MISS CONGENIALITY — ** — Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine, Candice Bergen, Heather Burns, William Shatner, Steve Monroe, Ernie Hudson; rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity); Carmike 12 and Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16; Cinemark Jordan Landing Theaters; Loews Cineplex Broadway Centre, Holladay Center and Midvalley Cinemas; Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons.
You would never guess it from the trailer, but "Miss Congeniality" was probably inspired by either the musical "My Fair Lady" or its inspiration, George Bernard Shaw's stage play "Pygmalion."
Unfortunately, the surprisingly amusing "ugly duckling" subplot is only half of the story behind this decidedly inconsistent film, which changes its tone from wacky screwball comedy to an occasionally disturbing cop thriller and back again.
What's so disappointing is that when it's at its best, "Miss Congeniality" allows producer/star Sandra Bullock to shine in what's certainly her most promising lead role in many a moon.
And for some, that alone will be reason enough to see the movie, though those who are expecting to see a lighthearted romp may be put off by the many far too serious moments and the inconsistent material.
What it starts with, though, is not the worst of ideas: Bullock stars as Gracie Hart, a tomboyish FBI agent who's in the doghouse with her bosses after she makes a bad decision (one that gets one of her fellow agents shot).
Consequently, Gracie's reassigned to desk-job duty — until she receives a lucky break. The FBI receives a threat that they believe comes from the long sought-after terrorist known as "The Citizen," who may be planning to sabotage the Miss United States Pageant.
Agent Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), who's heading up the operation, needs someone to go undercover at the pageant — and guess who's the only available agent? You guessed it — Gracie. And she's not exactly thrilled at this turn of events.
But, seeing it as an opportunity to redeem herself, she agrees to pose as a contestant from New Jersey (after the FBI forces the real contestant to drop out), and the pageant officials (an unfunny Candice Bergen and an underutilized William Shatner) fix the contest to allow her to compete . . . at least through the preliminary competition.
However, she's going to need a lot of help to make the transformation from "Dirty Harriet" to beauty-pageant contestant, which is where consultant Victor Melling (Michael Caine) comes in. This perfectionist has helped winners before, but this time he's only got 48 hours to do it — and the biggest challenge of his career.
That part of the story should probably dominate the film, but the filmmakers (director Donald Petrie and screenwriter/executive producer Marc Lawrence) concentrate much of their attention on the FBI procedural elements, including a disastrous decision to add intrigue about the various suspects.
That decision doesn't allow nearly enough time for the relationship between Bullock and Caine's characters, though that is clearly the film's highlight, allowing both actors to shine.
Strangely enough, Petrie and Lawrence instead set their sights on cheap beauty-pageant humor (which has been done to death), and they also play up the possibility of a romance between Gracie and Eric, which doesn't work because of Bratt's stiff-as-a-board performance and the rather unlikable nature of his character.
"Miss Congeniality" is rated PG-13 for violence, including gunplay and hand-to-hand combat (not all of it played for laughs), scattered profanity and some crude humor. Running time: 110 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com