Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

Review by: Sophia Boccard

SophiaBoccard@TheCinemaSource.com

Movies filmed in Vegas usually consist of one of four case-scenarios: 1) Stealing money from a major casino, 2) Wasting your life away on gambling, prostitution, and drugs, 3) It can be the home of struggling workers/cowboys, or it can be
4) Hosting a tournament of some sort.

Now, the last movie I saw set in Vegas was The Cooler. Not exactly a great movie, but it definitely had some "Vegas spirit". Nevertheless, in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, we are not only introduced to the many familiar scenes of Vegas, but we are also immersed in one of the most original forms of comedy Sandra Bullock has ever done.

Three weeks after disarming a threat against the Miss United States Pageant, Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) becomes an overnight media sensation. Forced into a new position of celebrity instead of agent, and dealing with her fresh breakup with Agent Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), she finds herself on a new assignment, becoming "The New Face" of the Bureau. After some time on her stint as the "face of the FBI," her best friend, Cheryl Frazier (Heather Burns), and emcee Stan Fields (William Shatner) are kidnapped and it is up to Gracie Hart to save the day. With her new partner-in-crime Sam Fuller (Regina King) and her obviously gay stereotype, but undeniably funny personal beauty assistant Joel (Diedrich Bader), Gracie Hart, while stumbling and at times outright falling on her face, she does her best to save her friends and redeem herself in the eyes of the Bureau.

Sandra Bullock has been, and rightfully so, affectionately known as America's Sweetheart ever since playing the role of Annie in Speed. We can argue that most of Sandra's films have incorporated some elements of romance whether it is a romantic-comedy or a drama that has romance in it. Yet, the most fascinating element of MC 2 is that it finds Bullock with absolutely no romantic rapport what-so-ever. I found myself waiting for a prince charming to come "rescue" Gracie Hart, but thankfully, it never happens.

The film brilliantly portrays a woman who is coming to terms with herself and with all the complications of relationships, while unhappily emersed in the absence of one. From the moment the movie started, the comedic punch-lines and sassy comments were constant. Jumping form New York to Vegas and back again, the settings were well chosen and the action was definitely more elaborate and a certain 'one up' on the original movie.

Succeeding in never imitating the original, but instead, expanding the storyline and the lives of the characters is by far and away the most impressive aspect of this film. The original Miss Congeniality was about teaching a tough girl how

to be a lady. The sequel presents the challenge of reminding the reformed 'lady,' that there are still times in life when you have to kick some ass"¦ even if it means messing up your hair and breaking a few nails.

Bullock shows a true and vulnerable character arc worthy of her talent and past achievements. As reticent as I was when I first heard about her choice to revisit a former hit, (anyone recall Speed 2??? She promised that would never happen again!), I had no choice after watching it but to admit that she really made a fantastic choice in pursuing this project.

Movie Grade: B+

About the Movie
The story catches up with FBI agent Gracie Hart shortly after she successfully disarmed a threat against the Miss United States Pageant while working undercover as a contestant in “Miss Congeniality”. Having become a media celebrity following her heroic pageant exploits, Gracie has been spending more time lately at the salon than the shooting range, working the talk show circuit and promoting her book. When her friends, pageant winner Cheryl and emcee Stan, are kidnapped in Las Vegas, Gracie’s all-out efforts to jump back into action to save them puts her at loggerheads with the FBI top brass who don’t want to risk losing their mascot and fear she might not be up to the job anymore.