Miss Congeniality

With a plot that's as by-the-numbers as possible, Donald Petrie's latest transcends mediocrity (barely) on the basis of two good performances. Sandra Bullock's Gracie Hart is a tomboy FBI agent forced to go undercover, with the horrifying name of Gracie Lou Freebush, at the Miss USA pageant. As a take-no-shit Jersey girl, she's averse to the airhead inanities of pageant life. But after spending time with the other 49 gals -- surprise! -- she comes to appreciate their inner goodness and realizes that she too wants world peace. Bullock also wins the physical-comedy competition -- it's something that female leads don't often attempt, but the pph (pratfall-per-hour) ratio here is off the charts. Michael Caine puts in the second fine performance as the foppish beauty consultant charged with Gracie's makeover -- you can almost smell the gin on his breath. Otherwise, except for a few good lines ("Why is New Jersey called the Garden State? Because they couldn't fit `Oil and Petrochemical Refinery State' on the license plate?") and a Midnight Cowboy allusion that will doubtless sail over most audience members' heads, the comedy here is congenial at best. At the Flagship, Hoyts Providence Place 16, Showcase, Swansea, and Tri-Boro cinemas.
-- Mike Miliard