Clevercell
Very disappointing...
Matho
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Nicole
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Hajimoto0625
There are very few mocumentaries that I have seen that I actually liked, let alone loved. This movie falls into the 'Loved' category (along with 'This is Spinal Tap'). With an incredible cast, and non-stop dark, biting humor, Drop Dead Gorgeous is one of the few comedies that I've seen that had me laughing out loud.Kirstie Allie, Allison Janney, Ellen Barken, Brittany Murphy, a young Amy Adams, Kirstin Dunst, Denise Richards...so many great actors, and all do a great job. But special kudos go to Will Sasso and Michael McShane, who make an outstanding comedic team.There are some bits that could be considered in 'bad taste' by some, so if you are overly sensitive you may not enjoy it as much. But for the other 99%, check this film out as soon as possible. It is hilarious from beginning to end!
SnoopyStyle
It's 1995. The Sarah Rose Cosmetics American Teen Princess Pageant is the oldest beauty contest celebrating its 50th anniversary. In the rural town of Mount Rose, Minnesota, a documentary crew is filming the local chapter of the pageant run by Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley). Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst) is a hardworking, optimistic contestant following her cynical mother Annette Atkins (Ellen Barkin) and Diane Sawyer's footsteps. Loretta (Allison Janney) is their trailer park neighbor. Another contestant Tammy gets blown up in an unusual incident. She was the president of the gun club which rich girl Becky Leeman (Denise Richards) wanted. Amber's goofy friend Lisa Swenson (Brittany Murphy), perky cheerleader Leslie Miller (Amy Adams), and other wacky girls have also entered the pageant. There are creepy guys doing the judging. Another mysterious death occurs and Amber is suspicious.This is a faux documentary like a Christopher Guest movie except not as good. The idea is full of quirky potential. There are some chuckle moments but there isn't enough comedy. It needs those laugh out loud moments to keep going. The deadpan deliveries are expected to be funny by themselves but they're not. Dunst is great and these lovely girls do try. Overall, it just needs to be funnier.
bh_tafe3
There were a lot of really good films in the late 90s that came and went un noticed, some found an audience on VHS and others simply slipped away into the weekly rental section and stayed there until DVDs took over, resulting in such films being all but forgotten. It's a shame such a fate befell Drop Dead Gorgeous, a dark, funny and genuinely clever lampooning of the beauty queen pageant done as mockumentary.Drop Dead Gorgeous focuses on a film crew who are making a documentary about a local beauty pageant, interviewing all of the contestants and event organizer Gladys (Kirstie Alley) a former pageant winner who's daughter Rebecca (Denise Richards) is entering this year's pageant. Two things quickly become obvious: that ill fortune is befalling many of the entrants and the only serious contenders and Rebecca and girl-next-door Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst). Amber comes from a trailer trash family (Ellen Barkin plays her mother), and works making up dead bodies at the local funeral home. A young Brittany Murphy and Amy Adams also star.The film is well written, finding a good blend of darkness and humour and always keeping a light tone, which is the key to the film's charm. Some scenes verge on being brilliant and the performances, particularly Kirstie Alley, are all first rate.While the film can be enjoyed on multiple viewings, it's not really the type you watch over and over, which also would have counted against it as an appealing VHS purchase.Fun, dark and well made, Drop Dead Gorgeous is well worth tracking down.
JamieWJackson
Perhaps knowing Minnesota better would make this a more enjoyable film. I don't know much at all about it, and I found myself cringing more than laughing. There were some good moments, but they sank under the weight of too many ham-handed "laugh at this stereotype" ones. This person loves Jesus! Ha! Ha! How funny! Wait, she's using Jesus' name as a swear word! She's a hypocrite! What a knee-slapper! Hey, this guy is a pervert! Ha! Haha! Oh that's hilarious! The problem is that most of these things aren't funny at all, at least on their own. Again, maybe knowing Minnesota better would bring out the humor, but if that's the case then this is a giant "in joke", and I'll provide the warning for those who aren't "in" to probably just skip this movie.The last 15 minutes didn't feel like they fit; the story felt like it should end with the contest we were following for all of the first 4/5 of the movie. After that I wasn't sure where we were going, or why. The movie's focus seemed to change from the original contest to the contest winner. Either redo the first 4/5 of the movie to make it focus on her, or else lose the last bit so the focus stays on the contest.Also, why did Kirstie Alley's character do what she did in the parade? Her comments both before and after indicate that she knew what was going to happen when she did it, so...!?! That bit just made no sense.I did really like Ellen Barkin and Allison Janney. They did a lot with the material they were given. Most of the other characters... again, I guess I just didn't get it.3/10: 1 for a few laughs, 1 for Ellen & Allison, and 1 for the eye candy, Amy Adams and Denise Richards in particular -- and am I getting old or can I throw Ellen in there too? (I love Brittany Murphy but I didn't like her that much here, which I blame on this movie just not being very good; she plays a similarly goofy character in 1997's "Drive" which I absolutely loved, so if you like her energy here, check out that one.)
