Miss Firecracker

PG

Released Apr 28, 1989

1 hr. 42 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

75%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Carnelle Scott (Holly Hunter) is a restless Mississippi girl looking for a life change. She decides to enter a beauty pageant, which her cousin Elain (Mary Steenburgen) had won years before. Despite a lack of support from those close to her, including conniving cousin Delmount (Tim Robbins), Carnelle remains determined. She enlists the help of a seamstress (Alfre Woodard) to outfit her for the competition, while rebuffing the advances of predatory men, as she aims to bring home the crown.

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Alec B

Perfectly cast and I promise you that very little of this movie is exaggerated.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Holly Hunter, Scott Glenn, Alfre Woodard, Mary Steenburgen, and Tim Robbins Carnelle works in a fish factory in Mississippi but is unsatisfied with her current lifestyle she feels if she enters a beauty pageant like her cousin, Elaine did she can make something of herself yet it feels like everyone doesn't have faith in her entirely her cousin Delmont comes back into town to make something of himself but he's been in an institution for 2 years without any help from anyone he also wants to sell Carnelle's home to make enough money to fix everything this really is one of Holly Hunter's best performances and as Carnelle she's fully committed to proving she belongs somewhere are beauty pageants so superficial and full of fake people, everyone wants to be beautiful without accepting there are limitations, maybe winning or losing actually builds character, maybe what we really want out of life is some eternal grace

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/29/23

Full Review

Steve D

Cute enough thanks to a strong cast.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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robert p

Not a stupendous movement on this movie but I still liked it enough to give it 3 and 1/2 stars!!!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Possibly Holly Hunter's best work. There have lots of beauty pageant films in this flavor, but Hunter brings such raw manic emotional vulnerability to this film, it's worthwhile to watch her work. The whole cast is incredible.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Perfectly cast and I promise you that very little of this movie is exaggerated.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Thomas Schlamme

Director

Holly Hunter

Carnelle Scott

Mary Steenburgen

Elain Rutledge

Tim Robbins

Delmount Williams

Alfre Woodard

Popeye Jackson

Scott Glenn

Mac Sam

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Dolores Barclay

Associated Press

Ultimately, Miss Firecracker is a sweet celebration of humanity, of just plain folks trying to get by.

Oct 25, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

A neglected gem with sensational performances by everyone, especially Steenburgen and Woodard.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 3, 2003

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

What finally makes Miss Firecracker special is that it is not about who wins the contest, but about how all beauty contests are about the need to be loved and about how silly a beauty contest can seem if somebody really loves you.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A gentle, off-beat satire that characterizes a bunch of Southern oddballs striving for acceptance.

Rated: B+

Aug 21, 2017

Full Review

Richard Freedman

Newhouse News Service

Miss Firecracker is a huge cotton candy of a movie -- there's not really much there; but it's gaudy to look at, and sweet going down the gullet.

Jun 27, 2015

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

FulvueDrive-in.com

Rated: 2/5

May 7, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Carnelle Scott (Holly Hunter) is a restless Mississippi girl looking for a life change. She decides to enter a beauty pageant, which her cousin Elain (Mary Steenburgen) had won years before. Despite a lack of support from those close to her, including conniving cousin Delmount (Tim Robbins), Carnelle remains determined. She enlists the help of a seamstress (Alfre Woodard) to outfit her for the competition, while rebuffing the advances of predatory men, as she aims to bring home the crown.

Director: Thomas Schlamme
Executive Producer: Lewis M. Allen, Ross Milloy
Screenwriter: Beth Henley
Production Co: Corsair Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 1989, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 17, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $646.9K
Sound Mix: Surround

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