Python Hyena Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999): Dir: Michael Patrick Jann / Cast: Kirstie Alley, Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, Ellen Barkin, Allison Janney: Hilarious satire of beauty pageants and the deadly act of pride as beautiful faces conceal fuming hatred. The girls assemble in front of cameras and discuss their dreams then go through the pains and gains of preparations. Directed by Michael Patrick Jann who has an eye for comic timing and details the film with colourful sets. Kirstie Alley plays a past winner whose motives that are less than honorable. She represents the mother who pushes her daughter into where she once shined in order to relive the memory but her greed leads to downfall. Her daughter is played by Denise Richards who was given a gun and "aims to win" at the pageant. Kirsten Dunst lives in a trailer park with her mother and works at the local morgue. Dunst and Richards are not just at odds within the competition but also competing for the affections of the same male. Ellen Barkin is hilarious as Dunst's mother with a beer can burned into her hand after their trailer suffers an explosion. Allison Janney is also in top comic form as a friend of Barkin's who helps Dunst get preparation. Even the judges are out to lunch in their total lack of knowledge or experience in these events. It presents the false galore of judging physical beauty resulting in a comedy that is drop dead hilarious. Score: 10 / 10

popcorninhell The quaint tales from Lake Wobegon have nothing on this pitch black fable from Mt Rose's, Miss Teen Princess Pageant. Captured by a supposed documentary film crew over a course of a few weeks, "Drop Dead Gorgeous's" biting satire and gallows humor hits you like a malfunctioning stage light to the head.Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst) is a modest teenager with the modest goal of performing her dance routine in front of her mother (Ellen Barkin) who was a former beauty queen. Amber's other idol, Dianne Sawyer was also a beauty pageant winner so it only makes sense she's in it to win it. Her chances of taking home the prize however are dimmed at every turn by town rich girl Becky Leeman (Denise Richards) and her overbearing, duplicitous mother, (Kristie Alley) who is also the pageant organizer. As "accidents" start to occur and bodies start to pile up around town it is clear something's rotten in the State of Minnesota.You might gleam that this film pokes a lot of fun at beauty pageants. Well, you'd be right but small town America gets by far the largest skewering as evidenced not only with the exaggerated Midwestern accents and trailer park foolishness but the corruption of the pageant itself. Each character, even the background ones leave an indelible mark, showcasing a parade of farcical character traits and neurosis topped only by their particular "talents". They are of course oblivious to their own faults allowing the film crew to edit their doc with levels upon levels of delicious irony.People who deride this film because it doesn't rise to the level of "Waiting for Guffman" are making a false comparison. "Guffman" uses the mockumentary style as its own genre. The humor stems not from anarchic comedy or exaggerated satire but from the human elements captured' on film. Christopher Guest's characters are more three-dimensional and as a result the satire culminates in warm lighthearted jabs. "Drop Dead Gorgeous" on the other hand is a dark comedy with the mockumentary style serving only as a gimmick. The style isn't fundamentally important to the themes like in "Guffman" yet important to amplify a few key gags.And boy are these gags effective! Nearly every joke hits it mark. Due credit should be given to scribe Lona Williams who also penned and story edited much of the Drew Carrey Show. But I reserve my largest accolades to the cast. Not only do Dunst, Barkin, and Alley deliver but so does the supporting cast which includes Allison Janney Brittany Murphy, Amy Adams, Mindy Sterling and even walk-ons by Adam West and the always funny Nora Dunn.In conclusion, for those who like their satire cold and black, and those who can appreciate a largely female cast "Drop Dead Gorgeous" maybe just the shot in the arm you need.http://theyservepopcorninhell.blogspot.com/

copperncherrio The Minnesota accent is fantastic and the details to humor is just brilliant. Granted not everyone in Minnesota sounds like that, but it is a far more of an accurate accent than the strong one in Fargo. It's fair to say this because I actually live 30 minutes from Minnesota. There's just so much going on in the background and as silly as everything is, you are really rooting for Dunst's character, even though the tone is so "Strictly Ballroom" (outrageous and sweet). The documentary style is perfect for this it brings out the charm and ugliness of the whole story.Honestly, I'm just surprised that this movie wasn't and isn't more popular. Or at least some sort of cult classic. I miss humor like this. I'd trade awkward silence to sweet satire any day. *Also I love Amy Adams in this film, from a Stripper to Enchanted princess... a girl can really dream.

efs2 I just watched this again for the first time in a few years. And it is even more hilarious than I remembered. The script is wicked, creating satire that assaults the senses like a baseball bat to the gut. The cast is perfect. Just about everyone delivers an inspired performance, and there are too many to talk about all of them. But the least likely is worth mentioning. Denise Richards is brilliant as a born-to-be beauty queen, the daughter of the local pageant manager, played by Kirstie Alley. Her "talent" performance is the dark highlight of the movie, so ridiculously over-the-top that that you may feel the need to wince. Try not to. If you close your eyes for even a moment, you'll miss something.Brittany Murphy also deserves a special mention. She plays a goofy, good-natured contestant in what would be a throw-away role for many actors. But Murphy brings a charm and commitment that makes it work. And she is rewarded with what I think is the best line in the movie.