathy Morningside gets a Background Crown.
* BadassInANiceSuit: The FBI agents.

* BeautifulAllAlong: Gracie.
* BeautyContest: The central premise.

* PowerWalk: In both films. The first is the reveal, where we see SheCleansUpNicely. In the sequel, Gracie and her partner/bodyguard have one when they put on their dark suits.

* RunningGag: Gracie keeps trying to sneak junk food after being restricted to vegetables while undercover.

* SheCleansUpNicely: Gracie.

* TallDarkAndSnarky: Eric, to match with [[DeadpanSnarker Gracie]].
* {{Tomboy}}: Gracie.

* SassyBlackWoman: Sam Fuller.

''Miss Congeniality'' is a 2000 comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Creator/SandraBullock, Creator/MichaelCaine, Creator/BenjaminBratt, Creator/WilliamShatner, Creator/ErnieHudson, and Creator/CandiceBergen. Produced for Warner Bros. by Castle Rock and Village Roadshow.

* ShoutOut: [[Film/MidnightCowboy "I'm glidin' here!"]]

* BeYourself: The movie is all about Gracie discovering that after her {{Chickification}}, getting back her groove and acting as a ruthless FBI agent instead of a proper lady is refreshing, and ultimately she decides to give this lesson to a schoolgirl who idolized her, even reverting the girl's hair back to the [[PeekABangs eye-covering bangs]] she wore before.

* BabyTalk: When Eric (justifiably) balks at helping Gracie finish her self-defense demonstration, Gracie uses baby talk to gather support and encouragement from the crowd, and to shame him into helping her finish. He regrets it later (see below).

* RedHerring: A major plot point, concerning "The Citizen", the villain suspected of planning to blow up one of the girls at the pageant [[spoiler:or so the FBI believes as just before the final act, it's revealed that The Citizen has been apprehended and the case is very nearly closed as McDonald orders everyone to return home. Hart is the only one unconvinced and decides to see the case through to the end despite being forced to do so alone and as a private citizen]].

* TheyDo: Happens only to be subverted, as Gracie did get with Matthews, and then he breaks up with her [[NewhartPhonecall with a one-sided conversation]] and [[PutOnABus transfers himself to Miami]].

** And this meets LuckyTranslation in some Spanish versions: ¡ '''P'''lexo solar! ¡'''E'''mpeine! ¡'''N'''ariz! ¡'''E'''ntrepierna!

''Miss Congeniality'' is a 2000 comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Creator/SandraBullock, Creator/MichaelCaine, Creator/BenjaminBratt, Creator/WilliamShatner, Creator/ErnieHudson, and Creator/CandiceBergen.
Produced for Warner Bros. by Castle Rock and Village Roadshow.

* BackgroundHalo: Cathy Morningside gets a Background Crown.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Kathy Morningside is portrayed as antagonistic towards Gracie and defensive when it comes to feminists putting down the Miss United States pageant, but overall she seems to genuinely care for the contestants, what they represent, and how the pageant--- Errr, "Scholarship Program" can benefit the girls. [[spoiler:Turns out she's actually a bitter, malicious psychopath who wants to blow up this year's Miss United States winner with a rigged crown as retaliation for getting fired by the tv network.]]

-->"And we'll be right back with our five final lesbians. --''Interviews''!"

'''Cathy''': This is Texas. Everybody has a gun. My ''florist'' has a gun!

* InsistentTerminology: Ms. Morningside would like you to know that the Miss America contest is ''not'' a beauty pageant; it is a ''scholarship program.''

--> "The year we lost, the winner was a deaf-mute. You can't beat that."
* IronicEcho: After Victor, Kathy teaches Gracie on how a Miss United States contestant should act, particularly saying "yes" instead of "yeah". [[spoiler:It comes back to bite Kathy in the ass when she gets arrested.]]
--> '''Gracie:''' It is not a beauty pageant; it is a ''scholarship program''!\\
'''Kathy:''' ''(rolls eyes)'' Yeah, yeah.\\
'''Gracie:''' ''[[MeaningfulEcho Yes!]]''

* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:At the end, when Morningside's murder attempt is exposed and she is arrested by Gracie, she blames everyone and everything but herself.]]

[[spoiler:'''Gracie:''' What, you think that their dream is to get blown up?]]

* PlayingGertrude: Creator/EileenBrennan, who plays Stan Fields' mom, was actually a year ''younger'' than William Shatner.

* ParallelPornTitles: Gracie notes that the original Miss New Jersey would have had to drop out of the pageant anyway as she'd starred in a porn movie called "[[Film/{{Armageddon}} Arma-get-it-on]]" before competing.

%%* CloudCuckoolander: Cheryl. [Provide specifics before including again.]
%%* ConcertClimax: The end. [Provide specifics before including again.]

* MistakenForAnImposter: While investigating the abduction, Gracie is told there's a Dolly Parton impersonator involved. Unfortunately, the real Dolly Parton shows up to announce a world-wide tour and Gracie chases her.