Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous: Movie & DVD Review (2005)

(Originally published 2005)

The Sandra Bullock movie, "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous," would undoubtedly like to be considered absolutely fabulous, but I'm afraid it doesn't live up to its title. "Armed with a Few Laughs" would come closer to the mark.

"Amputated by a Weak Script" would nail it.

The film is a sequel to 2000's "Miss Congeniality," a slight, funny comedy in which Bullock's mannish FBI agent Gracie Hart was forced to tart herself up in order to thwart a terrorist plot at the Miss United States pageant.

The running joke was that gruff, graceless Gracie could only do her job if she competed in the pageant, which demanded the sort of refinery and polished beauty that seemed out of Gracie's reach.

The film worked because of Bullock's go-for-broke charm, which is infectious, the reasonably witty script, and the fine supporting cast, which included Candice Bergen, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine and William Shatner.

This time out, Bergen, Bratt and Caine have gone missing, which sounds like a mistake because it is a mistake. Still, there is Shatner, who is in rare form here, and also there is Regina King of "Ray" as Gracie's FBI nemesis Sam Fuller, a brooding woman with a nasty left hook who brings to the movie the edge it needs, particularly in Bergen's absence.

As directed by John Pasquin from a script by Marc Lawrence, the action picks up three weeks after the last movie left off, with Gracie reeling after being dumped by her beau, Eric Matthews, and having to conquer several new challenges in her life, such as sudden fame and her own ego.

As the new, fresh-faced posterchild for the FBI, this Gracie has assistants to tend to her clothes, hair and makeup, a best-selling book based on her life, a thriving career on the talk-show circuit, fans to spare, and no time for the little people.

It's a stretch to believe that our Gracie could become so self-involved so quickly, and the movie suffers from the disconnect. Still, the story picks up when the winner of the Miss United States pageant (Heather Burns) and its emcee (Shatner) are kidnapped by a group of thugs demanding a ransom. It's an event that leads Gracie and her glittering entourage to Las Vegas, where she and Sam must enter a drag act in full regalia so they can get to the bottom of the case.

There are problems here, starting with the losses of Bergen, whose pluck is missed, and Michael Caine, who has been replaced by a ridiculously gay stereotype played by Dietrich Bader. The movie also is too long, with a sweet-as-soot closing manufactured to put dimples in our cheeks.

It doesn't. Thanks to the obvious telegraphing, you know this is exactly how the film will end.
Still, Bullock is Bullock and that's almost enough. Along with King, she's working hard here, pressing against mediocrity to create a worthwhile diversion for her fans. They'll appreciate the effort.

Grade: C+