Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous (2005)

Director:

John Pasquin

Writers (WGA):

Marc Lawrence (characters) &
Katie Ford (characters) ...

Release Date:

24 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Plot:

After Cheryl Frasier and Stan Fields are kidnapped, Gracie goes undercover in Las Vegas to find them.

Plot Keywords:

FBI | FBI Agent | Undercover | Martial Arts | Las Vegas Nevada

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Sandra Bullock	...	Gracie Hart
Regina King	...	Sam Fuller
Enrique Murciano	...	Jeff Foreman
William Shatner	...	Stan Fields
Ernie Hudson	...	FBI Asst. Director Harry McDonald
Heather Burns	...	Cheryl Frasier
Diedrich Bader	...	Joel Meyers
Treat Williams	...	FBI Asst. Director Walter Collins
Abraham Benrubi	...	Lou Steele
Nick Offerman	...	Karl Steele
Eileen Brennan	...	Carol Fields
Elisabeth Röhm	...	Agent Janet McKaren
Leslie Grossman	...	Pam
Lusia Strus	...	Janine
Molly Gottlieb	...	Priscilla

Also Known As:

Miss Congeniality 2 (USA) (working title)
Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous (USA) (working title)
Untitled Miss Congeniality Sequel (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 | UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | UK:12A (original rating) | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

7 Lincoln Square, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Eileen Brennan, who plays Stan Fields' mom, is actually a year younger than William Shatner, who plays Stan Fields. He was born in 1931, she was born in 1932.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Stan looks older than his own mother.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[FBI agents in a Jim & Dan's Fine Foods van on their way to the bank for a sting operation]
Clonsky: Hey Hart, can you give me Miss Arizona's number?
Gracie Hart: Why would I do that Clonsky?
Clonsky: Cause she needs a man in her life.
Gracie Hart: Yeah, where do you fit in?

Movie Connections:

References What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)

Soundtrack:

Yearbook Montage

Bullock shines in a comedy that lacks laughs

Sandra Bullock returns as Gracie Hart, the federal agent who went undercover at the Miss United States pageant four years ago. When the pageant emcee Stan Fields (William Shatner) and Miss USA (Heather Burns) are kidnapped in Las Vegas, Gracie needs to put aside her cushy lifestyle on the talk show circuit to go back into action, taking on a very unhappy new partner in Sam Fuller (Regina King).

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous isn't as good as the original but it still manages to deliver some funny scenes. The original was a fun, harmless movie though nothing memorable. The sequel falls under the same category but it's not nearly as much fun as the first film. Actually, the fun factor is only seen in Bullock and King everything else was poorly handled. Sure there were some fun moments but certainly not enough to sustain the really long running time. Also, Michael Caine and Benjamin Bratt don't appear in the movie. I miss Caine since he was pretty funny in the first one. I don't really miss Bratt because he's not that good of an actor.

The acting is pretty good and it's the best thing the movie has to offer. Sandra Bullock gives a funny and enjoyable performance as Gracie Hart. Her charm is what carries this sequel and she proves to be a delight on screen. Regina King also gives a funny performance and she's a nice addition to the series. The chemistry between Bullock and King is great and their scenes together is what drives the movie. William Shatner and Heather Burns don't really do anything special. Diedrich Bader gives an annoying performance as Joel. Treat Williams and Enrique Murciano just play their roles as much as the screenplay allows it and they don't really do anything special.

I think the main reason why this sequel isn't as good as the original is because the premise is nearly the same. They could have been a little more creative with the story. Also, the original movie wrapped up nicely and it didn't demand a sequel. So, this movie seems like a cash in on a popular film and little time was actually spent on the script. The running time is 115 minutes and this could have been edited. There were a bunch of pointless scenes and the movie just doesn't contain enough fresh material to keep the film funny or interesting. Also, the film is very predictable and sitting through a long, predictable movie wasn't that much fun. I need to question the point of making a sequel. It seemed like a lazy attempt and the film was only average because of Bullock and King. In the end, this unnecessary sequel isn't really worth watching unless you're a fan of Bullock or King. Rating 5/10