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| Special Features: |
Audio Commentary by Director Donald Petrie
Audio Commentary by Actress Sandra Bullock and Writer Marc Lawrence
9-minute Featurette "Preparing for the Pageant"
11-minute Featurette "The Pageant"
Deleted Scenes
Trailer
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| Video Format: |
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
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| Captions: |
English, French.
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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Well, just so you know up front, I'm a HUGE Sandra Bullock fan. Recently, she's gotten away from the roles that showcase her naturally cute charisma and charm. I'm happy to say that she makes a fantastic comeback in Miss Congeniality, a movie so goofy at times, you can't help but just laugh hard.
Sandra Bullock plays Gracie Hart, an FBI agent who must go undercover as a contestant in the Miss United States beauty pageant to stop a crazed group from bombing the event. As Miss New Jersey, Hart has three days to clean up her unpolished, unkempt style and become a poised, graceful contestant.
While the storyline is nothing to write home about (the beauty pageant satire has definitely become a worn out theme), the acting--mostly improvised--is hilarious and well-timed. Bullock is perfect for the part, once again playing her lovable, unabashedly spunky girl-next-door character, akin to her roles in "While You Were Sleeping" and "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway". Benjamin Bratt ("Law & Order") has the tough task of splitting the screen with Bullock as her FBI partner, but he pulls it off fairly well. Also good is Michael Caine, who interestingly enough plays Bullock's gay stylist, called in to "work some magic". Overall, a light, fluffy, and very entertaining comedy.
Great DVD. Two full length commentary tracks (a hilarious one with Bullock and writer Marc Lawrence),
some interesting deleted scenes, and a fluffy "you'll probably see this on HBO during the end credits"
featurette entitled "The Pageant" are the perfect compliment to the film.
Picture Quality: 8/10
Not as colorful as you might imagine, considering all the bounteous colors you'd expect to get
from a beauty pageant. Still, the colors are soft and natural, and work well for the film on DVD,
especially with all those close-up shots.
Sound Quality: 9/10
Excellent sound quality. Right from the get go, the film utilized the surround speakers in my
Dolby Digital 5.1 setup. The film's two "action" scenes are actually pretty impressive sound-wise,
and overall, the dialogue was very crisp.
Menu: 3/10
I'll warn you right now, I have yet to hear anything cheesier on a DVD menu for background music
than what plays in the Miss Congeniality menu. I'm not sure if it's one of those intentional "it's
so bad it's funny" inside jokes, but this is definitely not a disc you'll want to keep on the
menu for very long. Trust me.
Extra Features: 9/10
Like I briefly mentioned before, the commentary track with Bullock and scriptwriter Marc Lawrence
is hilarious. I'd almost say even funnier than the movie itself. It basically comes across like the two of them are sitting on the couch at home, cracking jokes and giggling about the production they were once part of. There are a couple of deleted scenes that are pretty funny to watch as well, in particular Bullock booty shakin' on the dance floor during a pageant practice.
The Final Word:
If you're not in the least bit amused by Sandra Bullock, this is DEFINITELY not the film for you.
Like I said before, it's light on the meat, but very funny at times. Standing on its own, the disc is nothing spectacular, but works as an excellent compliment to the film. Definitely worth a rental, or a nice addition to any Sandra Bullock fan's DVD library.
Stephen Wong
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