Beautiful

PG-13

Released Sep 29, 2000

1 hr. 52 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

17%

65 Reviews

Tomatometer

54%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Mona Hibbard steadily advances as an American beauty queen in spite of her less than congenial temperament. Her best friend from childhood, Ruby, has the patience of a saint, which is why she's the one person who is willing to help Mona pursue her ambition. Ruby even helps her to hide the secret that would completely derail Mona's plan to capture the "Miss American Miss" title: an illegitimate daughter, Vanessa. Her biggest obstacle is losing her killer instinct for her maternal instinct.

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Critics Consensus

Sally Field's directing debut suffers from an inconsistent tone, implausible script, and a protagonist that critics say is one of the most loathsome to come around in a long time.

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M.K. G

Is it perfect? Nope. But in a movie landscape where female protagonists typically must be likable and perfect to make a movie worth watching, it's refreshing to see such a human one. The drama feels a little soapy at times, but it's a fun and emotional story about drive, ambition, and learning how to prioritize what matters.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/20/23

Full Review

Ashley O

This movie struggles to figure out what it is….it had an alright/somewhat interesting and original premise but with an unlikeable protagonist. And an ending that left much to be desired. This film couldn't decide if it was a comedy or a drama and didn't really nail either genre. Minnie Driver is a great actress and this film did not showcase near what she can do. Sally Field is brilliant in front of the camera but apparently not so much behind it…this was cringeworthy. The more serious and thematic moments of the film where it could have gone deeper it stays surface level and doesn't unpack all that it could. While I don't think this film was ever meant to strive for an Oscar, it could've done a lot better as they did have a decent cast to work with.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

Full Review

Steve D

The script is a complete mess.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Dalton L

I think the critics were a little too harsh in the reviews of this film. Actually I was shocked when I saw the review scores. If people don't like the character it's because she's a little ignorant and no one raised her. A character who is loathsome makes interesting tv in my opinion. Ms Field is also not a experienced director so why be critical about nitpicky things. The move is actually entertaining and the characters are likable and relatable. Oh and implausible plot? There's some horrible movies that have higher scores than this one. Come on Rotten Tomatoes, let's get consistent and accurate reviews. A good movie shouldn't have low scores like this, and I feel a score like that could have people skip over this gem.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A funny film with some good chemistry between the characters but I was a bit confused with the plot. Things we're just happening and then suddenly it ended. Still a good female empowerment movie with a robust set of morals.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I absolutely love this move! Just wish it showed more of the real places they are not pretend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

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Sally Field

Director

Minnie Driver

Mona

Joey Lauren Adams

Ruby

Hallie Kate Eisenberg

Vanessa

Kathleen Turner

Verna Chickle

Leslie Stefanson

Joyce Parkins

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35%

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Beautiful is just bad, sadly. Where's the plot?

Rated: 2/5

Sep 30, 2010

Full Review

Ted Shen

Chicago Reader

ally Field's direction is pedestrian, though she does manage to get shamelessly winning performances out of Driver and Eisenberg.

Apr 12, 2010

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

Variety

Flat, witless, and sappy (a very bad combo), Sally Field's embarrassing feature directorial debut aims to say something "relevant" about American society's obsession with physical looks at the expense of "inner beauty" and moral integrity.

Rated: D-

Sep 12, 2006

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

At its heart it’s a film that is trying to critique the stigma of single motherhood and understand exactly what draws women to pageant life.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

An uneasy mix of broad satire, soap opera outlandishness, and movie-of-the-week sappiness.

Rated: 0.5/4

Jan 14, 2010

Full Review

David Noh

Film Journal International

It's treacly, plastic and shamelessly obvious, and yet, on a low-rent level, it somehow works.

Dec 11, 2006

Full Review

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Synopsis

Mona Hibbard steadily advances as an American beauty queen in spite of her less than congenial temperament. Her best friend from childhood, Ruby, has the patience of a saint, which is why she's the one person who is willing to help Mona pursue her ambition. Ruby even helps her to hide the secret that would completely derail Mona's plan to capture the "Miss American Miss" title: an illegitimate daughter, Vanessa. Her biggest obstacle is losing her killer instinct for her maternal instinct.

Director: Sally Field
Screenwriter: Jon Bernstein
Distributor: Destination Films
Production Co: Fogwood Films, Flashpoint Limited, Two Drivers Productions, Prosperity Pictures, Destination Films
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.1M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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