Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Director:

Michael Patrick Jann

Writer (WGA):

Lona Williams (written by)

Release Date:

23 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The battle between the good and the bad is bound to get ugly.

Plot:

In a small Minnesota town, the annual beauty pageant is being covered by a TV crew. Former winner Gladys...

Plot Keywords:

Teen Movie | Arm Amputation | Mental Retardation | Beauty Pageant | Fake Documentary

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Kirsten Dunst	...	Amber Atkins
Ellen Barkin	...	Annette Atkins
Allison Janney	...	Loretta
Denise Richards	...	Rebecca 'Becky' Ann Leeman
Kirstie Alley	...	Gladys Leeman
Sam McMurray	...	Lester Leeman
Mindy Sterling	...	Iris Clark
Brittany Murphy	...	Lisa Swenson
Amy Adams	...	Leslie Miller
Laurie A. Sinclair	...	Michelle Johnson (as Laurie Sinclair)
Shannon Nelson	...	Tess Weinhaus
Tara Redepenning	...	Molly Howard
Sarah Stewart	...	Jenelle Betz
Alexandra Holden	...	Mary Johanson
Brooke Elise Bushman	...	Tammy Curry

Also Known As:

Dairy Queens (USA) (working title)
Gnadenlos schön (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for irreverent and crude humor, sex-related material and language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Iceland:L | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Village, Lakeville, Minnesota, USA

Company:

Capella International

Trivia:

The original title was "Dairy Queens", but it had to be changed after the corporation that owns the Dairy Queen ice cream chain filed a lawsuit.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the mayor of Mount Rose is introducing Amber as the state winner, Amber grabs a bullhorn. In the next shot, Amber does not have the bullhorn and it is nowhere to be found.

Quotes:

Becky Ann Leeman: [Becky is on the swan float] It smells funny. It smells like gasoline!
Gladys Leeman: So, what? Everything in Mexico smells that way.
Becky Ann Leeman: My dress will reek, Mother!
Gladys Leeman: I don't care. Your dad paid a pretty penny for this, so get your ass up there and show me some teeth!
[blows a kiss]
Gladys Leeman: Love ya, baby!

Movie Connections:

References The Exorcist (1973)

Soundtrack:

Love Is All Around

Simply Wonderful Black Comedy

Ellen Barkin is the trailer trash mother of Amber (Kirsten Dunst), Kirstie Alley is the homicidally ambitious mother of Becky (Denise Richards) a spoilt rich bitch. They will stop at nothing to make sure their daughters win the Mount Rose beauty pageant, and i mean nothing.

The whole movie is made in incredibly bad taste and for that reason alone, a lot of people will hate it; but i found it was very refreshing to see a black comedy of this quality for a change. It's wonderfully scripted and directed, and the cast is simply perfect; everyone in it appears to be relishing the humour in the movie and it shows in their performances.

If you like this kind of humour, you will love this, if you don't warm to black comedy then it's best left alone.

8/10 Personally i think its great.