Ditzy, but fun (Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed And Fabulous (DVD))

Name: sunmeilan

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Product:	Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed And Fabulous (DVD)
Date:	12/09/06 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Entertaining

Disadvantages: A little too similar to the first one

I’m not really a huge fan of Hollywood’s sugary sweet films, finding them too light and without substance, but occasionally I do like to watch something silly and light. I really enjoyed Miss Congeniality – I’m a big fan of Sandra Bullock and Michael Caine anyway – so when I saw this, I thought I’d give it a go, particularly as I’d borrowed two quite heavy foreign language films at the same time. I didn’t have particularly high expectations – it is rare that the second film is as good as the first – and perhaps because of this, I found this film enjoyably passed a couple of hours.

The story
Gracie Hart, FBI agent, who previously foiled a plot to kill Miss USA, has returned to normal service. Unfortunately, it is impossible to keep this up, because every time she goes undercover, someone recognises her and ruins her disguise. On top of that, her lovely boyfriend, her previous partner, dumps her and takes up a promotion elsewhere.

Gracie’s boss devises a new role for her – the face of the FBI – to prove to young girls in particular that you can look good and be an FBI agent. Joel, also a policeman, is hired to look after her image, and Sam, a female officer with a mean left hook is hired to be her bodyguard. Then suddenly Cheryl, Miss USA, and close friend of Gracie, and her boss, Stan Fields, are kidnapped and a ransom for their safe return is given out. Despite orders not to become involved, Gracie cannot help but be concerned for her friends and works together with Sam to save them.

The characters
I do really like Sandra Bullock as the ditzy, often unfeminine Gracie Hart. She has a way of going from looking positively unattractive to absolutely beautiful in a very natural way – something that cannot be put down to simply good make-up artists. I think it’s an excellent role for Sandra; I’ve seen her play more serious roles, for example in Murder by Numbers, but I think the humour in this film suits her acting. She makes me laugh anyway. She wasn’t quite as good as in the first film, but then this film is generally not quite as good as the first one.

Regina King plays Sam Fuller, Gracie’s bodyguard. Initially the two don’t get on; to the extent that it almost seems like a couple who are secretly attracted to each other, but soon discover that the other is not as bad as they originally thought. I have never heard of Regina King, although she did a pretty good job of a role that was naturally over-shadowed by that of Gracie.

Cheryl, Miss USA, played by Heather Burns, ought to be highly annoying, but perhaps because her role in the film is lighter than the other lead actors, I found her more endearing than anything else.

Diedrich Bader plays Joel in a role that is supposed to be very similar to that of Michael Caine in the first film. Joel is gay, which raises a few laughs, but other than that, I didn’t find him particularly impressive. Then again, following on from Michael Caine is always going to be difficult, so perhaps I’m being too hard on him.

The other two main characters are Stan Fields, played by William Shatner, and Jeff Foreman, Gracie’s main contact with the local police, played by Enrique Murciano. William Shatner is vaguely amusing, although he doesn’t get much of a chance to show off his skills. Jeff is boring and frankly dispensable; he is there as eye candy for the girls, but has no role apart from that.

Technical bits

Classification: PG

Running time: 110 minutes

Conclusion
I definitely didn’t enjoy it as much as the first film, but then I wasn’t really expecting to. The plot was that little bit too similar and I could easily have nodded off at points and still followed the film to its conclusion – the script is simple and as expected. However, it did fill a couple of hours pleasantly and following a rather gory Hong Kong thriller, it was welcome. I do hope that they don’t go for Miss Congeniality 3 though.

I can see this being suitable for children and anyone who wants some light entertainment and a bit of a laugh. It’s not a film I think I will ever choose to watch again, but I am glad that I picked it up. I do enjoy watching anything by Sandra Bullock – there is something comforting about her looks and acting – she is attractive, but in a non-standard sort of way and this makes her that bit different from other Hollywood actresses.

So, do I recommend it? Yes, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of your must-see list. It’s fun, but not much more than that. Three stars.

I watched the film only version, but the DVD is available from play.com for £5.99.

Summary: Fun, but that's all