dave s
In today's world, it would seem that beauty pageants would be an easy target for satiric ridicule. Not so in 1975, however, when pageants ruled. Michael Ritchie's Smile sets its sights on the Young American Miss Pageant, where the head judge, Big Bob (Bruce Dern), does his best to ensure an inspiring show for the folks of Santa Rose, California. For the most part, it's a light-hearted romp through the behind-the-scenes drama of the quest for the title of Miss California with some decent laughs and a handful of touching moments. The film works best when focusing on the hapless and hopeless contestants but too often wanders into territory beyond the pageant, which tends to suck some of the life out of things. Regardless, it's an enjoyable, if not forgettable, viewing experience.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
With little love for the subjects its skewers, this so-so satire—just funny enough to leave you with the title, if not sharp enough to leave you with a lasting impression—takes aim at provincial patriarchy without recognizing its own role in reproducing the same structures the film wants to critique (clearly a result of having only men behind the camera), as evidenced by the lecherous shot of a naked seventeen-year-old that lingers under the closing credits.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
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Audience Member
The best comedy movie ever made! With the best movie sing ever sung: the title song!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/26/23
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Audience Member
This was a film I'd always known about but never seen, but I think a case could be made that is is a hidden classic of the 1970s. The surface level story is a group of teen contestants at the California Young American Miss beauty pageant. The film's very reminiscent of Robert Altman's multi-character layered films, with an entraining surface story but a bitting subtext. Longer before Honey Boo Boo or Dance Mom's, Michael Ritchie used the teen girl beauty pageant as a biting satire of American's commercial and superficial values. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie, who made some of other classics like "The Candidate," "Prime Cut" and what I consider the greatest sports movie of all-time, "The Bad News Bears." The film was written by Jerry Belson, who I'd never heard of before, but looking at his IMDB page, he had some excellent TV writing credits that range from "The Dick Van Dyke Show" to "The Tracey Ullman Show" and also includes films like "Always" and uncredited work on "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." So don't be fooled by this films' seemingly light tale of mean girl beauty pageant contestants, because this film is a whole lot more. Top all that off with an incredibly strong cast that includes Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon, Michael Kidd, Geoffrey Lewis, Paul Benedict and Dennis Dugan. And among the then unknown parent girls you have the soon-to-be-famous Melanie Griffith, Colleen Camp, Annette O'Toole and also Denise Nickerson, who played Violet Beauregarde in "Willy Wonka and the chocolate Factory" and Caroline Williams who was on some iconic horror parts in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2." The film was also shot by the great Conrad L. Hall, shot through a gauzy look. I also have to say I quite liked the soundtrack to this film too, which apparently is what held up the release of this film on home video for years. If you're fan of the subversively smart films that came out of Hollywood in the 70s or consider yourself a fan of Altman-style of films, you should definitely check out this film.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
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Audience Member
While the sexism is era-appropriate, it appears to be called a satire solely to explain how offensive and horrible of a file it was. The acting was good, but the script, soundtrack, and story were awful.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
01/15/23
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Audience Member
Brilliant satire of the inherent flaws of beauty pageants, this subtle, yet laugh-out-loud 70s gem works amazingly on two levels - both as a slice-of-life view of the inner workings of the small town show, while also clearly commenting on the earnestness and motives of the supporters and contestants. It plays like a more subtle version of the film Little Miss Sunshine.
Insightful, innocent, heartbreaking, dark, and yet awkwardly hopeful and hilarious all the way through.
The uncanny portrayals and insights of the filmmakers make this an even more enjoyable treat. From the naive, cliched speeches, the bubbly off-key singing, and the off-kilter performances, to the back stage fussing and marital struggles being set aside for the sake of the show, this is a rather complete picture of small town pageant life with a tongue-in-cheek flair making it all the more entertaining.
The fact that it's characters are so naively innocent, earnest, and sarcasm-free makes it even more touching, authentic and completely hilarious.
Skewering the kkk and other lesser parts of Americana keep this on the darker side, so be aware.
A few things here are disconcerting for some. With that in mind, wow - what a crazy look at the times around my childhood, and what it looks like now.
A young Melanie Griffith and Annette O Toole are part of the fun too.
The movie went pretty much unnoticed when it first came out, but has since become a cult classic.
Enjoy!
5 hat-and-cane numbers out of 5
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
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