At the Movies: 'Miss Congeniality'

Truly, we have mined the beauty pageant satire to death, have we not? <br><br>Just a few months ago, Minnie Driver starred as a cutthroat pageant queen in ``Beautiful,'' Sally Field's unfortunate

Tuesday, December 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Truly, we have mined the beauty pageant satire to death, have we not?

Just a few months ago, Minnie Driver starred as a cutthroat pageant queen in ``Beautiful,'' Sally Field's unfortunate directing debut. ``Scary Movie,'' which spoofed pretty much everything this summer, even found time to poke fun at pageants.

Denise Richards and Kirsten Dunst duked it out for the crown in last year's ``Drop Dead Gorgeous.'' And we could spend all day talking about the TV movies made after JonBenet Ramsey's 1996 murder, condemning the parade of tiny beauty queens.

Now, here she is, ``Miss Congeniality,'' with Sandra Bullock as a clumsy FBI agent who goes undercover at the Miss United States contest to track down a terrorist.

Nothing is terribly innovative: The pageant world is shallow, the hair big, the smiles plastic.

But ``Miss Congeniality'' isn't nearly as excruciating as it may sound, simply because Bullock is so likable. Saccharine, feel-good moments that would be pure torture in anyone else's hands are merely tolerable here.

How's that for a ringing endorsement?

As the unrefined Special Agent Gracie Hart, Bullock undergoes a makeover because she's the only woman in the bureau young enough to pose as a pageant contestant. Of course, she's Miss New Jersey, which allows room for lots of hackneyed Garden State zingers. And the pageant itself takes place in San Antonio, so there are stereotypical Texas jokes, too.

Although turning Bullock into a gorgeous creature is hardly difficult, Michael Caine gets the task as the foppish, condescending pageant consultant Victor Melling. He is Henry Higgins to Gracie's Eliza Doolittle. Caine is working below his element here, but after playing serious roles in ``Quills'' and ``The Cider House Rules,'' he said he wanted a change of pace.

Victor brags that his clients have won the Miss United States pageant 10 of the past 11 years. ``The year we lost,'' he deadpans, ``the winner was a deaf-mute. You can't beat that.''

There are other small, funny moments.

During the show's interview portion, when all the other contestants wish for world peace, Gracie responds with a perfect smile that she wants ``harsher punishment for parole violators.''

William Shatner brings his quirky energy to the role of Stan Field, the pageant's longtime master of ceremonies. Just seeing him the first time he appears on screen is good for a laugh.

And Heather Burns steals nearly every scene she's in as a goofy, sweet contestant from Rhode Island.

Candace Bergen seems out of place and tries too hard as the obsessive head of the pageant and a former beauty queen herself. Benjamin Bratt, as a fellow FBI agent, just gets to look good â€” there's a gratuitous scene of him in a swimming pool.

Toward the end, the film, directed by Donald Petrie (``Grumpy Old Men'') and credited to three screenwriters, missteps by shifting its tone. ``Beautiful'' made this mistake, too. After skewering pageants all along, the film ultimately embraces them as a way for young women to meet each other and make something of their lives. You can't have it both ways.

``Miss Congeniality,'' a Warner Bros. Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for sexual references and a scene of violence. Running time: 110 minutes.

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Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G â€” General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG â€” Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 â€” Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R â€” Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 â€” No one under 17 admitted.