While on the surface, the film comes off as a funny mockumentary, it's a lot more sinister than other teen-oriented films at the time. Namely, I am talking about the gratuitous amount of death and misfortune in the film and the vast array of unlikable people.
The plot surrounds around the lives of two teenage girls who are vying for the coveted role of a pageant princess title, the effervescent but working-class Amber (played by a fresh-faced Kirsten Dunst) and the typical wealthy mean girl Becky (played by a then-28-year-old Denise Richards, who is obviously too old and "well-versed" to play a teen anymore. If you don't know what I mean, go watch Wild Things or The World is Not Enough). They both by themselves are pretty average people with pretty lofty dreams, but the adults in her life, especially the latter's mother played by Kirstie Alley, are pretty vicious, cutthroat caricatures of humans that drags the film's charisma down.
Murder and other mayhem is on the menu in order to win this corn-fed, all-consuming title, especially since Becky's family rules the town with an iron fist. Anyone and everyone is collateral damage for their drive for success, be it fellow, one-note contestants killed off to thin out the herd, Amber's trailer home is blown up with her mother inside (thankfully, she survives, but loses a hand) and even a boy she liked is killed via an "accidental" gunshot wound via hunting (and the added cruelty of her discovering his body while at her funeral home makeup artist job).
To no one's surprise, the Rich Bitch won (but is soon killed off in an explosion rigged by some immigrant workers who couldn't take her father's casual racism any longer) and mommy dearest goes to prison after publicly admitting to one of the aforementioned killings. Even with them out the picture, the film still annoys me.
Genuinely interesting characters played by Allison Janney, Amy Adams and the late Brittany Murphy fade in and out of the plot to focus on the "heroes". A mentally-disabled character is a source of "humor" and derision. The judges are all low-classes dimwits. Evil Mom plots tevenge from prison and gets it after escaping and going on a shooting spree to kill Amber who got the title after mean girl's death and after a reporter is fatally shot by her in front of Amber, our hero starts reporting the news herself and ends up with her job, fulfilling her dream as a reporter. Did I fail to mention her goal? Probably because it wasn't important. Oh, and big pageant to determine who wins the state title. Cancelled due to the company sponsoring it going belly up on tax evasion or some shit. Lovely.
I do like cynical, self-referential humor, but this film is just too dark for my taste. As for the director/producers making this film for the "anti-Clueless crowd"? That film is still so powerful and quotable; this film will never go beyond cult classic for my mentioned reasons.
Film Somewhat chuckle-worthy, but ultimately disjointed and mean-spirited
While on the surface, the film comes off as a funny mockumentary, it's a lot more sinister than other teen-oriented films at the time. Namely, I am talking about the gratuitous amount of death and misfortune in the film and the vast array of unlikable people.
The plot surrounds around the lives of two teenage girls who are vying for the coveted role of a pageant princess title, the effervescent but working-class Amber (played by a fresh-faced Kirsten Dunst) and the typical wealthy mean girl Becky (played by a then-28-year-old Denise Richards, who is obviously too old and "well-versed" to play a teen anymore. If you don't know what I mean, go watch Wild Things or The World is Not Enough). They both by themselves are pretty average people with pretty lofty dreams, but the adults in her life, especially the latter's mother played by Kirstie Alley, are pretty vicious, cutthroat caricatures of humans that drags the film's charisma down.
Murder and other mayhem is on the menu in order to win this corn-fed, all-consuming title, especially since Becky's family rules the town with an iron fist. Anyone and everyone is collateral damage for their drive for success, be it fellow, one-note contestants killed off to thin out the herd, Amber's trailer home is blown up with her mother inside (thankfully, she survives, but loses a hand) and even a boy she liked is killed via an "accidental" gunshot wound via hunting (and the added cruelty of her discovering his body while at her funeral home makeup artist job).
To no one's surprise, the Rich Bitch won (but is soon killed off in an explosion rigged by some immigrant workers who couldn't take her father's casual racism any longer) and mommy dearest goes to prison after publicly admitting to one of the aforementioned killings. Even with them out the picture, the film still annoys me.
Genuinely interesting characters played by Allison Janney, Amy Adams and the late Brittany Murphy fade in and out of the plot to focus on the "heroes". A mentally-disabled character is a source of "humor" and derision. The judges are all low-classes dimwits. Evil Mom plots tevenge from prison and gets it after escaping and going on a shooting spree to kill Amber who got the title after mean girl's death and after a reporter is fatally shot by her in front of Amber, our hero starts reporting the news herself and ends up with her job, fulfilling her dream as a reporter. Did I fail to mention her goal? Probably because it wasn't important. Oh, and big pageant to determine who wins the state title. Cancelled due to the company sponsoring it going belly up on tax evasion or some shit. Lovely.
I do like cynical, self-referential humor, but this film is just too dark for my taste. As for the director/producers making this film for the "anti-Clueless crowd"? That film is still so powerful and quotable; this film will never go beyond cult classic for my mentioned reasons.