Miss Congeniality, starring Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, and Benjamin Bratt, remains one of Bullock’s best performances. As Gracie Hart, Bullock is an FBI agent transformed into a beauty pageant contestant — despite her abhorrence of the events. The tomboy-turned-knockout competes at the Miss United States Pageant to investigate threats and violence against her fellow contestants, with pratfalls and gaffs at every turn.
The success of Miss Congeniality resulted in a sequel in 2005. Released five years after the original, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, united Bullock with Regina Hall in a female buddy comedy. Gracie Hart, too high-profile to be an effective FBI agent, becomes the face of the Bureau with Agent Sam Fuller (Hall) as her partner.
The first Miss Congeniality earned Bullock a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, was a huge box office success, and was fairly well received by critics. The sequel was far less successful and, for Bullock, was a mistake to make — so much so that it effectively ended the franchise and any chance for Miss Congeniality 3.
Miss Congeniality
Release Date
December 22, 2000
Runtime
109 Minutes
Director
Donald Petrie
Sandra Bullock Admitted How She Felt About ‘Miss Congeniality 2’
Sandra Bullock’s early career included standout appearances in Speed (1994), While You Were Sleeping (1995), and Practical Magic (1998). By 2000, Bullock had perfected blending romantic comedy and action in one movie, something highlighted in Miss Congeniality. The success of Miss Congeniality at the box office — it earned more than $212 million worldwide — all but guaranteed a sequel was coming down the pike.
However, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous was released in 2005, at which time Bullock addressed returning to the role of Gracie Hart:
“There was never any pressure to make a sequel so we never considered it, even after we’d finished the first film. But about a year later, [writer] Marc Lawrence and I found ourselves joking about what would have happened had an FBI agent really done what Gracie did and thwarted a bomb threat and saved Miss United States in front of the cameras. With the media being what it is, she would’ve been on every talk show. So it was that premise that we expanded on, and it just became something we found ourselves talking about.”
20 years later, Bullock had another opinion of revisiting the world of Miss Congeniality:
“God no, no. No. [Miss Congeniality] 2 shouldn’t have been done.”
One Good Thing Came of Making ‘Miss Congeniality 2’ for Bullock
There was one positive to come out of making Miss Congeniality 2, however. It wasn’t straddling Dolly Parton, unfortunately, but according to Sandra Bullock,
“But I’m glad that it did, because it was with Regina [Hall], who just, I freakin’ adore.”
In a comment that may represent a bit of hope for fans of Gracie Hart, Bullock didn’t entirely count out seeing more of the character on the big screen. Granted, the idea would not likely feature Bullock in the role because it would focus on the origins of the character:
“Unless they make a prequel with a young Gracie Hart… I think Gracie Hart is in her 10, 11-year-old life, still acting very much the same as Gracie Hart as an adult.”
Whether or not this means a Miss Congeniality trilogy is actually on the table remains unclear.
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‘Miss Congeniality 2’ Isn’t the Only Sequel Sandra Bullock Regrets Making
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous earned just over $101 million worldwide at the box office, making it less than half of its predecessor. Reviews for Miss Congeniality 2 were not kind, with Roger Ebert calling it, “unnecessary in the sense that there is no good reason to go and actually see it.” Ebert did admit that he was one of the few critics who liked another one of Bullock’s sequels, 1997’s Speed 2, but the dismal reception of that movie was not lost on Bullock herself.
Despite claiming she’d learned from her previous sequel in 2005, Sandra Bullock did make Miss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous. The actress was asked if Speed 2’s lack of success gave her any trepidation when it came to making Miss Congeniality 2:
“I learned from that film that, unless it’s on the page, there’s no point in doing it. So we said if this film could stand on its own, as if the first one hadn’t been made, then it was something that would be exciting to do. And I had enough distance, I had done a few other things in between so I wasn’t tired of Gracie, I got to rejoin her and appreciate how great a character she was. Regardless of whether she’s male or female this was a great comedic character that Marc had written.”
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Miss Congeniality 2 did finally lead to a decision from Bullock:
“I had a ‘no sequel’ rule when I didn’t have the benefit of fighting for what I really wanted. I feel like, in my old age, I’m learning to fight for the things that I think would be best on screen — and I don’t care who comes away from the meeting angry.”
She seems to have eased up on that, however, with Practical Magic 2 rumored to be in the works…
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