DVD As a documentary crew follows the annual Mount Rose beauty pageant, fierce rivalry between the contestants soon gives way to a string of increasingly suspicious accidents.
Details
Every year the small Minnesota town of Mount Rose comes to a standstill for the Sarah Rose Cosmetics American Teen Princess Pageant. Winning the competition offers the chance of scholarships, television appearances and, for some contestants, an escape from small-town life. Needless to say, everyone takes it rather seriously.
A documentary crew has been granted unrestricted access to the competition and spends its time interviewing contestants, parents, judges and just about anybody else prepared to stand in front of a camera. The result is a wonderfully convincing fly-on-the-wall documentary that often feels uncomfortably real.
Amongst the contestants is Amber Atkins, an intelligent, hard-working teenager who dreams of becoming a television newsreader. Unfortunately, she also happens to be the biggest obstacle standing between local favourite Becky Ann Leeman and another inevitable victory for Mount Rose's wealthiest family.
Becky's mother, Gladys, organises the pageant and makes very little effort to hide the fact that she fully expects her daughter to win. As the competition approaches, a series of bizarre accidents begins removing contestants from the running, leaving everyone wondering whether simple bad luck is to blame or whether somebody is determined to ensure Becky receives her crown.
The increasingly desperate contestants continue smiling for the cameras whilst chaos unfolds around them. As more "accidents" occur, the documentary crew calmly records every embarrassing interview, awkward confrontation and spectacular disaster with complete professionalism, making the events somehow even funnier.
Although the premise sounds rather dark, the film rarely takes itself seriously. Instead it delivers a wonderfully cynical satire of small-town America, beauty contests and the lengths some parents will go to in pursuit of success. The mock-documentary approach works brilliantly, allowing the characters to reveal far more about themselves than they ever intended.
Picture & Sound
The non-anamorphic transfer is surprisingly impressive. Detail remains consistently sharp throughout, colours are natural and the image is pleasingly clean despite the deliberately low-budget documentary appearance. The presentation may not have the polish of more recent releases, but there is very little to complain about considering the source material.
The Dolby Digital soundtrack is equally solid. This is very much a dialogue-driven film, so don't expect your surround speakers to receive much of a workout, but conversations remain crystal clear and the music is well balanced. It's hardly a demonstration disc, yet it suits the film perfectly.
Menu & Extras
Unfortunately this Region 2 release is about as bare-bones as DVDs come. The film starts immediately, there are no meaningful special features and even the menus are disappointingly static. This is particularly frustrating when you discover that the Region 1 edition includes an anamorphic transfer together with a trailer and animated menus.
As ever, Region 2 collectors have managed to draw the short straw. The presentation is perfectly respectable, but considering how enjoyable the film is, it deserved a far more comprehensive special edition.
Overall
Drop Dead Gorgeous is one of those films that becomes funnier every time you watch it. The mock-documentary format is so convincing that many of the interviews feel completely improvised, and the deadpan delivery makes even the most outrageous situations believable.
Kirsten Dunst makes an instantly likeable heroine, but the supporting cast are the real stars. Allison Janney is absolutely hilarious as Amber's permanently cigarette-smoking stepmother, delivering some of the film's funniest one-liners with perfect comic timing. Kirstie Alley is equally entertaining as the fiercely competitive Gladys, whilst Denise Richards is wonderfully cast as somebody blessed with beauty but rather short on common sense.
The script is packed with memorable moments. The cat fights, endless bitchiness and wonderfully awkward interviews are consistently funny, but the regional pageant sequence, where virtually every contestant succumbs to food poisoning after eating seafood, remains one of the funniest scenes in the entire film. It is gloriously over-the-top and perfectly sums up the film's sense of humour.
Although the comedy is broad, there is a surprisingly dark edge running throughout the story. The increasing body count never overshadows the laughs, but it does give the film a wonderfully twisted atmosphere that sets it apart from the average teen comedy.
This may not be the best DVD package Universal have ever produced, but the film itself is an absolute gem. Sharp, witty and packed with memorable performances, Drop Dead Gorgeous deserved a far bigger audience than it originally received. If you enjoy black comedies and don't mind your humour being a little wicked, this comes highly recommended.
Special features
- None
