This movie is better than its reviews. It does wander a bit in the second half, but engaging performances make it worth watching. Minnie Driver is well chosen- attractive , but human. Joey Lauren Adams steals the movie. Not about to change your life ( not a " message movie"), but does subtly make some nice points about beauty and beauty contests, families, friendship and self-esteem.
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Brian B-213 August 2001
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helpless_dancer11 February 2004On the unbelievable side but still an interesting look at a woman totally dedicated to winning beauty pageants as a way to build self esteem. A pushy, driven person who never quite grew up and leaned heavily on a childhood friend for the guidance and support she never received growing up in a loveless home. Good show with a 2 hankie finale.
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films4216 September 2001OK so this film isn't destined for any Academy Awards, but it's a warm, winning flick that deserves to be recognized for it's very real strengths. Minnie Driver is usually wonderful, & she's wonderful here as Mona. Even as a kid (played by Colleen Rennison), Mona is feisty & determined, but you always see the ache beneath the bluster. We like Mona; you will too!
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george.schmidt28 April 2004BEAUTIFUL (2000) * Minnie Driver, Joey Lauren Adams, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Leslie Stefanson, Bridgette L. Wilson, Kathleen Turner, Ali Landry, Michael McKean. (Dir: Sally Field) I wish I could say something nice about Sally Field's big screen directorial debut but through no fault of her own (except accepting this god-awful comedy/drama to do just that) the film is a complete disaster.
Mona (Driver, who co-produced with her sister Kate) is a white trash young woman desperately attempting to achieve her life-long desire of becoming a beauty contestant winner of the Miss America pageant and spends the entire length of her life (and the film) in doggedly determined to do just that.
Unfortunately during her quest she gets pregnant and for reasons never fully explained (except the given that she is extremely selfish) has the child raised by her long-suffering best friend, Ruby (Adams), a nurse in an old folks' home, who stands by Mona through thick and thin. Gradually little Vanessa (Eisenberg, the moppet from those Pepsi commercials), begins to put two and two together and when Ruby is suddenly thrown in jail (for murder! Yes the plotting is ridiculous; seems one of her charges was saving up on her daily meds and finally overdosed unbeknownst to Ruby) Mona is faced with her greatest challenge: facing her daughter.
The film has not one shred of grace or subtlety. For example, with Vanessa as her new hurdle to overcome, what does Mona do. Get a lawyer, get a job, feed the tyke? No. She gets a camera and has the girl take candids of her for the upcoming big event and in one of the many cringe worthy moments finds herself assisting a pregnant woman's delivery in a supermarket, singing 'Wind Beneath My Wings' (!) The tone of the character is so mean-spirited that ultimately you don't care one iota if she succeeds in becoming a winner (she is so obsessed with this that nothing else matters in her life) and I actually loathed her for her displays of self-absorption and greed.
It was sickening and by the film's outrageous conclusion that Mona sees the errors of her way totally rings false and feels superfluous to the rest of the film.
Field, who obviously is one of our most talented actresses, should deserve better projects and one can only hope she will. As for Driver, another equally gifted actress, she had better get it into her head that there is no audience for a character that has no scruples, heart or affection for another character. If this was meant to be a black comedy then it completely misses the mark altogether. -
films4216 September 2001OK so this film isn't destined for any Academy Awards, but it's a warm, winning flick that deserves to be recognized for it's very real strengths. Minnie Driver is usually wonderful, & she's wonderful here as Mona. Even as a kid (played by Colleen Rennison), Mona is feisty & determined, but you always see the ache beneath the bluster. We like Mona; you will too!
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acaka-15 August 2002This movie was well acted, but that is the only good thing I have to say about it. It was slow and the ending was ridiculous; The message (this will give away the ending) is that it doesn't matter what choices you make the rules don't apply to you. I disagree, once you make a choice you do not get to choose the consequence. And I am sick of Hollywood trying to tell us otherwise.
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=G=2 September 2001"Beautiful" tells of a girl's life-long quest to become a beauty queen with Driver playing the adult version of the central figure. The film begins as a fresh, fun, and creative comedy romp but turns a little too serious in the middle wandering haphazardly into the drama genre while conjuring up a whole bit about a friend (Adams) going to jail which doesn't really serve the theme, plot, or purpose of the film. Nonetheless, it does manage to pull itself together in with a so-so feel good ending. Worth a look for those who don't mind sappy little comedies.
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SPOILERS THROUGH:
I did not think Beautiful was bad so much as unstructured. One minute the audience was watching a rather serious drama, the next almost a spoof on pageants. I really don't think the whole pageant movie thing has become overdone yet but most movies about this subject, in my opinion, just aren't very good. Beautiful has some nice moments but by and large it's all over the place as far as genres go (drama, comedy, satire). I think it really should have stayed just a drama because the plot was interesting and the cast was good.
As far as Driver's performance goes, she was convincing. The problem is that so much of what takes place is such a satire that it's almost impossible to take the serious moments seriously. The character of Mona also changes so abruptly that it is impossible not to be skeptical. Instead of so much silly satire it would have been nice if more character development of Mona had gone on. I could buy the fact that she grew and matured but more time was needed in the movie to show her transition. We don't get to see enough character development of anyone and to much time is wasted on things that have no relevance to the plot such as the scheming reporter who wants to ruin Mona's reputation. What was the point with that? It did not even fit into the storyline.
The best aspect of this movie was the character of Vanessa who was played not just well, but with excellence. I really enjoyed her scenes with Mona and actually really enjoyed a rare few moments of this movie that had a whole lot of potential (it's nowhere near as Bad as many critic reviews say in my opinion and at least they didn't throw in an unconvincing romance and make the whole thing a romantic comedy to boot.) But it's like the movie gave up and decided it did not need to make a strong effort on structure and character development or something.
If a bit more effort had gone into dialog, if Mona's character had been a bit more developed, if some of the silly stuff had been dropped and if Mona's and Vanessa's relationship had unfolded a bit more realistically this movie would have been quite something. As it stands it's about average. -
Bachfeuer1 October 2000The contrast between the newspaper reviewers--who clobbered "Beautiful"--and its generally favorable bulletin board comments is extreme. The movie I saw is funny, entertaining, and has something thoughtful to add to discussion of gender politics, as well as to the various earlier films about beauty pageants.
"Beautiful" asks whether or not it is OK to continue having beauty pageants, and yet drop the requirement that the participants have refrained from motherhood, thereby straying from the pageants' vestal virgin ceremony origins. "Beautiful" answers in the affirmative, since that way pageants may yet have value in the personal development and empowerment of young women. If they are done with a little common sense, pageants need not be about objectifying or patronizing women
Apparently, that view was too politically incorrect for most big media critics. How would they have reviewed "Beautiful," had it been directed by Robert Altman instead of Sally Field? -
dan_in_denver28 August 2002I caught this movie the other day and I was pleasantly surprised! I will watch just about anything Minnie Driver does because, in addition to being REALLY easy on the eyes, she is also a very talented performer.
In this film, Driver plays a Beauty Pageant conetstent that is driven (no pun intended) to win at all costs, even to the extent of lying about her own life and actively sabotaging the other contestants. It is difficult to talk about this film without giving away some of the surprises, so I will just have to say that this movie is entertaining even if it does end up ultimately being a "chick flick", and it might make you think about priorities in your life. 6/10 -
ginny330 September 2000I was very disappointed in this movie...it did have small scenes that were okay...the last 1/3 of the movie improved. The best scene was when Minnie Driver sang in the pageant and of course when she finally bonded with her daughter..couldn't believe it took her seven years. Considering the way she was raised by her mother..you think she would have known better than to treat her daughter the way she was treated. Oh well..it's not a perfect world!! Take lots of tissue for the ending..the napkins were a little hard on my face.
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For a great deal of the film my eyes did wander around as it is not the most riveting of film experiences; however, the ending was worthy of a standing ovation and tears.
Throughout the story, I found myself wondering whether I should sympathise with Mona, a woman with such a desire to win that she selfishly sabotages fellow contestants and locks her own daughter out of her life. On the other hand, I was able to relate to the story of a woman who strove to be the best only to falter and be dragged down by peers. In a sense, Mona is to be applauded for her determination to shine through a life of failure and loneliness - a true testament to the feats that can be achieved though hard work. Naturally, giving up her child to selfishly pursue a vain dream is almost despicable but it makes the triumphant ending ever so much more inspiring, that this confused human being triumphs not only over adversity to be crowned Miss American Miss, but more importantly, that she conquers her own self-centred frailties to realise the joy to be found in loving the beautiful gift of life she already possesses. -
Admittedly, this film was not one that should have expected to have a big audience...which is probably why it lost so much money. The first niche audience it had was that it was a woman's movie...but I'm not sure even most women would buy into this film. Nevertheless, I (as a man) liked it, although it is a tad bit depressing.
The most basic thing this movie is about is -- people who can't.
The main character is played by Minnie Driver. She is a young woman who has been aiming to win a national beauty pageant since she was a child. Unfortunately, she couldn't win those child pageants because she couldn't compete with girls who were naturally beautiful, had supportive parents, and a sense of taste. The first part of the film is the character as a cjild, but then Minnie Driver plays the young woman. Driver is good here, although what she's good at is playing a character who is totally self-absorbed and totally selfish.
Joey Lauren Adams plays the best friend, who is totally supportive, going so far as to adopt Driver's illegitimate child so she can still compete in the "miss" contests. I'm not familiar with her from other films, but she's quite good here, and plays a character who can't defend herself when she is accused of killing a nursing home patient she cares for.
Hallie Eisenberg plays the illegitimate daughter. What a natural! The supporting actors do well here, including Kathleen Turner. Turner plays a former beauty contestant who couldn't compete, but now trains children to become beauty contestants. The mother of Driver in the film plays the mother who can't...successfully raise a child.
So, this is a movie about those who can't. The question is, will Driver's character grow up and develop some substance? Of course, we know the answer, but what's very solid about this film is that it doesn't come easy. Admittedly, the ending is a bit unrealistic. But it works, and makes the statement Sally Field (director) apparently wanted to make.
Is it a great film? No. But it has substance to it, and, there are those who will agree that it's well worth watching. -
rjison900023 August 2003Very stupid ending to a very bad movie. Minnie Driver isn't that good looking, had a stupid answer to her question that nobody could understand unless they had followed her around for 6 months, her talent part was horrible, yet she wins and everyone is happy about it. Only in a bad movie with a bad script does this nonsense happen.
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ML36815 January 2001I will agree that this movie is not perfect. But it did not deserve to be slaughtered by the critics. There are some genuine, touching moments in this film as well as some big laughs. Minnie Driver plays Mona, a beauty contestant who will do anything to win, including denying the fact that she has a young daughter which would automatically exclude her from the contest. When a bitchy reporter, played to perfection by Leslie Stefanson, threatens to expose her, Mona is forced to make a few decisions about what is really important. Yes, the ending was a bit corny, but I gave into it anyway, and was cheering right along. The scene with Mona and the other beauty contestant finalist in the sound proof booth was just terrific. I hope more people watch this movie on video than saw it in a theater because there is definitely a lot to recommend in this film.
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The film kept my attention, despite some MAJOR character issues, and contrivances. I found it entertaining, but predictable...and at times just too over the top for its own good. Those who can't stand "hoaky" should wait for Sally's next film.
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dabiz4 August 2002Possibly the worst movie I've ever had the disposition to sit through. For starters its minnie driver, a horrible actor who could never play anybody but her own personality which adds no element to any character she plays. Second, the Pepsi girl works for PEPSI, thats about it, she comes off as unreal, and incredibly annoying. Lastly, when is anyone drawn into to caring, personally all I ever saw was that this stuck up girl abandoned everybody that ever got close to her and when she really needed someone they did what she did to them all her life. There was no reason to ever make this movie, more people probably voted for it than actually saw it. If I could erase the memory of one movie in my whole existence, beautiful takes the cake
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FlickJunkie-228 February 2001This is Sally Field's directorial debut in a feature film and I give her mixed reviews. Most of the criticism I have with this film is the way it is directed. It has a schizophrenic presentation. On one hand, it is a satire about beauty pageants and the women who compete in them. On the other, it is a serious story about a young woman trying to overcome her mother's rejection and validate her self worth by winning beauty contests. Added to the dramatic element is a personal growth epiphany, as the shallow beauty queen comes to terms with life's priorities, embracing her daughter as being more important than her dream.
Either of these elements could have worked alone, but together they are incongruous. The satire trivializes the human-interest story, and the human-interest story weighs down the comedy. Field's direction, as has been recently true of her acting roles, is best suited for the human-interest angle. In this film, that is the strongest element. Despite my being cynical about how predictable and schmaltzy this story was, I still couldn't help being choked up at the end, sappy as it was. This is to Field's credit as a dramatic director. However, her attempt to fuse the two discordant elements is misguided and it detracts from the overall entertainment value of the film.
The acting is generally good. Minnie Driver is a far better dramatic actor than she is a comedian and that is reflected in this film. In the satirical comedy scenes, her acting is very forced and artificial. In the serious dramatic scenes with Mona's mother and daughter, she is compelling and believable. Joey Lauren Adams gives a consistently excellent performance as Mona's best friend and Vanessa's surrogate mother. Adams is lovable, steady and kind, and she effuses sincerity. This film is a showcase for Hallie Kate Eisenberg, the Media's latest child phenom. A favorite in commercials and on the Jay Leno show, Eisenberg shows in this film that she can really act, delivering an astonishing performance as Mona's pouty but perceptive child (`I'm seven, I'm not stupid!').
This is a good film for women. The comedy is not that funny, but the mother-daughter angle will be good for a Kleenex or two. I rated it a 7/10, including a one-point bonus for the schmaltzy but effective ending. Guys bring a copy of Sports Illustrated and a flashlight. -
OK, I read the reviews saying that this movie was not good, but I wanted to see for myself how much of an actress Hallie Eisenberg really is. I can now say that I think she is quite talented and probably has a bright future ahead of her. She had about half of the few genuinely funny lines in the movie (I'm seven--not stupid!"). As for the rest...the first 2/3 wasn't awful. Decent acting that carried the movie along adequately despite the awkward dialogue. But once the action got to the "big pageant" at the end, it just got completely cheesy, and not in a good way. We were laughing in disbelief at the sentimental schlock that the writer/director/producers/whoever seemed to think was heartwarming, and at the plot points that just made no sense whatsoever. My husband, who is by and large very uncritical of movies and can find the good in anything, commented as the credits rolled, "I don't think I've ever seen a movie that crashed that hard at the end." It's an interesting idea for a story, but I agree with Roger Ebert that the script needed a re-write or two before being filmed.
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stuntman-523 November 2001This was one of the best message films I have ever seen. It is not just a story. It is a lesson on life. Great Casting, great story and great directing. In my book those three things make for a great film. I have to believe that anyone that voted less than an eight on this film has to be on a parallel with the evil stepfather in the film (a person that just never will get it). The story has depth to the point of having hidden depth even beyond that. Sally Field has hit a home run in my book. Watch it, you will be glad you did.
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love-azure22 May 2005I read one comment given by other people,said it is one of the messiest film, I don't think so ,although Mona does something we dislike ,she also felt guilty . And just like someone said before there is someone who need to give up something to fulfill their dreams.And she sticks her dream so long ,who can hold our dream like her, from the childhood till the adulthood.as chairman Mao has sail, so many deeds cry out to be done and always urgently ,time presses, ten thousand years is too long, seize the day ,seize the hour !everyone needs to utmost their best to make the dream come true!
PS: I like the song very much,who can tell me the name, ,thanks a lot! -
info-61071 July 2006I actually thought I would never find a movie, that could beat Ultraviolet. This is worse. Actually Beethoven is even worse than this, but this one also sucks incredibly much. You already know, how it's going to end and that stupid woman is going to be picked as Miss. America and announce that she is a mother. I wish I never saw this movie, cause it's like a piece of meat, that is stuck between my teeth. Don't rent this or see it. It's horrible as hell. The characters are not convincing. Especially the little spoiled girl, who talks like 30 year old. And that everybody starts voting for Miss. Illonois, shows what a pathetic screenplay this was. I hope this movie rots in the basement of every video stores.
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A_Different_Drummer24 November 2013There is so much going on here that I have to suggest the critics may have been a tad unfair. First, the talent. We have Sally Field behind the camera, and in front we have no less than Minnie Driver and Joey Lauren Adams. The script to be frank has some flaws, but it aims high. Re-imagining the iconic Bette Davis story of (spoiler!!) a mother who has to pretend NOT to be the woman who gave birth to her own daughter, and setting the whole thing against a secondary story about modern pageants and the superficiality therein, is .... well... ambitious. And it also helps that Minnie Driver sings her own song (she has an excellent voice!) in the big finale. Now, truth be told, the two stories do not blend together in perfect harmony and there is some dissonance ... until the aforesaid pageant scene, which is pretty much worth the ticket. It is a 6-hankie extravaganza. It also helps that Hallie Kate Eisenberg pretty much steals every scene not otherwise nailed down. Clever casting, by the end of the film the audience suddenly realizes, OMG, she does look like Driver after all. Under-rated, and not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Driver's rendition of WILL YOU STILL LOVE me is a Youtube favourite, and deservedly so.
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capone66617 December 2018Beautiful
Pregnant women don't compete in Miss. America because the judges encourage abortion.
And while the contestant in this dramedy gave birth, she won't be rearing it.
When beauty pageant contestant Mona (Minnie Driver), Miss Illinois, gives birth she asks her friend Ruby (Joey Lauren Adams) to raise the child as hers so that she can continue competing in Miss. America competitions. But when Ruby is arrested, Mona must become a guardian to her estranged daughter (Hallie Eisenberg) who is unaware of their secret relationship. Haunted by her own abusive mother, Mona struggles to accept her parental responsibility.
While Mona's actions were unsettling in 2000, today they'd be typical of any online parent. Bearing this in mind, Sally Field's directorial debut may not be as implausible 18-years on. However, that still doesn't make this a worthy comedy.
Besides, everyone would know a pageant contestant was pregnant when the postpartum set in. Yellow Light
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Aussie Stud7 March 2002Before tuning into this garbage, I didn't know much about this movie at all. I actually had thoughts that "BEAUTIFUL" might be like "DROP DEAD GORGEOUS" or "MISS CONGENIALITY". Unfortunately, this boring and witless tripe was nothing like those movies and in fact turned out to be one of the worst movies that I have ever seen.
Many reviewers have suggested that this is a 'movie for women'. I find that to be highly ignorant and extremely biased. Many films that have been labeled 'chick flicks' I have thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, "BEAUTIFUL" is so disappointing in many aspects that I am sure that there are plenty of females out there who would also agree and admit that this movie was nothing short of being simply awful.
The biggest foible here was casting Minnie Driver in the lead role. A film about beauty pageants and beauty queens is not something that should be associated with Minnie Driver. Yes, it is a terrible thing to say, but if this movie wants to be realistic at all, Sally Field should have cast someone else who actually might look like they could crack the top 20 finalists at their local County Fair (let alone win a nationwide Beauty Pageant). We see her life through her eyes as a teenager as the film begins. She lives in Illinois, complete with trailer-trash parents and a 'hick' accent that would make Cousin Cletus blush with envy. She has some sort of obsession with beauty pageants and the need to be 'physically beautiful' when in fact she is nothing more than a plain-Jane wallflower. The person she portrays is very unattractive and unlikeable. She sabotages other contestants who participate in the same pageants as she does and she is constantly rude to her mother who does nothing less than to try and look out for her.
As she grows up, she becomes more selfish in nature and character and completely despicable. The most ridiculous part about this sudden 'transformation' is that Minnie Driver looks entirely different from the girl that we saw as teenager and her attempts to disguise her 'British' accent by putting on a fraudulent 'Mid-Western drawl' is nothing short of embarrassing and distracting. Her obsession with winning a beauty pageant has become her life-long dream and desire and she will stop at nothing in making it become a reality. In fact, her illegitimate daughter, (obnoxiously played by Hallie Eisenberg) is brought up by her best friend just so her 'dream' won't be sabotaged by the fact that she is her birth mother.
"BEAUTIFUL" goes up and down on the emotional scale from hereon in. The film isn't sure exactly what it wants to be - a black comedy perhaps, or a sentimental drama? You get so lost within the awkward timing of the events that take place in the movie, the intended audience reaction that should correspond with each incident gets the opposite effect. For example, at one point in the movie, the subject of pedophilia is examined as her drunken step-father puts the moves on her in the middle of night to which she responds by blowing a whistle and having the father falling back onto the vanity as if it were some comical misfire. Another moment would include an incident where her best friend is arrested on murder charges for assisting in the suicide of an elderly patient at the hospital where she works - when she is dragged away in handcuffs, the only emotional reaction given by both Minnie and Hallie is to bicker over the fact that the two don't want to live with each other! Never mind that their friend could be facing a life sentence or the death penalty if convicted!!
It is scenes like that where the audience feel like they're being taken for fools. Some truly ridiculous scenes would include Minnie Driver pushing a pregnant woman going into labor down the road in a shopping cart (!!!) and an outrageous incident involving a poor beauty pageant contestant getting her hands and arms severely burned by a sabotaged baton who then gets drenched with fire extinguisher foam being held by none other than Minnie Driver!
When the supposed 'black comedy' passes, the film takes a turn into sentimental territory where Minnie Driver realizes the 'true meaning' of being 'Beautiful' and what she must do to achieve it. I kept waiting for Bill Cosby to appear at the end of the movie to tell us what the 'moral of the story' was.
The only delight I got out of seeing "BEAUTIFUL" was the appearance of Ms Kathleen Turner as the head of a local beauty pageant organization... other than that, this film completely misfired in every single direction it turned. In the end, "BEAUTIFUL" came off as being completely trite and painstakingly boring. For the most part, I felt sorry for Sally Field - to have this credited under her Directing duties to be followed by an acting turn in 2001's "SAY IT ISN'T SO" - this is all she has to show for her TWO Oscar wins? Good grief!
Two big thumbs down! - 2 out of 10